The other day I caught Charles messing with one of my ties. It turned out, of course, that it was the one tie I own that I have positive feelings about. Charles was not happy about having to return it, so I gave him one of my other ties which he thought was just as good as the first one.
Charles spent the next several days playing with the tie. He’d carry it around the house and get upset if he left it somewhere. “Where my tie?!” he’d call out plaintively.
Now, though, I think the tie has lost its luster. I haven’t seen it all day nor has Charles asked about it. Maybe he just needs a re-introduction to it. Or perhaps I just need to convince him that he needs it to go to his office…
Speaking of Charles’ office, I made him very happy the other day with one of my cast off items. It was an file box that I used to used for filing papers but has fallen in to disuse since I got my new office. Rather than toss it, I gave it to Erica to give to Charles with the comment “You don’t have one of these in your office”. That did the trick, Charles thought it was totally wonderful. I checked on it the next day and Charles had actually filed some of his papers in the folders that were there. Certain other people noticed this and asked if he was really my child.