I just couldn't resist. Every year when we read the story "The Kiskis", I begin craving chocolate. The story is precious. It's about a teacher (yay!) who has three immigrant students from Europe in her class. Their family is poor, and they don't have butter on their bread or shoes on their feet -- even in the middle of winter. Their parents make them wear burlap sacks tied over their feet, and they are extremely shy and very aware of their awkward social position in the little one-room schoolhouse.
By the last day of school, their father's crops have been harvested, they have butter on their bread, and shoes on their feet. And they have a little extra money to buy the teacher something most extravagant -- a box of chocolates. The wise teacher figures out that there are enough chocolates for everyone in the class to have one, and she lets the shyest Kiski pass them out. The previously looked-down-upon Kiskis are then admired by the whole class. They begin playing games with the other students, and all is well in the little town where they live.
That's when I love to pull out the hand-packed box of chocolates I purchased from the candy counter at the Shady Maple gift shop. I even go to Good's Store and buy a pink ribbon to put around the box just like the one in the story.
Gingerly I untie the ribbon, and the whole class smiles. I tell them what the different shapes and colors are -- dark chocolate raspberry jellies, oval maple creams, double dipped mints. They pass the box around, and we all bask in the glory of having that one yummy chocolate melting in our mouths for a minute or two.
Last night I dreamed of opening up a chocolate shop.
I think I'll keep on just being a teacher though.
