Candle Opera

Story Sent in by Reggie:

Christine liked candles, so I bought her a candle as a little gift for our second date. She thanked me for it and gave me a hug. I told her she was most welcome.

Right after she broke away from the hug, she looked at the candle and said, "Thank you so much!" again and then hugged me once more, as if she had forgotten that she had in fact just done those two things.

"You're welcome... again," I told her.

She pulled away, and then a third time said, "Thank you so much!" and hugged me once more.

"You're again welcome! I'm really glad it's made you so happy."

"It has! Thank you!" Then another hug. Had I broken her? Had she fallen into some sort of loop?

I gently pulled out of the hug and asked her if she was ready for dinner.

"You are so thoughtful. Oh my God. Thank you." She hugged me a fifth time. I like hugs, but five in a row was really pushing it. "Thanks for all the hugs," I said, "Let's have dinner."

At dinner we were seated in a booth and instead of sitting across from me she sat next to me. She didn't hug me again (for a little bit) but I noticed that off to her other side, she was boxing up the candle I had given her and taping the box shut. She was doing it like she didn't want me to see her doing it.

Once she was done she said, "I bought you a gift, too!" and she handed me the candle in the box.

I took the box and said, "You're giving me the candle I just gave you?"

She replied, "No! I put it away. This is a different candle."

I opened up the box and pulled out my very own candle. "Thanks," I told her.

She gave me a great big hug. "You're welcome!" she said, "Now we both have candles!"

We sure didn't. I wasn't going to press the issue because she clearly had a screw loose.

Dinner went well and she gave me about 20 more hugs before the night was through. At our parting, she said, "I'll be sure to burn my candle tonight. You burn yours, too. They'll both be burning together!"

She wasn't even trying to hide the fact that she no longer was in possession of the candle I had bought her. I thanked her again for her "gift," she hugged me once more, and we said goodnight.

I didn't reach out to her after that and wouldn't you know it, she never contacted me.