Good things come to those who wait...

There once was a little boy. He was 3 years old. He loved Cars. And not just any old car.
Only, as he would say, "Cars with eyes."
But his mommy knew that "Cars with eyes meant" only Disney Pixar Cars.

He collected cars for birthdays.
He collected cars for Christmas.
He collected cars when he saved up his money.

His Mommy would be too embarrassed to tell you the number of cars this little boy collected.

Then, one day when this boy was 4, his big brother (who also liked Cars, to collect but not to play with) came home with a supersized Combine "Car." Which really isn't a car, but I digress.

His name is Frank.



He looks mean, but apparantely he's pretty cool and pretty in demand. Unfortunately for the little boy, his older brother and Daddy happened to come across Frank during a Target run in which little boy was left at home. At Target, the Daddy saw only 2 Franks in the whole store, but passed on buying one for little brother because he thought he might already have it.

So one Frank came home with big brother.
One stayed on the shelf at Target.

Little brother was heartbroken. He wanted big, cool, mean looking Frank.

14 months went by.

Yes, I said months. Not days, not weeks... months.
For 14 months we scoured Targets here- Targets there- Targets everywhere.

No Frank.

We stopped at Targets along a 3500 mile round trip drive. TWO YEARS IN A ROW.

No Frank.

Every single time Mommy went to her Target 4 blocks from our house, she responded with the same answer ("Sure, but we've gotta look quickly!") to the same question, ("Mommy, can we go look for Frank?"). And when I say EVERY time, as God is my witness, I mean every- single- time. We never went to Target without looking for Frank. The Mom eventually told her son that though they would continue to look, she was afraid they did not make Frank the Combine anymore.

By now the little boy was 5 years old. Not just 5, but 5 "and a half."

One day his Mommy had to run to Target and asked her little man to come with her. He said no. "No," until his older sister said, "Oooo- then I wanna go!" - in which he jumped up and had a miraculous and speedy change of heart.

Off they went to Target. Different day, different trip, same question. "Mommy, can we go look for Frank?"

For a moment, the Mommy thought she was seeing things. She'd looked in the exact same aisle, in the exact same spot, for over a year to no avail. But there he was...

Frank!!

In all his big, mean, cool splendor and glory.

Mommy said, "It's Frank! It's Frank!" - Little boys mouth made the shape of a perfect O and  he started jumping up and down. His Mommy handed him the Combine and the little boy began to exclaim, "PRAISE THE LORD!! PRAISE THE LORD!! PRAISE THE LORD!!!!!" As if that were not odd enough to the unsuspecting shoppers in the same aisle (who were unaware of the 14 month nation wide scavenger hunt for Frank), his Mommy also became giddy with excitement and jubilation. The two of them hugged over and over again marveling at their long lost treasure.

The little boy skipped all the way to the cash register. 

Grinning from ear to ear. 

Still chuckling to himself (a little quieter now), "Oh! Praise the Lord! Praise the Lord!" 

Little boy asked to be photographed with his prized possession.


He showed his Daddy (who sighed a deep sigh of relief after regretting leaving "14 months ago Frank" on the shelf... 14 months ago)

The whole family was reminded that "good things come to those who wait."



And little boy played happily ever after.

The end.