My father gave me a box of Easter eggs every Easter Sunday. He chose them carefully for their appeal and elegance. The boxes were usually silk lined and contained one large egg and occasionally some smaller eggs surrounding it. I loved receiving these eggs, but I never ate a single one.
‘The chocolate is there to be eaten,’ my father said each year.
‘They are too perfect, Papa. If I ate the eggs, all their beauty would be lost. This way I can look at the eggs and enjoy your gift for the longest time,’ I replied.
My father just shook his head as my eyes feasted on the eggs in the box before I finally took them to my bedroom to be placed on top of my wardrobe with all the other eggs from previous years. The eggs faced into the room and whenever I got dressed, I looked up at the row of stunning boxes and the eggs they contained.
My friends couldn’t understand why I didn’t eat them. Every time they came over, they’d look longingly at the chocolate eggs, but I never relented.
‘You wouldn’t even miss it if one wasn’t there,’ my friend Stephen chided.
‘Can’t we just share one?’ Necef chimed in.
‘No! I love looking at those beautiful eggs,’ I said firmly.
One late spring afternoon I decided to clean my room thoroughly. I tidied, swept, and dusted. I climbed onto a chair to take down the boxes of eggs. To my horror, all that was left of the eggs was the coloured foil, neatly arranged to make it look as if the eggs were still there. I cried tears of rage, frustration, and utter betrayal. I knew who the culprits were.
The following day, I approached my friends with righteous anger.
‘You ate all the chocolate. How could you!’ I cried.
‘What are you talking about?’ replied Necef and for a moment I doubted myself.
‘The Easter eggs on top of my wardrobe,’ I said. ‘It had to be you!’
Necef and Stephen looked at each other and began to laugh.
‘Oh, those eggs,’ Stephen said. ‘We ate those about six months ago and you are angry about it now?’
I was hurt that they had betrayed my trust, but I could see the funny side too. They knew I wouldn’t look too closely and that they’d get away with it.
That night, I complained about my friends to my father as I cleared away the cheerless, empty boxes.
‘So will you eat the chocolates next year?’ my father asked.
I shook my head. ‘No, Papa. You should know I need their charm to last all year.’
From Quill to Quote 