Anyway, Orlando sat all alone in the dark corners of the school’s hallways, watching the other kids’ elated reactions upon tearing open the gift that contained the Vanilla Ice tape or, the Crash Dummies figure. Brooding, Orlando did not notice when the beautiful Marianna McSue skipped over to him, her blonde braided pigtails trailing down her back.
"Orlando? What’s wrong?" Marianna asked, startling him.
Orlando snapped his head up, seemingly twitching when he realized that his crush had asked him a questions, "Oh, nothing," he replied, maintaining his sullen demeanor.
"Oh, come on Orlando! Everyone else is exchanging gifts and you’re just sitting here in the corner."
Orlando sighed dejectedly, "Well, I don’t have any presents to exchange, because...well...well...I’m Jewish!"
Marianna tilted her head to one side, perplexed, "Wait, but don’t you have Shaun ... Shaun Oohka??
"Shaun? Sha-" For a moment his young heart sank as he thought she was speaking of her new boyfriend, Sean Lennox. Sean was always mean to Orlando, and liked to call him things like "Chutzpah Boy" and "Mister Matzoh" and "Babushka Bloom." But then he understood. "Oh! You mean Hanukkah! We only give presents to family members. And stuff."
"Well ... you can come with us anyway. Look, I brought you a pressie." His eyes lit up like two blue candles lighted in a white cake, "My mum made me make one for everybody in the class, and this one’s for you."
Marianna held out in her hand an iced-pink gingerbread man. Orlando took it quickly, gazing at her as lustily as his twelve-year-old mind could allow. She looked at him quizzically. "C’mon, lazy head!" "I’ll be there in a minute. Wait for me." As Marianna dashed merrily away to join the other children, whirling each of her braids around her hands. Orlando tore into his man-cookie. It tasted good.
His life had been fulfilled!