THE MEAL STEAL

One time on December 16th, yesterday, when Elena sat at lunch, a boy at her table got up and said he needed to use the bathroom, leaving his lunchbox behind. Chatter continued as before at the table; no one doubted the intentions of the boy’s lavatorial excursion. Soon the boy was back, with lunchbox in hand. But… his lunchbox had not moved since he left. The box he was holding could not be his own. Elena was watching, she knew for a fact he didn’t go anywhere else but the restroom. It seemed other folks at the table also noticed, and he was soon questioned about it. Why did he have two lunchboxes? Who’s was that one? Was that his friend’s? The boy avoided the first inquiry, but said it definitely wasn’t his friend’s, and that it was his. Elena stepped in; she recognized that lunchbox and its owner – the boy’s friend – and she let everybody know. Consequently, though the boy never confessed, all the kids at the table were convinced he was a thief. Facts like how the boy got his friend’s lunchbox from the bathroom and why he would take it in the first place remain shrouded in enigma.

Scroll to Top