Back in the day, Mike and Mikos were avid baseball card collectors. Mike purchased a prized Reggie Jackson rookie card for our son for $150. This was Mikos’ pride and joy.

Safekeeping

Mikos kept all of his baseball cards in a binder with sleeves to protect his collection. But the Reggie Jackson card, he kept in a special card holder to preserve it from any damage. He had two binders filled with baseball cards that he stored on the top shelf of his closet. Occasionally, Mikos would peruse his collection. When he left for college, he knew that the cards were safe.

Sonja’s Boyfriend

If you have read my Blog about Sonja’s dating (And God Said…Mind Your Own Beeswax),  it’s about all the boys she dated. When she introduced us to her Pepperdine beau, we welcomed the clean-cut young man. I will call him  (Scott.)  Scott was tall and lanky, but what mattered most to me was that he was free of tattoos and piercings. Finally my prayers were being answered.

While Sonja studied abroad, I thought for sure that this romance would not stand the test of oceans apart. Much to our surprise Scott continued to communicate via telephone with our daughter. Both Mike and I knew this because Sonja used our credit card to make return phone calls to Scott.

The Sleepover

Scott was welcomed to stay at our home but only under the condition that he had to sleep in Mikos’ room. How he found Mikos’ baseball card collection is still a mystery. He asked if he could look through the collection. “Of course, but make sure you put them back when you’re done,” I answered. Never would I have had any suspicion that Scott would take any of the cards. I do remember walking past Mikos’ room to discover Scott lying on the bed as he looked through our son’s cards.

The Breakup

Sonja’s sorority, Kappa Kappa Gama, had a lot of functions, formals in particular. We supported our daughter’s education but she had a part-time job to keep up with the expense of all her sorority soirees. Scott was part of this life as well; he belonged to a fraternity. They attended several formal dances and were enjoying college life.

As in many young romances, Sonja and Scott went their separate ways. It was as if Scott had fallen off the face of the earth. Sonja was over him.

Summer

When Mikos returned from school for the summer, he discovered that his Reggie Jackson card was missing. He was furious and wanted to know who stayed in his room. On several occasions we did have guests but I could not remember when they stayed. “Mom, this is serious! Where is my Reggie Jackson card? You must know, you live here! Where is it?” I don’t know,” I stuttered. “Maybe you put it in another binder. How do I know?” I added. “Mom, the card was in a special place in the binder! How is it that that is the only card missing?” Mikos was so upset. But the more I thought, I kept getting the vision of  Scott’s lanky body flipping through the pages of the baseball card binder. I knew he took it. No one else knew about the cards or where they were kept.

Scott

Scott went on to become a big-time executive of a global company and was doing well for himself. He married and his wife work diligently to become a social media influencer, she wrote several self-help books and is still very active conducting seminars. Scott quit his day job to help build his wife’s empire. They both traveled around the US giving marriage advice.

During COVID Scott’s wife announced that they were getting a divorce. I would periodically check her Instagram account and was surprised that she still had so many followers. By this time Scott had authored his own self-help book and was giving motivational speeches.

My Tiny Revenge

It upset me because I knew Scott took my son’s baseball card, so I started to harass him with private messages on Instagram. “Hi, it’s Lynda Ciriza. Do you remember me? I know you took my son’s Reggie Jackson rookie baseball card.”

I could not wrap my head around how this man achieve success in his profession, knowing that he took that card. This is a systemic problem because stealing is a sin. When you steal, you lie and that adds another component to the layers of dysfunctional living. My concern was that he was giving advice and receiving money for it!

Thou Shall Not Steal

This is the eighth of the Ten Commandments. When you steal and think you are getting away with it, you open the door to more sinful behavior.

Scott’s Death

Early Saturday a few months ago I had just sent Scott another message on Instagram. “You should come clean; the truth will set you free!” Then I received a disturbing phone call from Sonja. “Mom, Scott passed away.” “What? Oh my gosh, I just sent him another message!” (In a peculiar way I felt responsible). “What happened?” I asked. “Tell me you didn’t really send him any messages!” “Oh, I have been sending him messages for a while now.” I came clean. “How did he die?” I asked again. “They found him in bed, holding his phone. I’m not sure of the cause of death,” Sonja replied.

The Proof

Sonja and one of her sorority sisters decided to pay their respects and attend Scott’s funeral. During the eulogy  the confirmation came to fruition. One of Scott’s fraternity brothers mentioned that Scott’s prized possession was his baseball card collection! Sonja’s sorority sister looked over at Sonja and said, “He f***n’  took the card!”

Today the value of that card if in pristine condition is worth ($100,000)! And there is not a thing we can do about it.

Cause of Death

The saddest part of this story is that Scott died of an overdose. He left  behind a beautiful family.

My Prayer

Dear Heavenly Father, I pray for the repose of Scott’s soul. And I pray for all who struggle with hidden addictions. May You expose all lies and set those who are suffering free. Amen.