I loved watching Hunter and Tyler having fun. Someone had a basketball and there was an impromptu game between them all, just shooting hoops, which of course eluded Hunter, who wasn’t tall enough to even hit the rim. This was why I wanted to teach. I wanted to be in a world filled with children as they woke up to something new each day and I could help them see their growing sense of reality more clearly. When Tyler and Hunter were good and sweaty and red faced and out of breath, they stumbled over to me on the bench.

“We could probably stand some ice cream now,” Tyler said.

“Oh, you could, huh?” I said and smiled.

“Yeah,” Hunter said, giggling, “if we had to.”

“Then let’s go see what wondrous treats are in the freezer at the gas station!”

The walk from the playground to the tiny convenience store attached to the Circle K gas station was only minutes, and soon all three of us were standing on the corner of Station Twenty-two and a Half, devouring some terrible unhealthy combination of sugar and chemicals. They sold great coffee, milk, bread, sodas, and emergency supplies, such as batteries, potato chips, doughnuts, and toilet paper. But the freezer filled with the least healthy of iced snacks was our favorite.

“This is delicious,” said Tyler, who was taking down a creamy orange ice cream concoction in a tube.

“Mine’s better,” said Hunter, who was making fast work of a fudge bar on a stick.

“Let’s make a deal,” I said, while luxuriating in the awesomeness of an ice cream sandwich.

“What’s the deal?” Tyler said.

“If y’all take your baths and get ready for bed early, I’ll make spaghetti and meatballs and let y’all stay up and watch 60 Minutes with me. We can eat in front of the television.”

“Do we get garlic bread?” Hunter asked.

“Yes,” I said.

“Cool! What’s 60 Minutes?” Tyler said.

“Well, it’s only the most interesting program on television, that’s all.”

“What’s it about?” Hunter said.

“That’s the thing! It’s about new things every single week. Sometimes it’s about mountain climbers or the jungle in the Amazon or a symphony orchestra or kids who are prodigies. It can be about anything and everything, but different every week,” I said. “And it gives you something to talk about that other people might not know about.”

“What’s prodigies?” Hunter asked.

“Really super talented individuals,” I said.

“You mean like National Geographic programs are different every week?”

“Exactly, but National Geographic deals more with the natural world and 60 Minutes looks for newsworthy people who are doing incredible things, like inventing things to make the world a better place.”

“Sounds too educational,” Hunter said.

“I’ll give it a shot,” Tyler said.

“Wise decision, young man! Let’s move on.”