Chapter Text
Bradley's birthday gift surprise
It was a sunny Saturday afternoon when I hopped into the backseat of Sarah's SUV, my seatbelt clicking just as Carole and Mav pulled up behind us in their own car. We were all headed to Toy Galaxy, the biggest and brightest toy store in town, on a mission: find the perfect birthday gift for Bradley.
Bradley loved baseball—everyone knew that. He played Senior League and had a growing collection of baseball cards, which he kept in a shoebox labeled "Future Hall of Famer." He was turning 15 next week, and everyone wanted to make sure his gift was something special.
"I was thinking we could look at board games," Carole said as we walked through the automatic doors, greeted by bright displays and cheerful music. “Something we could all play after cake.”
"O-O-Or b-baseball c-c-cards," I chimed in, holding Ice's hand. “H-He l-l-loves th-the P-P-Padres, r-right? M-M-Maybe w-we c-c-can f-find s-s-some o-of th-th-those c-cards.”
“Oooh,” Sarah said, eyes scanning the aisles. “Or a new glove? He’s been using that hand-me-down from Mav for years.”
“Hey!” Mav chuckled. “That glove had character.”
We all laughed and headed to the sports section first. There, on a special shelf under a sign that said "New Arrivals!", was a display of something brand new:
MLB Mystery Clubhouse Boxes.
The box was shaped like a mini dugout, decorated with team logos. A little card on the display read:
“Each box contains one special item: a signed player card or a team-autographed mini ball.”
“Well, that’s fun,” Carole said. “Kind of like a treasure hunt.”
"W-W-We h-have t-t-to g-get o-o-one,” I whispered excitedly. I picked up a box, shaking it gently. “I-I th-th-think th-this o-o-one h-has s-s-something g-good!”
While Sarah and Ice browsed nearby for more baseball gear—eventually settling on a sleek new glove in Bradley’s size Carole grabbed a few packs of random baseball cards and a smaller bonus pack of Padres-only cards, just in case.
We also looked at a digital scoreboard clock for his room, but Mav said, “That’s cool, but it feels more like a Christmas gift. Let’s keep it fun today.”
Sarah pointed out a mini pitching machine with foam balls. “What about this?”
But Ice shook his head. “He doesn’t really have the space for something like that. Plus, it’ll probably break in a week.”
Next to it was a set of baseball-themed bookends shaped like bats and gloves.
“These are kinda cool,” Carole said, holding one up. “If he had a bookshelf.”
“True,” Sarah agreed. “He mostly just stacks stuff on his desk.”
We passed a Padres-themed alarm clock that played a cheering crowd sound to wake you up, but Mav groaned, “Can you imagine that going off at 6 a.m everyday that would get tiring pretty quickly.”
Nearby, we found a mini bobblehead of a Padres player, but it was one Bradley already had.
“Too bad,” Carole said. “That would’ve been perfect.”
“O-O-Oh! L-Look!” I ran over to another shelf. “D-D-Dolls!”
I pointed at a brand new Snow White plush doll then picked it up hugging the doll. “Sh-Sh-She’s c-coming h-h-home w-with m-m-me.”
Next to the dolls was a mountain of plush animals, and nestled right in the middle was a fluffy lion with a sleepy smile.
“A-A-And th-thIs i-i-is Leo,” I added, picking it up with my other arm.
We passed a remote-control car that looked like a baseball, but it was too gimmicky—and also way over budget.
There was also a baseball trivia card game that claimed to stump even the pros.
Mav picked it up, flipping through the sample questions. “I dunno... This might be a little too ‘dad-joke’ like for Bradley.”
Just as we were about to head toward the registers, something else caught my eye—a goofy-looking plush goose with floppy wings and a stitched-on baseball cap.
I gasped and turned to Ice. “C-C-Can w-we g-g-get th-this o-o-one f-for Bradley? I-I-It’s s-so s-s-silly! I-I th-th-think h-he’d l-l-laugh.”
Ice looked at it and nodded. “You know, I think you’re right. That goose has Bradley energy written all over it.”
Carole chuckled. “Add it to the pile. That’ll definitely get a giggle out of him.”
As we gathered our gifts at the counter—mystery box, baseball glove, cards, a board game, the plush goose for Bradley, plus my Snow White doll and lion—the cashier smiled. “Looks like someone’s got a lucky birthday coming up.”
Carole grinned. “Let’s just hope that mystery box has the team ball.”
“And if not,” Mav added, “Bradley’s still gonna flip out over all this.”
I clutched Leo and Snow White and smiled. I could already imagine Bradley’s face when he opened his presents—and especially when he met his new goose.
“B-B-Best b-birthday h-h-haul e-ever,” I whispered to them both.
Leo didn’t answer, and neither did Snow White, but their quiet smiles said they agreed.