HD   ▽ Anyway... nevermind that! ▽

HD   ▽ What are you doing, giving something like that to me?! ▽

Your smile drops a little. From her tone, it seems like Heidi is... upset.

CD   △ What am I... △

CD   △ Then, you don't like it? △

HD   ▽ No! I don't - I didn't - ▽

HD   ▽ That's not what I mean at all! ▽

She's stammering now, gesturing wildly with her hands.

HD   ▽ It's just - it was given to you, first! ▽

HD   ▽ A gift from a fan, to a performer! ▽

HD   ▽ It's not even your birthday! That means this should be cherished! ▽

HD   ▽ If I took it... that wouldn't be right. ▽

CD   △ But I don’t need it. △

CD   △ It was just a little extra at the end of my set. △

CD   △ I guess one of the parents thought I would want it. △

CD   △ So, I smiled and thanked them. △

CD   △ They should be happy with that. △

CD   △ I don't think they'll mind if it goes to you, instead. △

It wasn't even a personalized gift. It was a generic knick-knack, likely cheap and brought to the park as fodder. If you kept it, it would only collect dust in your locker, reminding you of a stranger who barely knows you. Too many guests think they know you. You wish you had the courage to turn away all the things they subject onto you.

So, the sooner you get rid of it, the less you'll have to think about it.

CD   △ Don't you think you deserve a gift? △

She gasps with enough air to fill a dozen balloons.

HD   ▽ You... ▽

HD   ▽ You can't just do that! ▽

CD   △ I can't give you something? △

HD   ▽ Yes! ▽

HD   ▽ Wait, no! That's not it! ▽

HD   ▽ It's something meant for you! ▽

HD   ▽ Weren't you taught not to waste, Claud-ity? ▽

CD   △ I’m not wasting it. △

CD   △ Wasting would be throwing it in the garbage. △

HD   ▽ :o/ ▽

HD   ▽ Okay, Heidi used the wrong wording there. ▽

HD   ▽ But what I mean is...▽

HD   ▽ It wouldn't be same if I took it! ▽

HD   ▽ So I can't! ▽

It wouldn't? What does that mean? You lift up your hat a little to scratch at the side of your head.

CD   △ I didn't use it. I just looked at it. △

CD   △ It's in good condition. △

CD   △ So, it's not second-hand or anything. Don't worry. △

Heidi frowns, and she gets that sad look in her eyes. Why is she sad?

HD   ▽ Oh, Claude... ▽

HD   ▽ You really don't get it. ▽

Ahh, why did you expect this to be simple? Nothing is ever simple here.

CD   △ Ha-ha. △

CD   △ No. I don't think I do. △

You imagine the frustration on Heidi's expression mirrors your own.

HD   ▽ It’s not just about what it is, silly boy! ▽

HD   ▽ It’s about the thought and care behind it! ▽

HD   ▽ Giving someone a gift... it's like pouring your heart out! ▽

CD   △ It is? △

HD   ▽ Abso-posi-lutely! ▽

You blink and look down at the 'it'. Sitting in your hands longer than you've ever thought it would. You wonder if it's too late to retract this entire conversation.

CD   △ A gift is something that comes from the heart. △

CD   △ So it should be accepted earnestly. △

CD   △ Is that what you mean? △

HD   ▽ Yes! ▽

CD   △ ... △

CD   △ I thought to give it to someone. △

CD   △ And I cared enough to do it. △

CD   △ It's my gift to you. △

You look back up.

CD   △ Doesn’t that mean something? △

Heidi's eyes widen, and she covers her face with her hands.

HD   ▽ Cl... ▽

The sound comes out oddly strangled, as if she's holding back a scream. Then, she forcefully inhales, regaining some composure.

HD   ▽ That's! ▽

HD   ▽ That's a really sweet thing to say! ▽

HD   ▽ And, if we were anywhere else, it'd be just what I want to hear. ▽

She retracts her hands, slaps her cheeks, and shakes her head. Whatever strange reaction she just had, it seems like she's recovered from it.

HD   ▽ But this isn't about what you're doing for me. ▽

HD   ▽ It's about you, as the one who received it in the first place. ▽

HD   ▽ It's about the delicate hearts of gift-givers. ▽

HD   ▽ And... most importantly... ▽

HD   ▽ What one does with a gift, even after the gift-giver is gone. ▽

HD   ▽ I see this mistake all the time at birthday parties! People don't get it! ▽

CD   △ Ha-ha. △

CD   △ Is it really? Maybe that's why I don't understand. △

You're so used to pretending with other people's feelings, you haven't actually learned what they are most of the time. But Heidi feels things so deeply, of course she'd understand right away.

Of course she's so good.

HD   ▽ Mmm. How about this? ▽

HD   ▽ What if, after you gave this to me, I just gave it away to someone else? ▽

HD   ▽ Because I didn't need it? ▽

CD   △ Why would you do that? △

HD   ▽ Just use your imagination! ▽

HD   ▽ Pretend that you gave it to me, and I was all happy and thankful... ▽

HD   ▽ But all I was thinking was, 'I don't need this! I'll give this to someone else!' ▽

HD   ▽ How would you feel, as the one who gave it to me? ▽

CD   △ I don't know. △

HD   ▽ Think about it really hard. ▽

HD   ▽ If it happened, would you really brush it aside, just like that? ▽

You think about it, really hard. You imagine giving Heidi something for her birthday, maybe a unicycle paired with a card that shoots out confetti when you open it. You imagine her thanking you, that typical smile on her face. She bounces off, and once you're out of sight, she'll go over to that friend of hers... the one whose smile is much less sweet.

You imagine her offering the gift to him, saying what you've said. That it was cheap and thoughtless.

And you nod.

CD   △ No. △

CD   △ I wouldn't. △

Heidi sighs with relief.

HD   ▽ Finally! You get it now? ▽

HD   ▽ That bad feeling you just felt? ▽

HD   ▽ That’s how the one who gave it to you would feel, you silly goose. ▽

CD   △ Ha-ha. △

CD   △ My head hurts. I'd rather not feel that again. △

She bursts into giggles.

HD   ▽ See? ▽

HD   ▽ That's why it wouldn't be right for me to take it. ▽

HD   ▽ So, keep it. ▽

HD   ▽ It'd... make me a lot happier if you did. ▽

CD   △ ... △

You look at the gift bag once more, trying to see the wonderful, generous gift that she sees.

HD   ▽ I know! ▽

HD   ▽ I can help you find a place in your locker for it. ▽

HD   ▽ Then, you'll learn to like it. I'm sure you will! ▽

CD   △ Right now? △

HD   ▽ No, dummy! After my set! ▽

HD   ▽ But I'll meet you right at the break room once I'm done. :o) ▽

CD   △ You don't... △

HD   ▽ :o? ▽

CD   △ Nevermind. △

CD   △ Thank you, Heidi. △

CD   △ I understand better now. △

You don't. Not really. But, if Heidi's so adamant... you'll keep it. Maybe the longer you hold on to it, the more you'll understand that strange logic of hers.