HIDDEN TREASURE

My son Alex opened the door to the back porch, where I was already sitting having my first cup of tea.

“Morning!” He said. “You’re finally able to sit outside.”

“It’s beautiful out!” I said as I leaned back in my rocking chair. “I think this is the first time I’ve been able to sit outside since I started my summer vacation!” I turned around to smile at him. “But now that the heat wave has finally broken I’m loving it out here!”

Alex laughed. “I’m glad.” He stepped outside and closed the door behind him. “I was about to make some eggs, do you want any?”

I shook my head. “I already ate.”

Alex stood next to my chair. “Oh, what did you have?”

I stopped rocking. “Ummm… I forget.” I pretended to be interested in what was happening at the bird feeder.

“You forgot?” Alex didn’t sound like he believed that answer but decided not to ask anything further. “Okay. Well, I’m making some for myself.”

“Sounds good.” I reached over and picked up my cup of tea, waiting for him to go inside.

When I heard the door close behind him I let out a sigh of relief.

A few minutes later Alex was back outside. “Guess what I found in the garbage when I went to throw out my eggshells?” He came up next to me holding an empty Nutrageous candy bar wrapper.

“It’s not mine.” I quickly said.

Alex started to laugh. “Are you seriously going to go with that?”

I sighed. “I thought I’d jammed it down far enough in the trash that no one would find it.”

“You actually ate a candy bar for breakfast?”

“In my defense it wasn’t a whole candy bar.” I reasoned. “There was only a small piece left and when I went into the refrigerator to get some milk for my tea I saw it and I couldn’t help myself.”

“You had a candy bar in the refrigerator? I was in there last night and I didn’t see it.”

“Of course you didn’t.” I said matter-of-factually. “I’d hidden it.”

“You hid it in the refrigerator?”

“Yup! I do it all the time.” I took the wrapper from him and put it on the table next to me. “I hide things in the freezer, too.”

Alex shook his head. “Are you serious?”

“Very.” I leaned back in my chair. “I’ve lived in a house filled with guys for years. Do you really think I’d ever be able to have a treat that I could save for later, when I wanted it, if I didn’t have some good hiding places?”

Alex shook his head. “So you had a candy bar for breakfast.”

“A small piece of a candy bar.” I reminded him as I shrugged my shoulders. “Besides, it’s my summer vacation. I deserve a treat.”

“It was breakfast!” Alex called over his shoulder as he went back in the house.

“And it was delicious!” I called back to him.