Gum

What can you do when you get your first girlfriend or boyfriend?

Gum

 

Oh yeah, I'll tell you something

 

I was listening to the Beatles on my tablet when they approached.

“Can we ask you something, Uncle Stan?”

“Yeah, sure.  What?”

He looked at her, obviously uncomfortable, and she gazed back at him, expectantly, waiting.

He took a breath, and then said while turning his head slightly to the side, “When you’re, like, boyfriend and girlfriend…” His face turned a little pink, and he sneaked a quick glance at her face; also pink. “Do you have to do… weird things?  I mean, with each other.”

Inwardly I winced, but I wasn’t too surprised that they had come to me for the answer to this question.  I don’t know why other members of our family couldn’t answer a question like this without lecturing, but all my nephews and nieces knew that I would.  When kids are trying to understand something, they do not appreciate subtlety in adults.

 

I think you'll understand

 

“You don’t have to do anything.  You don’t even have to hold hands.  Just hang out together.”

“We like holding hands,” she said, taking his in hers, “but we don’t want to do yucky stuff like kissing.”

“But some stuff might be okay,” he added, “If it’s, like, just for us.”

“I see.” I thought about it for a second, and then I pulled out my pack of Juicy Fruit.  “Here.” I handed each a piece. “Chew on this for a second.”

 

When I'll say that something

 

They gave me puzzled looks, and then dutifully, humoring their old uncle, they pulled off the wrappers and stuck the sticks in their mouths.  There’s nothing like a good old fashioned Juicy Fruit.

After about thirty second of chewing, I said, “Now swap.”

For a second they stared at me uncomprehending, and then they turned to stare at each other, faces pink again.  After a few more seconds, he raised his fingers to his lips and retrieved his gum.  She did the same.  Blushing even more, they used their other hands to trade the gum, and then they popped the wadded wet pieces in their mouths.

Nothing more needed to be said.  They each gave me a small wave and turned, but as they walked away, their hands joined, firmly.

 

I wanna hold your hand

I wanna hold your hand

 

Reviews

[Woody]

such a sweet little story, with the Beatles thrown in as the cherry on the cake.
I loved this.