On one occasion, while visiting my parents, I happened to meet the little boy who lived next door. It was obvious that his mother had told him not to come over uninvited. He was standing on the very edge of his yard with an anxious look on his face, seemingly about to burst.
My father waved him over and performed the introductions. "Eliot, this is my son, Gary. Gary, meet my little friend, Eliot." To my delight, he reached out his small hand and I accepted the formality(遵守礼节) with a smile.
Unlike most children, this teenager was not shy of meeting a stranger. As a matter of fact, he turned out to be quite a chatterbox. Eliot had me laughing as I listened to the excitement in his voice. for, as you know, it was a big deal to find a toad (蟾蜍)! His descriptions were priceless as I asked the obvious questions concerning the capture(捕捉). He was pleased that I showed interest in his adventure and gladly explained its details.
Since Eliot seemed so willing to invest in our budding friendship, I asked him a question, "Do you like banjo music?" He got very excited and answered me with a hearty "Yes!"
I took out my banjo from the car, but when I sat next to him and started playing, Eliot looked at me with a puzzled expression. He asked me "What's that?" in all seriousness.
My dad and I smiled. The boy who just "loved" the banjo didn't recognize that I was holding one and that what I was playing was "banjo music".
I realized that his heart was in the right place. Eliot just wanted to please his new friend with that "Yes", thinking it was what I wanted to hear.
Well anyway...Eliot likes the banjo for real now. And I like Eliot.
