it all comes back

i'd like to cite a simple yet demonstrative story that found its end today. several weeks ago, i would take mandarins to doctoral colloquium, since i fast on mondays (and allow myself the luxury of fresh fruit). once, when b was the only one not eating, i handed him one of my mandarins to eat. he felt hesitant to take my 'lunch', and i just stuffed it in his hand. that was that. the story was forgotten, and i would not have remembered...

until today. i had a half hour between classes, and because breakfast had been at 4am, i was really quite hungry by noon. unfortunately, when i went to the fridge, i found they had nothing vegetarian but string cheese. b was there, and saw me rummage through the fridge for something edible. i got some string cheese, and decided to wait until 2 for lunch. and just as i was wondering how i'd get through my next class with a hungry stomach, b came up to me and said, "remember when you gave me one of your oranges? well, this one is for you." it was an offer i could not refuse. and you know, the orange he gave me was three times as large as the one i'd given to him :).

it all comes back. at least three-fold.