A ChapStick.

A friend - also my crush - once asked me to sit tight as a great “surprise gift” was coming my way.

Normally, I do not keep expectations on what the gift could be because a gift is a gift, but the excitement he infused had me hoping for something really … um… surprising.

He proudly pulled out the stick and presented it while looking earnestly for my reactions to match his enthusiasm. I was at loss of words. Because 1) It was a ChapStick and 2) I never have dry lips. I politely accepted it with a semi-smiling confused sort of face.

And I thought that was that, but no. I realized that the ChapStick was actually a free give-away article he got handed out at his work place when a company came in to advertise their main product.

He gave me this info, casually, in a delightful manner. Something he was feeling happy about.

Well, I thought, he at least got the surprise part of the ‘surprise gift’ right.

I burst out laughing as I realized that gift giving was not a strong skill in his arsenal.