Angelo was a flirt. He whistled at females—his sister’s friends and even his mother’s!

His family was embarrassed.

He kept a stash of sugar cubes that was his “signature.”  With a small ribbon tied around one, tiny cube, every female he’d given one to thought it was the cutest, most original idea. Cheaper than flowers, by a long shot, he thought. When he saw a good-looking female, he’d present her with one with a tiny note tied to it, with one flattering word.

All females, he reasoned, young and…older, loved sweets, so with a sugar cube and flattery, he couldn’t go wrong. He was “just the cutest thing.” It made him feel good. Like he was... important.

One day, after he’d presented one to his sister, Annabelle’s best friend, Annabelle confronted him. “Angelo, you have got to stop this stupid flirting. You’re embarrassing me and you’re embarrassing Mom, especially, flirting with her friends!”

“I can’t help it if I love the ladies,” Angelo said, grinning. “And you know what? They love me.”

“Well, it’s got to stop,” his sister fumed. “Mom says if you don’t, you’re going to be punished. Big time!”

But Angelo loved the attention.

One day, he definitely crossed the line when he pinched the derriere of his Aunt Milly. It was really an accident. He was day dreaming about Amy Sue, in his class, and it just happened.  When Aunt Milly whacked him, he jolted back to the present and apologized.

Later, he thought how mortified he’d have been if he’d actually pinched Amy Sue’s… um.  He really liked her. He didn’t want to flirt with her, he wanted to sincerely tell her how he felt about her. But he couldn’t. He didn’t know how.

Finally, after weeks of suffering, he asked his sister.

Annabelle hadn’t realized her little brother was smitten. Maybe if she helped things along a bit for him, he would stop his stupid behavior. Through her friends’ grapevine, she made sure word of Angelo’s feelings reached Amy Sue.

One sunny, beautiful Saturday morning, Angelo heard his name being called. He hurried up his hill to see who it was.

There stood pretty, smiling Amy Sue ant, with a sugar cube for him.