Sometimes the Hat Chooses You

July 11. Or, as real Americans call it, 7-Eleven Day.

Per tradition, the CHG crew headed to the closest 7-Eleven for a free Slurpee. (Last year I tried the Cap’n Crunch flavor. Tasted exactly like soggy Cap’n Crunch. I almost barfed.) 

We’re not the type of people who just get a slurpee and run. For the next 15 minutes or so, we stood in the odds-and-ends aisle chatting, laughing, and enjoying our free treat. And then something caught my eye.  

The most beautiful cowboy hat in the world. 

Stars. Stripes. America. I lifted it gently from the rack and set it on my head. It fit like a glove. 

A reverent silence fell across the group, as they admired my head accessory. (Or at least that’s how I remember it.) 

“I think this hat was made for me,” I declared. The group laughed and then turned back to their conversations. 

I put the hat back on the rack. But I couldn’t stop thinking about it. I put it back on my head. It felt so right. 

“I think I need this hat,” I said aloud. 

The group looked at me and nodded in agreement. 

I looked at the price tag. 

“Holy crap. It’s $27!”  

Twenty-seven dollars for a 7-11 cowboy hat?!

“I love this hat,” I said, disappointed. “But I love it like $10.”

And that’s when then the 7-Eleven miracle started to unfold. 

“I’d pay $2 to see you in that hat,” Reiko said. 

“Me, too,” Liz chimed in. 

Heads in the group started nodding. Next thing I knew, wallets were opening and Venmo transfers were being made. 

The two 7-Eleven workers looked confused, but at least slightly amused. 

“Don’t you think this hat looks great on me?” I asked the man at the register. 

“Uh, sure.”

“Is there anything you could do to help me leave with this hat? A ‘manager’s discount’ or something like that?” 

The two workers huddled briefly and then responded. “We’ll give you 40% off.” 

One by one, I counted out the wrinkled dollar bills that had been donated to the cause, and slid the money across the counter. 

The hat was mine!

—

I wear the hat to work almost every day now. When I walk through the building, people stare at me with a look that’s hard to put into words. 

I’m pretty sure the closest translation is “That’s the most beautiful hat I’ve ever seen.”