Cheese Boy

Obsession, fascination, fixation, appeal, favorite, partiality, predilection: cheese.

Have you ever loved something so much that you talk about it all the time? Have you ever loved a food so much that you wanted to eat it every day? Well, Brandon does. He loves cheese. He craves cheese. His little face lights up when he thinks about cheese.

Brandon is a small, lively African American boy, with the cutest, most magnetic, toothless grin that just makes me melt. He bounces into class each morning euphoric and eager. His curiosity and character are contagious. His questions and comments are unexpectedly witty. Even though he is only six, his disposition is quite charming.

The day that I realized he had a peculiar, perplexing interest in cheese was the day they served chili in the lunch room. That morning Brandon stood at the lunch choice board and muttered under his breath with a hint of anticipation “Yes! Chili with Cheese!” and then swiftly, yet carefully, moved his name under choice one. Later, as I was lining up the children for lunch, I could hear his whispers “We are having chili with CHEESE today! We are having chili with CHEESE today!” When in the lunch room, Brandon being the competent little line leader that he was, was in line first to acquire his lunch choice. However, when the trays were being passed out he stood back and let the other children go before him. He just stood there against the wall with his shoulders slumped, his chin on his chest, and tears forming in his disappointed eyes. When I questioned him about his unanticipated behavior, he looked up at me dejected and astounded and between snivels mumbled “but there is no cheese on the chili!” and with that he began to cry. I just stood there in the heat of the cafeteria, bewildered, trying to think of a solution to this never-had-before dilemma. Never had I had a child’s world crumble because of cheese. But I felt compassion for little Brandon. I helped him take his classic yellow lunch tray that contained the cheeseless chili and guided him through the line. As I was walking him to his seat I spotted the staff salad bar - that must have cheese on it – I muttered to myself. I then took Brandon over to the salad bar and scooped up a whopping spoon full of cheese. Brandon’s eyes got wide and his smile grew with jubilation as he watched the cheese start to melt on top of his chili. He sprinted to his seat with his meal, then suddenly got up and rushed back to me, giving me the biggest, greatest hug and exclaimed “thank you Ms. Dubois, I love you!”

And from that day forward the two (Brandon and Cheese) became inseparable. I have had countless cheese conversations with Brandon, about which cheese he likes best, what color cheese he does not like, and which lunch choices contain the ingredient. But nonetheless it always puts a little cheer in my heart when I see his face light up at the thought of CHEESE!