Well, I’ll Take 8…Just in Case

With only 3 days (really 2.5) left in the school year, my grade level team is having a field day on Thursday.  The kids will move through various games set up by the teachers.  After the games, we will surprise them with a popsicle.  I’m in charge of getting the popsicles. 
Being a little worried about finding over 90 popsicles at any one store I decided to call the bulk store down the street from school to see if I could arrange for a hold on them to pick up tomorrow afternoon.  After being placed on hold a few times, I was finally connected to Chris, who worked in the back.  I told him I needed about 90 but of course, depending on how many were in a package, I’d take more than 90 if needed.  He was very helpful, asking me questions to clarify what I wanted and also finding out how many were in the packages.  Here was our conversation from that point…
Chris – There are 12 in a package.
Me – Ummmm…(dividing 90 by 12 in my head) 
Chris – That’s 7, you need 7 packages.
Me -  Oh, uhhh, it’s actually 8 I think.  That would give 96.
Chris – No, it’s 7.  That’ll be 94. 
Me – Hmmmm, I think it’s 8.
Chris - (Sound of pencil scribbling) It’s 7, 7 x 12 is 94. 
At first I started to second guess myself – after all my students only learn multiplication facts to 10.  Maybe I was rusty,  To not argue with him I asked him if he would check to see if they had enough.  While I was on hold, I checked my math once again.  Nope, not rusty.  While I waited for Chris’s return I had an internal debate with myself.  I needed 8 bags, but didn’t want to embarrass him (and didn’t want to pick up 90 licked popsicles, thank you very much).  But I still needed what I needed.

When he got back on the phone, he told me that they had enough.  “Ya know,” I said, “I think just in case I’ll want 8 bags instead of 7.  Are there enough for me to take 8?”  He said there were and that he’d hold them for me, seemingly none the wiser that I was questioning his math.  I’ll know for sure when I go pick them up this afternoon.  Fingers crossed there are enough, saliva free popsicles.