Rubberband Wars Scavenger Hunt
I left the campus and pulled up to the ATM, sliding my bank card into the slot. Through the menu I navigated from account balance inquiry to checking account and from there, entered my PIN number. A small slip of paper churned out from the receipt slot.
“Sweet! My financial aid came in.” I said to my empty car. “Time to get that burger that I've been craving.”
I left the bank and drove the block or so away to the Sonic. After placing my order, I pulled out my cellphone to see if I had missed any calls or texts while I was in class. I had a text message from Bobby, my fiancee.
Umm, dear, ASU Beebe
University Police just called me.
Said they tried to get a hold
of you, but couldn't get through.
Called me to ask you to go by after class.
Everything Okay??
Yea, as far as I know??
Money came thru, I'm at sonic right now. Lol.
When I get my food, I'll head over there.
IDK how they tried to get a hold of me,
I don't have any missed calls,
and they should have been able to locate
me on campus if it was something urgent??
They wouldn't tell me.
Said it wasn't anything major.
Just needed you to come in.
I waited for my food to come, unnerved with the possibilities I was creating in my head. Am I getting in trouble for carrying my cigarettes on campus? I know it's a smoke free campus. Maybe someone saw them in my purse and turned me in? Or what if something is wrong with one of the girls? Finally my food came. I shoveled my cheese tots into my mouth hastily as I drove back to campus. The State Hall building held the office for the campus police. I came into the police headquarters from the main building and found the receptionist at her desk.
“Can I help you?”
“Yes, I received a message to come by here after class, someone wanted to see me, but I don't know who or what for.”
“Your name please?”
“Marley Cash.”
“Do you have your ID with you?”
“Yes, I do.” I said as I pulled it out of my duct tape wallet and presented it to her. “What's going on?”
“We'll get to that in just a moment.” she replied, looking down her nose, through her glasses, at the clipboard in her hands. I anxiously waited.
“Alright, well step around the front of the desk here, these are for you.”
I glanced across her desk top as I rounded its edge, past the paperwork and file folders, past the pen holder and framed photo, past the flowers and name plate. I didn't understand. I looked up at her; her gaze on the vase of flowers. The card envelope read: ASU BEEBE POLICE c/o MARLEY CASH. I still didn't understand. Surely there are too many students on this campus for the staff to order all the students flowers for their birthday.
“Is this for my birthday?”
“I don't know, you'll have to read the card.” She smiled a little this time.
I pulled the card from the envelope and read it to myself.
THE RUBBER BAND WARS
SCAVENGER HUNT
These are from Bobby, I thought. I thanked the secretary and took the vase with me as I headed back to my car, winding through the corridors, typing a text to Bobby as I went, smiling extra wide at each passing face.
Lover!
They're so pretty! Thank you! Scavenger hunt tho?
Is there a card?
Yes. Rubber band wars scavenger hunt??
Onions and riddles, love.
There's no clue tho. No clue=no hunt...
Clue may be rubber band wars.
I'm supposed to go to MJ's?
Clues tend to lead to new
location and more clues.
I would give it a try.
Smart ass! Duh, but why would he lead me there? What in the world could he have waiting for me? As I wound through the campus labyrinth, I debated stopping to eat my coveted burger before continuing onto the next leg of the impromptu scavenger hunt I had just landed in, but alas, my curious nature supersedes my gluttony. I continued on, pulling into my old faithful parking space in the gravel parking lot of Martha Jean's Diner, fearing a bit how grand this stop may be. I wondered what I was to be looking for or where it might be. I cautiously strolled to the end of the bar, making eye contact with my ex-coworker, smiling, then frowning, eyes darting about, looking for any clue.
“You looking for something?” She grinned.
“I am.”
“Hold on one second.” She looked over at the crew table on the other end of the bar and then over by the microwave near my end.
“Tom, where did that, um, thing go for Marley?” She yelled back to the owner in his office nook to my right.
“It should be up there, somewhere.”
Oh, great. She turned back around to look again. A new server came behind the bar.
To me, she said, “oh, are you... I know who you are. Here, I've got something for you. Come here.” I looked at Tom, seeking permission, shrugging, and entering the employee area. At the far end of the bar, in a gap between the silverware roll holder and the butter pat tub, in a space that I had created for my belongings when I worked there by shifting everything on the bar to the left, stood a cup full of water. Inside the cup also was another bouquet; this one of three red roses, with a card pinned to a red ribbon. The card read: SNOW TRISTE in a loopy, feminine print. It took me a moment to ascertain what the letters were, and even a moment longer to realize that TRISTE was supposed to be TRYST.
“Oh, I know where that is!” I mumbled excitedly, looking up to find my ex-boss and ex-coworkers standing around me.
“Y'all, this man sends me a text telling me to go see the campus police and I went there and found a bouquet of flowers. Then I come here and find more! That's two bouquets in one day, and it doubles the number I've ever received in my entire life!”
“He's a good ol' boy.” Said Tom.
“That he is.” I agreed as I smiled and waved to ex-coworkers and ex-customers, off onto my next mission.
Before I had introduced Bobby to my daughters, we only got to see each other for ten minutes here and there, an hour if we were lucky. He'd stop by work to see me or I'd get off work early and run out to his house to say hi. One night, I left work early and he agreed to meet me halfway. Off of a snow covered gravel road, we pulled into a wide driveway that serviced a pasture. I sat with him for about fifteen minutes. We each talked about our day, and then stole a few kisses before I headed home to my girls.
<3!!!
You read the card?
Yes.
I'm at the gate, I don't see anything??
I suggest looking for a small mound of rocks.
Buried beneath a clutch of rocks, both big and small, I found an envelope in a sealed plastic wrapper with a UPS shipping label on it. What in the hell? Did he really get UPS to deliver this to the bottom of a stack of rocks, damn near in the ditch, by some stranger's driveway?
I opened the packaging and found a poem inside; it was handwritten on purple paper. My favorite color! Ooh, and how I do love his handwriting!
It read:
Virgin snow, moon aglow.
Hands filled with nervousness.
Fogging bated breath.
Heart beating out a rythym of longing.
Warmth pulled from kisses.
Tears rimmed my eyes. How sweet it was of my man to take a seemingly insignificant, brief moment from our courtship and turn it into something so poignant. My heart overflowed with happiness as I then considered the next clue: TWO BIRDS MEET IN TREES. For this there could only be three options. First, the crushed velvet picture of two blue birds back-lighted by moonlight in a tree that I have pinned to the wall in our room. Wasn't he just staring off into space at that picture last night? Maybe he slipped something behind it? Or second thought, based off of that same bird picture, I did used to sneak over to his carpool buddy's house and doodle in the dust covering Bobby's truck while he was at work. That bird scene was the first one I doodled. Maybe there is something in his truck parked at our house? But then, maybe he and I are the birds, and the trees are out at the land on Vinity Road. That sure would be a large place to have to search, though.
I relayed those thoughts to him and he guided me towards the land, telling me to focus on the area around the entrance. By the left post where a gate used to be anchored, I found another envelope, again waterproofed and labeled by UPS. Some UPS driver must've gotten a HUGE tip! Inside the envelope was another poem-clad purple paper.
This one read:
Crisp evenings with scarves
and swings with things dreamed.
Friendship begets respect.
Respect breeds affection.
Affection grows love.
Love as true as a true blue sky.
How true this was of our love, respect being the basis of all that followed. I hugged the paper to my chest a moment before returning it to the envelope and reading the next clue: FIRST OF MANY. Our first kiss was out at the land, if that's what he meant. Or our first time making love was in the room that is currently the office in what is now our home, but was then his room in his house where he lived alone. I drove back to where we stood by the swings, under the big oak tree when we first kissed. Nothing caught my eye, so on to the house I went.
In the office I found a large manila envelope, filled with homemade birthday cards from the girls. Here was where I cried. The depth of his orchestration, just to paint a smile across my face, made my heart shiver with gratefulness that I had found him.
I know it's not your birthday until Sunday, but... SURPRISE!
Happy early birthday, o' love of my life!
Beneath that last little note, was a bag of chocolates. Chocolate is always a sure-fire win! I kicked my shoes off and sat within the now fragrant office, eating my now cold burger, admiring the works of my sweet man, bragging about him to the world of Facebook.
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