Gia, tongue poking out of the corner of her mouth, affixed a glittering yellow heart to the red construction paper card she was making. She lifted the artwork in the air, twisted and turned it before slapping it back on the table and adding three more stickers in varying shades of pink and purple. After another quick inspection, she grabbed a thick Crayola marker and jotted a message inside.

“Need help?” Julia asked her seven-year-old daughter.

“No, thanks.” 

Julia frowned. Her daughter’s class had its annual Valentine’s party yesterday. Who was the handmade card for? No point asking, since it would become apparent sooner or later. She returned to the stove and stirred the large pot of spaghetti sauce simmering on the back burner. By the time she’d added pasta to the boiling water, checked the meatballs, and rinsed the vegetables for a salad, Gia was rifling through the large pile of chocolate she’d gotten yesterday.

“Not before dinner.”

“I know,” Gia said, stuffing half the loot into a plastic bag.

Julia bit her tongue as she chopped cucumbers and tossed them into a metal bowl. While she pulled out oil and vinegar to make a quick dressing, she kept an eye on Gia, who was using a stapler to attach the baggie of candy to the card. Then her daughter raced out the front door. Confused, Julia watched from the window as her daughter dropped the card on the doormat of the curmudgeon next door and rang his doorbell.

Word: Chocolate | Action: sharing