In the park with his mother and sister. Nice day, very few people around. “Let’s go look at the ducks,” he says. “You go down, be careful, I’ll sit and watch you from here.” “No, I want to stay with you,” he says. “I do too,” Vera says. They continue walking. A vendor. “Can I have something?” he says. “May.” “May I have something too?” Vera says. She nods, opens her pocketbook. He gets an ice cream. Vera wants a popsicle and pretzel. “Don’t be a hog,” he says. She gets a big warm pretzel. “Sit down on the bench so you don’t sully your clothes while you’re eating.” They sit on either side of her and eat what they got. “Can I have some of yours?” Vera says. “May,” he says, “and no.” “It’d be nice if you both could share what you have, if only a single bite and lick.” He gives Vera a lick, she breaks off a small piece of pretzel and gives him it, they eat that and then continue to eat what they got. “You know, you’re both doing something that I can say doesn’t quite please me but which I’m sure you’re both unaware of, do you know what that can be?” “What?” he says. Vera says to her “I don’t know, what?” “I’m sure if you did know you’d correct it immediately. It’s OK though. You’ll learn on your own while you’re doing it — or not doing it. That’s a hint. Do you know what I mean now?” “No,” they say, “what?” “Or you’ll find out after from me. Go ahead, eat your snacks.” They eat. Little while later she says “You know, you’re both still doing something that displeases me, and now even a little more so than before, have you thought about what it could be?” “What?” he says. “What,” Vera says, “because I haven’t found out yet.” “You’ll find out sooner or later, I’m sure. Though I wish you could find out on your own and correct it on your own too.” “Is it something I said?” he says. “If it is, I’m sorry.” “No.” “Something I said?” Vera says. “Nothing either of you said though it does have something to do with words.” “Then I don’t know what it is,” Vera says and gets up and skips off a few feet, points at a squirrel circling the trunk of a tree till it’s in its branches, skips back and says “Did you see that? It was like a skip rope.” “How like a skip rope? A skip rope’s straight. You’re seeing things,” and eats his ice cream. “You both still don’t know what it is you’re doing wrong? Because you only have a little time left to correct it.” “No,” he says. “Is my shoelaces untied?” Looks. “No, they’re tied. Did I get ice cream on my clothes? I don’t see any. What did Vera do?” “Same thing you’re doing and which is still displeasing me.” “Can you give us one more hint?” “No more. If you can’t think of it, you can’t, so let’s forget about it for now.” “Can I go and skip like Vera?” “Of course, do what you wish, I’m not saying no. But finish your cone first if you’re about to skip or run.” He finishes the ice cream, chews on the cone, skips off, Vera skipping after him. They stop to watch a couple of squirrels jumping from the branch of one tree to another. His mother catches up with them. “Are you finished eating your cone?” “Finished. Where should I put the napkin?” “Hold it till we get to a trash can.” “I didn’t have a napkin,” Vera says. “I’m lucky, you’re not.” “Now that you both enjoyed your treats, want to know what you did that was so wrong and which made me practically ashamed of you?” No, he thinks. “What?” Vera says. “You didn’t offer any to the one person who didn’t have any.” He laughs. Vera looks at him and then laughs. “I’m serious, what’s so funny? If you get something, you offer the person who doesn’t have any some of it. If there are several people who don’t have it or anything like it and you’re the only person who does, you offer them all some of it. If there’s a crowd, then you eat it without offering.” “Why?” Vera says. “You could have had an ice cream or pretzel,” he says. “You have money.” “You’re missing the point. You were both being selfish. I wouldn’t have taken any if you had offered, since I don’t like ice cream or popsicles much and can’t stand pretzels, but that’s not the point either. The point is to offer even if you know the other person doesn’t want any. Always remember what I’m telling you here. I don’t want what you did repeated. Otherwise I won’t know what kind of children I’ve raised, and you can count on what I’ll say if you ask me for a treat after the next time.” He felt so good, feels so bad now. Vera doesn’t seem to feel bad though. She’s still smiling and says “Why not pretzels? Too salty?” “That and other reasons.” “Oh. Can I go now?” and his mother nods and Vera runs off. “And you? Any response?” He can’t speak, his throat’s choking him, and she says “OK, I think I can guess what you’ll do next time,” and sits on a bench and watches Vera circling a tree looking for a squirrel that just ran up it.