with her name in the card, which
was really hard because there aren’t
many good words that rhyme with
Maylene. (Machine? Ravine?
Sardine?) Then the big day came. I
got my Valentine’s card and the
flowers and the teddy bear and got
them ready and took them to
school. I was the happiest boy on
earth.
The teachers had set aside a
period before recess for everyone to
exchange valentines. There was a
corridor outside our classrooms
where I knew Maylene would be,
and I waited for her there. All
around me, love was in bloom. Boys