through a child's eyes #17

"Hey Jason," Erik spoke softly so that nobody else would hear. "Do you ever wonder what it would be like to kiss Mrs. Louis?"
"Eww... she's really old!"
"I think she's beautiful."
He didn't respond to Erik's last comment; clearly, Jason hadn't reached the stage in which his attraction for the opposite sex would develop.
The silence went unnoticed as Erik continued. "She's not too old... she's eighty-three, and I'll bet her kisses taste like wisdom."
Shaking his head in disgust, Jason began sharpening his knife.

Erik had been fascinated with the elderly for as long as anyone could remember. When he was very young, he would allow adults he knew to kiss him, but would cry if his grandmother's kiss wasn't performed with an open mouth. All he ever wanted was for her to massage his tongue with hers, but like the rest of Erik's relatives, his grandmother fell short of reasonable expectations.

His current target was well chosen, as Mrs. Louis was in dire need of someone to run his fingers through her hair and wrinkles.
She easily caught his eye while giving a lecture on vowels. "Erik, would you stay after class please?"
Elated with hope and fear, he nervously replied, "Why?"
"We're going to make out, Silly."
The whole class giggled; Erik was quite embarrassed.

Jason waited outside until Erik finally came out. "Did it taste like wisdom?"
The look of shock and disappointment on Erik's face answered the question for him. Erik stifled a tear, "No... more like potato chips."