A Paperback

 

 

Forward

 

        ...the direction of travel, if not going in reverse or sideways.  Some people can be forward.  Alice was being forward when she asked Chuck out on a date.  A few suggest that Alice was being forward when, on their fourth date, she suggested they get married.  On their first-year anniversary Chuck discovered the appropriate gift for year one is paper.

        Chuck knew that Alice liked coffee, and coffee filters were made of paper.  What a perfect gift, he thought.  That morning, however, before Chuck could get to the store, Alice suggested they go to the mall, and together they would pick out an anniversary gift for each other.  That way there would be no surprises, no disappointing presents.

  (Did Alice know Chuck, or what?)

        It was at a bookstore where Chuck spotted a book that had a picture of coffee beans on the cover.  What a perfect present, he thought, paper and coffee, but before he could even reach for it, Alice picked it up and said, “How about The Pantry.?”  Chuck started to smile, but then thought, alright – 

who spilled the beans?

Note:  Alice & Chuck do not appear in the book.