So I had my first crush at 6 years! So what? I don’t understand why anyone would make a fuss about getting a crush at 6 years. If anything, it showed I was on my way to being a normal man.

And don’t forget that I didn’t go out there looking for the crush; the crush came to me while I quietly sipped on a soda, at Claire’s birth day party
I didn’t even like the way I felt, because I largely didn’t understand it.

 I couldn’t figure out what this strange feeling was that came whenever I saw Claire, or even thought about her. A "general confusion” is all I can recall. I treated her differently from other girls.

And although I wasn’t necessarily rough with girls like almost all boys at that age are, I was especially gentle with Claire. I remember once, we went to visit her family.
And I knew I had to get a present for her.

It wasn’t her again, or anything special, but I asked my mum to get me something nice to "give to someone”. Of course she asked me who, and what for, and since I wasn’t willing to tell her who, or even the reason, she refused.  So, I stole her ear rings! I packed my mum’s ear rings, her pretty glittering earrings that she only used on special occasions.

I gave the "present” to Claire, and like I have learnt, all girls like shiny expensive-looking things. She didn’t refuse them, silly girl, she didn’t even ask me what they were for. But I was contented, just seeing her look happy.

The missing earrings were noticed the very next day. Everyone was put under interrogation, but I lied to my mum straight-faced that I knew nothing about those earrings. Even when she threatened to beat up all of us till we told, I kept my silence.

I was ready to risk the beating, even though I knew she beat like a soldier. Finally she gave up and the case would have passed into history as an unresolved crime, if one Sunday, Auntie Meg, Claire’s mom, hadn’t come visiting.

For starters, I was disappointed she hadn’t brought Claire along, but I soon realized that I had far bigger problems. When I went to greet her, I found my mother’s earrings on the table! Aunt Meg had brought them back.

 Disbelief washed over me; certainly, Aunt Meg had stolen Claire’s earrings! But the truth was that Aunt Meg had simply returned the stolen ear rings to the rightful owner, my mum. I knew there would be hell to pay later.

Apparently, aunt Meg had seen Claire playing with my mum’s earrings, the ear rings aunt Meg herself had given to my mum. It hadn’t taken her long to get the story out of Claire – a little disappointment there; I had thought that Claire would not betray me that easily.

My beating came, but I don’t know if my mum fully figured out why I had stolen her earrings. All she told was to leave her things alone. But with each cane that landed on me, that crazy spell Claire had over me seemed to dissipate into thin air.

I even realized the stupidity of giving earrings to a girl who barely had teeth in her mouth. When we went visiting the next time, I even noticed Claire had two large teeth that made her look sort of like a rabbit.  Indeed I had been blind!

So I learnt my lessons; that funny "feeling” blinds you from reality, and makes you do stupid things. But more importantly, girls like pretty shiny things, it doesn’t matter what age they are; my mum and Claire both wanted the same earrings!!

Ends