I came in the house and cast my glance at the 12-year old. I was struck by how he looked.

Me: Hey, are you in love?

Him: (emphatically) NO!

He turned and looked intently and earnestly into my eyes. And man-oh-man, were his eyes green.

Me: Really. Your eyes are so green.

Him: They always are. (with a curious look.)

Me; It’s like, like you are almost like, like glowing. Like not like you played alot of basketball. But you look different.

He tilted his head a bit away from me. And, man-oh-man, he looked like a gazillion bucks. Like he owned the world. But not like he just earned the world. Like it was always his. And that it would always be.

Him: (laughing) Well, I’m not in love.

But, man-oh-man, I am. With him!