When my brother, Mike and I were only about 6 and 7 years old (March 1961), we lived with mom and dad in a trailer in Amarillo, Texas. I think every Wednesday night mom and dad would go to a bowling league and Mike and I would stay home with a babysitter and watch "Top Cat", a cartoon show on TV.
I remember one day mom loading us in the car and going down to the bowling alley and she bought a bowling bag for dads birthday. As we got in the car she turned to both of us and said, "Now listen, neither one of you are to say anything to your father about this gift. It's suppose to be a surprise.
She was also afraid that he'd make her take it back because we didn't have a lot of money back then. We were good and kept it to ourselves and I knew I was excited to see what dad did when he saw it. I knew one day I would be older and get to bowl too and I wanted a bowling ball and bag of my own.
That night at dinner as the four of us sat around the table dad was talking to us and Mike said, "Dad, mom got you a present for your birthday, but we aren't allowed to tell you what it is, but you put your bowling ball in it."
Dad did make mom take it back and she wasn't too happy with us. But we laugh about it now.
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