The Friendship Code

“Geez Louise,” Johnny exclaimed.  He had finally caught the slippery little bugger and now it had gotten away.  The task was proving to be more difficult than he had anticipated, but Johnny pressed on.   

After a few minutes, his persistence paid off, and Johnny ambled to the playground with his catch in tow.  He imagined the prize awaiting him once he returned. 

As Johnny approached the playground, he saw Ella sitting on the swing looking bored and impatient.  His stride quickened. 

“Ella!”  He called out.  “I got it.” 

The look of delight on his face could not be ignored.

“Well,” Ella challenged, “what took you so long?  I was about to go home, you know!”

Unmoved by her rebuff, Johnny revealed what he had in the Animal Cracker box.

“A frog?”  Ella shrieked in disbelief.

“What do you mean a frog?”  Johnny asked.  “Of course it’s a frog.  That was the deal,” he reminded her.

Ella got off the swing and poked him with her finger.  “Our deal,” she countered in a staccato tone, “was that you would get a toad for me to kiss.  Only then would I kiss you!”

“Well…what’s the problem?” he asked, his frustration growing.

“That,” she pointed to the amphibian in the box, “is a frog…a tree frog in fact.  Just look at its red eyes,” she chided, rolling her own eyes.  “Don’t you know the difference?”  She spat, walking off.                   

“But…”  Johnny’s voice trailed off. 

He realized he didn’t know there was a difference after all.  Then an idea came to him. 

“Hey Ella!”  He yelled, hoping to capitalize on the one trick in his hat – the friendship code.  “A good friend never goes back on their word!”

Ouch!  Ella thought.  He used the code…rats! 

With that, she turned around and puckered up for her very first kiss.


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