It’s been a week since Valentine’s Day. Actually if you count the week leading up to the day, I’ve been observing Valentine’s for a while. Our college cupid surprised us the Monday before Valentine’s Friday with a lovely heart-shaped box of candy. I retrieved mine out of my box, removed the cellophane wrap as I walked to the elevator and in the elevator opened the box. “Wow! Chocolate! No lollipop, no sugar hearts with little messages on them!” I fairly exclaimed. Then, I realized, there were students in the elevator enjoying my delight. (No, it didn’t even occur to me to offer them one. Perhaps this post is about other sins other than temptation. Read on.) I walked to the car smiling and thinking about still one more reason I enjoy working at my college. They actually had given us chocolate, a box of chocolates! Thank you, Cupid.
Okay, now it’s Wednesday after Valentine’s, five days after VD and a full week and a half since the chocolate morsels were placed in our boxes….yum, mine are all gone now. Office buddy and I couldn’t help noticing all the un-retrieved heart-shaped boxes of chocolate. Although we are constantly reminded to check our boxes, I guess judging by the boxes about 50% do.
“Do we dare help ourselves to a box?” office buddy asked.
“You know, I’ve been thinking the s-a-m-e thing,” I responded. “But I just can’t. It’s like sitting at a red light at an intersection at 11:30 PM at night coming home from a party or event. There are no cars in sight, do I choose to just “run” the red light?”
Government professor office buddy added. “You know most people follow our rules and laws most of the time.”
“Most of the time?” I considered the implications of that part of her statement.
“But I just can’t run a light…or steal help myself to a box of chocolates.” Then I asked her, “Have you ever been to the public library, an old one that’s been open for decades and seen a book that was last checked out in the ’60’s or ’50’s?”
“Yes, or hardly checked out at all over the years,” she commented.
“Have you ever just wanted to take the book to give it a home on your bookshelf?”
“You forget one thing,” she reminded me, “those books may be old, they may have been overlooked, but you know they have been touched by technology as librarians place security chips in them. Bells and buzzers would be sounding when you walk out the door.”
“You’re right. So is it the fear knowledge of bells and buzzers that keeps me honest?”
Then, the office assistant walked in, surveyed all those boxes of unclaimed chocolates and started taking them out stacking them into a box.
“Hey, you all, if you’d like a box of chocolates, help yourself!”
SAVED!
Chocolate needs to be eaten to fulfill its destiny. You’re helping with the great universal ineffable plan. Open the box.
I just think I will help myself to one. 🙂
You absolutely have my permission to go ahead.
🙂
Cute, cute story!!
MJ
Guilty thoughts. Blush. Thank you, MJ.
Clever story, I especially like the double dialogue in those cross-outs! Thank you, Georgette! You may have already read my Valentine story on my website.
Not just a story. It really happened. Love it. Thank you for reading. I went to your Valentine’s Day post and left a comment. Comment: “I wonder why Betty didn’t bring Valentines on Valentine’s Day.” I didn’t see it take, but will return if I don’t hear from you.
loved this! Chocolate encourages us to break all rules and go for it!!
What is it about Lindt, Droste, Russell Stovers, Godiva, Dove, Hershey’s, hot chocolate…all of it?
please do tell – where is the big box??? I too would like to help myself 🙂
I wish I could say I picked up a virtual box for everyone, but I just scurried away with one.
Great story — and proof that the “good things come to those who wait” philosophy still applies (at least in some cases)!
Agreed. We can’t succumb to impulses or what “feels good” at the time.
Too funny … saved meaning you didn’t have to steal, but you still got chocolates! Nonetheless, I’m with you … I would fought my urges. After all, yesterday I told a clerk she undercharged my two items by 50 cents each.
Good call, Frank. It’s nice to be able to hug your pillow at night and sleep well.
There’s no time like the present…chocolate is better when it’s fresh. That’s my story and I’m sticking with it!
Fresh chocolate…is there such a term? Chocolate is chocolate and you’ll be proud to know I dove into the “BOX” not the “boxes.”
One? You’re going to help yourself to ONE? Your self-control is admirable. There’s this thing about chocolate – it keeps calling to me. I can take one piece, put the box into the farthest reaches of the cupboard, and the next thing I know, I’m looking for a chair.
I am glad you got some extra without falling into a life of crime!
You’ll be proud to know that I dove into the “BOX” and not the boxes, and you’ll be relieved to know (as I surely am) I’m not on the “most wanted list.” 🙂 And, yes, I only picked up one.
Ahaha! Perfect timing and resolution!
It happened just like that!
And, today, what serendipity. (1) ran into a colleague who I had e-mailed, no answer, etc. to work out lab schedules. Done. (2) ran into Government professor buddy and had lunch together (3) Dept. chair who I rarely see, found me, followed up, etc. Love my building with elevators. I run into everyone there…and resolutions!
LOL! Honesty is its own reward! I’m so glad you were saved and could enjoy that tempting box of chocolates. 🙂
Oh me, too, Dor. Me too. As the daughter of my mother, it couldn’t have happened any other way.
three cheers for the office asst! 🙂
Her name is Mary. ♪Ave María♪
I don’t think I would have struggled as much. My “go to” thought is that they are probably “allergic” to chocolate and left them there for others….like me. You are so good.
Good? With all those guilty thoughts? Chocolate just brings out our true colors.
This was delightful! I was experiencing your angst over the chocolate right along with you as I read this because…yes, I’m one of those people who think about going through the red light late at night or early, early in the morning when there are no other cars on the road yet I don’t do it. So enjoy the chocolate!! And bless that office assistant for solving the dilemma! 😉
Blessed be Mary…O Mary, ♪Ave María♪. She really made OUR day.
And just for the record, no, I cannot run a red light no matter the time, no matter the circumstances. And, no, I haven’t smuggled any book out of a library with or without bells and buzzers.
That’s wonderful when you behave/ follow the law….and get a bonus!
Reward of a different kind, as opposed to “Wanted! Reward” on a mug posting. Shudder.
I was tempted this week as well. I sold a harvest table to a couple who were coming yesterday to pick it up. the husband is a professional potter who makes awesome coffee mugs (I saw them on his website) I was SO tempted to e-mail them and order one or two..I Love pottery! Problem was, right now there is absolutely no $ in the piggy bank for those kind of impulse purchases so I suppressed the urge and went on with my life. Yesterday when they came to pick up the table, the wife steps out of the van and tells me, she has a gift…(2) coffee mugs from her husband’s pottery store. I had the same kind of joy you would have had, with the offer to have another box..you’d done the right thing and were rewarded in the process. good job! You are so normal 😉 DM
What a great story! Thank you for sharing, DM. I absolutely love how this turned out for you. And…I like the compliment…”normal.”
A good samaratan comes through!
Too much going on without losing sleep at night.
I know the feeling, when it comes to chocolate, it almost feels right. Glad you got permission in the end. I just can’t run a red light no matter what the circumstances though. Sounds like you work at a great place.
When it comes to chocolate, well, it just needs to be enjoyed. Yes, I do love the campuses I work at.
Oh I’m so happy you got your chocolates, Georgette! 🙂 I was dying to know how your story ended. I was thinking, and this of course is because I am hopelessly beholden to chocolate, that if you took one box, then whoever’s box that was might feel left out if they came back and saw theirs missing, but others’ still there. So you might as well take them all — as if they had been cleaned out by the office staff! And then that happened. I know, I know, I am not a good influence where chocolate’s concerned. Good for you for not giving in! And I’m glad you received a little chocolate miracle. How many boxes did you take? 😉
haha…chocolate miracle! Hmmmm…I hesitate to tell you, given permission and all, I only took one. I’ve turned into my mother.
Indulge, indulge, indulge. That’s what I always say. You’re not responsible for others forgetting to check their mailbox, so don’t feel guilty about taking a box of chocolates. Indulge and enjoy! What they never knew they had won’t hurt them. 😉
That thought occurred to me too “What they never knew…” 🙂 ooo…But at the end of the day, I just can’t without permission. I am my mother’s daughter.
I’m with you, Georgette. It’s probably a good thing that I never got away with anything. When I was in grade 2, I couldn’t resist picking out the most beautiful buttons from the general store and bringing them home. I dug a little cave in the bank by our teacherage and cached them. My brother ratted on me. He was usually the one getting heck for something so he wallowed in delight with being able to catch me at something.
I had to take them all back (about 6 in total), face Mrs. Hunter at the General Store and ask how I could repay her. She told me I did repay her by bringing them back and confessing. (Yep I loved Mrs. Hunter!)
But Georgette – those buttons. There’s never been such beautiful, bright, sparkly, uniquely shaped buttons made since. I’m positive!
You remind me my path on the straight and narrow started at around the same time as you. (blush) Back in the day when everyone kept their doors open and/or unlocked, I walked into a neighbor’s house and helped myself to the most beautiful feathery angel as beautiful as your buttons–er, Mrs. Hunter’s buttons that is. When my mother faced me and asked me about it, I had to fess up. Ohhhh…it was painful to apologize and return it! Valuable lesson…life is so much easier and less complicated when you don’t fall into a life of crime. (shudder) Gotta go to class, will come back later today to reply to your other comment. Thank you for stopping by.
Yahoo, more chocolates! See, honesty is the best policy & has it’s rewards!!
ooo–I could never touch someone else’s inbox unless to put something in it. 🙂
Maria saved the day!
She certainly did, Patti.