My fifth-graders run every morning for P.E. I run with them. I usual say, “Hey, if the old guy can do a lap, you guys can do a lap.” It’s just under a half mile, no biggie.  I run behind the main body of runners and poke or make scary sounds at stragglers. They love it and haul butt when I’m right behind them. Two or three kiddos usually keep pace with me. Sometimes kids want to talk and I invite them to hoof it with me – one on one. I have one sweet girl let’s call her…Ralph.

    “Ralph” is beautiful, straight hair, sparkly dark eyes, full of life and joy.

    Ralph pulled in next to me running. “My mom’s boyfriend is gonna propose to my mom.”

    We kept on running, “Um, do you like him?”

     “Yup, he’s nice.”

    “That’s good.”

     “On Sunday he’s gonna’ propose to her in a restaurant in San Jose. He even is buying a special cake for her.”

     We maintained our stride. Ralph hung in there with me.  I said, “Sounds like a romantic sort of guy to me.”

     “He is and he’s putting the ring on top of the cake.”

     “Wow, sounds like he loves your mom a whole bunch.”

      “He does.

 

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A day or two later.  We’re doing our morning lap. Ralph is at my elbow as we run. She’s noticeably withdrawn.

     “What’s up?”  I asked, “You don’t seem so happy.”

     Her smile evaporated, “Somebody stole the ring off the cake.”

     I stop running and she did too. “Man, that’s terrible.”

     She looked crestfallen.

     We started running again. “Hey, where was the cake when the ring was stolen?”

     “At home.”

     “Sounds like an inside job to me. Are there a lot of people at your house?”

     “Yeah and who ever took it stole some cake took.”

      I stopped, “You have a dog right?”

       Her eyes lit up again. “Yeah?”

      “Maybe the dog ate it and you are going to have to go on pooh patrol.”

       “Gross.”

 

      Next day. We are running our lap. Ralph is her normal bubbly self.  She has a big ole’ smile on her mug.

       “You were right.”

       “About what?”

       “About the pooh and the dog. He did a big ole dump this morning and the ring was in it.”

                                                                                                                                                     

    I had to laugh, “Ummm… question.”

    “What?”

    “Does your mom still want the ring even after it came out the firing end of the woof-woof?”

    Ralph laughed, “No, no way. Yuck! She told him to bring it back.”

    “You know your mom’s boyfriend can probably return it to the ring store where he bought it. But I think he probably better leave out the fact where it  um…was.”

      She mulled it over, giggled, “Got it.” and then raced ahead of me.

 

      A lap in the morning can be very revealing.