But Not in a Weird Way

A few Fridays ago a boy I know approached me on his way home having just remembered something (or more as I suspect waited until the coast was clear of his peers). He got my attention and said, “Um, Mr. Thanner…my, um, my mother got you something for Valentine’s Day.”

“Get out,” I replied as he ran off to retrieve the gift.

He returned to me with a small bag of what proved to be delicious-not-long-for-this-world chocolate hearts. Extending them for me to take he made doubly sure I knew that “my Mom wanted you to have these.” (Heaven forbid his chums would suspect that he was implicit in such a thing!)

I took them and said something like, “Your mom sent these?”

He shook his head yes and started to leave. 

He quickly turned back and added, “But not in a weird way!”