How we found Ben’s Hat

I am not even sure how to start this post?

This is one of those things where you say, “you just had to be there!”

But, I am going to try and explain exactly why my 13 year old son and I wet our pants in Taco Bell a few weeks ago.

As you know my son plays baseball spring and fall. Part of the baseball ritual is the hat. You get your hat, then the team Mom spends the next week trying to get in some place to get each child’s name embroidered on the back. Because, boys are slobs and forgetful and can’t manage to not get their hat mixed up with the other 12 in the dug out that look EXACTLY alike.

Go figure.

My husband coaches and likes to give the boys nicknames. A few seasons ago he started calling one of the boys ( real name Ben ) HOSS. He had a college buddy who they called Hoss, really nice guy and this kid just fit the same mold. I am sure you remember the T.V. show Bonanza? Hey, I just saw the re-runs!

Anyway, Ben always has Hoss put on the back of his hat. This last spring we were the Marlins, and at the beginning of the season a few of the families met at Rico’s for dinner one night after practice. Ben walked out of the restaurant and left his hat. His Mother was furious, they went back and kept checking but no one ever found it. Ben spent all season with no matching hat.

Fast forward 6 MONTHS! We were sitting in Taco Bell one night last week, when Tucker grabs my arm and furiously whispers,

“Mom! Thats Ben’s hat!”

I looked around and was confused for a minute, as I also have a brother named Ben.
Then I saw it….

A man standing at the register ordering food was wearing Ben’s Marlines hat with his name on the back!!

Tucker and I just busted into laughter. My husband turned to see what we were laughing at and actually gasped. He a little too loud, says, ” no freaking way!!”

The three of us have tears running down our cheeks, we are laughing so hard. Then my husband says, “we have to show Ben.”

Tucker and I are a little more reserved than my husband, we think he is going to take the hat back. We start freaking out and begging him to not ask for the hat back, he shakes us off and walks right up behind the man at the counter and TAKES A PICTURE!

The kids and I are dying, we are hiding behind and under the table’s at Taco Bell! All the while still laughing at how hilarious the situation was! Plus, just incredulous that Paul would just walk up and take a picture standing right behind the guy!

Paul, not being shy, much to Tucker’s horror, then asked the man if he could take his picture so he could have a picture of the front of the hat. The man was completely happy to pose!

This is about the point that neither Tucker or I could take it anymore, and both raced to the bathroom as I think we both were going to pee our pants!

We must have laughed for 3 days straight, every time I event think about it now I giggle. We sent the pictures to Ben’s Mom and called her, when she opened the email I could hear her scream with laughter a few feet away over Paul’s phone.

What we are really wondering is what is the degree of separation between a pretty nice Mexican Restaurant, Rico’s, and Taco Bell?

We want to leave something else there and see where it turns up months later!