Jokes: the Way to Friendship

Desmond was odd, according to the other kids his age. He had no idea why the other kids didn't want to play with him or color with him. Did the other kids not like snakes as much as him? He wasn't exactly certain, so he just talked to his snake drawings and the stuffed snake he carried around with him like they're actual friends of his whenever it was time for everyone to play. The other kids even found it slightly off-putting when he would wrap the stuffed snake around his shoulders. He didn't see what was wrong with it since he liked to imagine it was his snake giving him a hug.

One day, a new kid joined the preschool. He wore khakis, a blue shirt, glasses, and an adorable cat hoodie. Anyone who gave the little boy more than just a passing glance would notice that he had a smile big enough and bright enough to surpass the sunlight seeping through the windows. One of the people who gave him more than a passing glance was, of course, Desmond. He wanted to be friends with this boy, whom he soon found out was named Patton, but he was worried that his usual tactics would just drive him away.

He remembered seeing someone in the distance making jokes for some people, and the group of people seemed to take a liking to the person. He thought about some sentences that some of the other grown ups around him have said and laughed at before, and figured that maybe telling them to Patton would get Patton to be his friends.

At first, whenever he felt bold enough to go up and talk to the joyous Patton, he would say some things to him that he figured would be pretty innocent that would result in a giggle from the boy, but he didn't think much else of it.

He had said some stuff to Patton like, "You can talk to your shadow and others in the shadow realm by walking around with a blanket over your head," or "If you eat too much chocolate, you'll get bubbles in your tummy."

He knew they were silly remarks early on and figured Patton would think the same way as well.

It was all fun and games until one day when Patton came into preschool looking down. Desmond noticed immediately and approached the sad boy.

"Pat? What's wrong?" he asked with the snakes still wrapped around his shoulders.

"Umm, I tried to put a needle in my eye, but daddy scolded me," Patton said with shame.

Desmond wasn't sure why Patton would try such a thing until he remembered telling Patton the prior week that sticking a needle in the middle of his eye wouldn't hurt him if he was careful enough.

"What? That's supposed to be a joke. All the grown-ups I've been around laughed at that. Why did you try that?"

Patton gazed at Desmond. He wasn't mad, just dumbfounded.

"Were the shadow realm and the bubbles in your tummy meant to be jokes, too?"

Desmond looked at the boy and it was then that he realized that not all the kids his age could easily identify jokes and fibs like he could. He hid his face behind his toy snake only for Patton to slowly remove it to look him in the eyes.

"I thought you wouldn't see them as true stories. I thought if I told you them, you'd laugh and maybe be my friend," the loner confessed.

They stayed close in silence for a little while, unsure of what to do or say.

"Would your snake mind if I hugged you?" Patton asked, breaking the silence.

A smile grew on Desmond's face before he responded with, "No, Melanie won't mind."

Patton hugged Desmond and, since he never experienced a hug from someone his own age before, he wished it would last forever.

Ever since that day, the two played and colored together during their free time and, whenever Desmond told Patton what he knew as a joke, he made sure to tell Patton that it's actually a joke and not true.