There’s a little boy who comes into the store with his dad about once a week or so. He’s about four or five years old and wears big blue glasses.

His name is Graham, which I only know because his dad is constantly saying things like, “Graham, stop that,” “Graham, come back here,” and, “Graham, put that down.”

He’s a super cute kid, and the things he says and does crack me up, but you can tell his dad – who’s a very nice guy, and looks like he’s just trying to find a minute to browse – is always a little on-edge because of what Graham is liable to say or do.

Months ago, during the transition between summer and fall, when it’s cool in the morning but warm in the afternoon, Graham and his dad were wandering through the store. Suddenly, Graham blurts out, “Dad! When can I take my pants off?! It’s really hot, I’m itchy, and I’m going to Chick-fil-A!”

Noticeably startled, his dad retorted, “What?! No! Never!” with a horrified look plastered on his face that said he’d probably done it before and wouldn’t hesitate to do it again.

I had to spin around and cover my mouth to conceal my giggling.

Last week, Graham was tagging along behind his dad while slurping on a straw stuck in his juice box. He stopped to look at something that had caught his eye before scrambling to catch up to his dad who was moseying through the movies. It was at this point he spotted me and spouted, “Dad! I’m gonna go talk to that boy about the Ninja Turtles!” We’ve shared our mutual love for the Turtles a number of times in the past, so he’s always got something new (TMNT-related) to talk about.

This time, he had me follow him to the TMNT DVD’s and asked me about the original animated cartoon (1987) and the first live-action movie (1990) because he’d never seen them before. He only knows the newer CGI series on Nickelodeon (which is pretty good, by the way), so the older stuff is brand new to him. I explained that the old stuff is what I grew up with when I was his age, which he seemed to think was pretty cool.

He asked me who my favorite Turtle is (Leonardo) and then told me that he’d been a Ninja Turtle for Halloween. When I asked which Turtle he’d dressed up as, he quickly responded with, “Michelangelo! He’s my favorite! He LOVES pizza and I LOVE pizza!”

Already at eye level from kneeling down to look at the DVD’s with him, we high-fived and I said, “Excellent choice. And I LOVE pizza, too!”