I knew I shouldn’t have been snooping. I could tell by the way my tummy felt. But I suppose curiosity got the better of me. I really only wanted to know what Santa had gotten me for Christmas, but instead wound up finding an orange shoe box full of photos papers and other stuff.

I didn’t think it was my or my sister’s gift but the photos initially caught my attention. As I kept rummaging, I started to read a letter with the word written in big red letters at the top: CHERRY.

The letter used some words I hadn’t heard before, and I was eager to find out what they meant. The thoughts and words and questions stewed in my head for a couple days, then I finally worked up the nerve to ask: “Mom, some kids at school were talking about pooping a cherry, what does that mean?”

My mom nearly spit her pork chop out laughing at my question, and I didn’t think it was funny at all.