A PIECE OF CHOCOLATE

In a city an old couple lived. They were wealthy in love for each other, but not in money. They shared a humble apartment on one of the forgotten blocks of the city. 

The Xmas season loomed and despite the lack of money, they wanted to share at least one thing special. They decided to find the perfect box of chocolates and did. There on the kitchen counter a Xmas box of chocolates now rested. There were 25 pieces of chocolate. One to be eaten on each day until the special day. 

They agreed to alternate pieces, one enjoying a piece one day and the other the next. The days until Xmas unfolded one at a time and joyous. They would walk through the city together, enjoying the lights, people shopping and the young people frolicking about. They wondered about their dreams. 

Each day was made more special by one of them enjoying a chocolate. The other savoring in the joy it brought the lucky one.

Xmas day arrived and just one chocolate remained. The old man thought it was his turn, but wanted to let his wife enjoy the last one. So he took it out of the box and placed it on a small ornate plate they kept from a collection they once had. 

The piece of chocolate sat all Xmas day on the kitchen table. She walked by it many times tempted by the sweetness. She thought he might have left it for her, but wanted him to have it. Even if it had been her turn, she would have felt that way. So by the end of the day, the piece of chocolate still sat on the kitchen table.

There was another resident in the apartment though. A tiny mouse who had eyed the box and smelled its wonderment for a month. Now a prize lay by itself, unboxed. It could not resist. So that night, the mouse crawled up the leg of the table and slowly eat the chocolate savoring each nibble.

The next morning the old couple enjoyed a cup of coffee and wished each other the best of Xmas. The plate was bare. Each thought the other had eaten the chocolate, but did not mention a word. They were happy for the gift they thought they had given each other. Off in the corner, the small mouse peered out, thankful for being with the couple and the love they shared.

David Young