OPINION: These special numbers add up

Jul. 31—I'm a numbers guy, and by that I do not mean that I am a math whiz. I realized that during my wife's online college math class this summer. I could never challenge the jobs of an accountant like Carl Head.

But I do love numbers — specifically 2, 5 and 7. Why? Simple: 2 belonged to Bobby Murcer; 5 belonged to Joe DiMaggio; and 7 belonged to Mickey Mantle. Now, collectively, they are an integral part of my life.

But Rachel Langford recently trumped my love of numbers with a couple of her own.

First of all, Langford is from St. Louis and I had no idea who she was until I heard a story on KLOVE radio. If you heard it, too, I'm sure you are already agreeing with me about how incredible the story was.

So here's the deal ...

Earlier this month, Langford concluded her nine months of pregnancy for her second child. But no, the magic numbers are not nine and two.

Langford's daughter J'Aime was born on July 11, or 7-11. Nothing spectacular about that ... yet.

The child's official time of birth was, um ... 7:11 p.m. Now we're seeing a pattern emerge.

And, oh, by the way, the child's birth certificate also states that J'Aime weighed 7 pounds, 11 ounces at birth.

That's a pretty cool trifecta, if you ask me.

So obviously, 7 and 11 are now the most favorite numbers of the Langston clan.

But it gets even more interesting.

J'Aime, by coming into the world on 7-11 Day — a company holiday for the 7-11 folks, who celebrate by giving out free Slurpees — caught the attention of the convenience store officials.

The 7-11 company, quickly seeing the publicity possibilities, called the hospital and offered Langford and J'Aime a gift basket with diapers and other merchandise.

Nice, but hardly the end of the story.

Sometime later, 7-11 officials called back. I can just imagine that someone in a fancy suit heard what the company had offered and said, "wait, is that all we can do?"

The answer was apparently no.

So on the second call to Langford, the 7-11 folks pledge $7,111 for the newborn child's college fund. Let's see ... $7,111 today will multiply itself many times over 18 years and, in 2039, will be worth ... a lot. Carl Head could probably tell you, but I can't.

Obviously, the gift from 7-11 was a shock to Langford.

"It's hard for anybody to even get a trust fund for their children," she said. "To get a blessing like that, it just helps a lot."

For their part, J'Aime's parents might have missed a terrific opportunity when naming the child.

I think back to an episode of "Seinfeld" where George Costanza was protecting a special name for his future child. Also being a Yankees fan and with Mantle being his idol, Costanza was planning to name his future child — boy or girl — Seven.

I completely understand the thinking.

And then there is the "Friends" episode where Monica was explaining to Rachel and Chandler about, um ... numbers, with seven being the star. I won't explain further.

Anyway, I wonder if Langford at least considered the name Seven?

I just hope J'Aime's nickname will forever be 7-11. At least until she is 18.

Hey, that adds up. That's the extent of my math magic.

W. Curt Vincent can be reached at 910-506-3023 or [email protected]