Maggie Fast Hands

If you read my blog, then you have read tales of Maggie and her speed. Well, she demonstrated her skill and cunning again on vacation. Her victim was her poor, unsuspecting Grandpa.

Grandpa's favorite pre-dinner rituals is drinking a glass of wine and eating some Havarti-Dill Cheese. The nearest store that sells this cheese is 4o minutes away and sometimes it is out of stock, so Havarti-Dill is a precious commodity on the Western Slope. Now grandpa savors his cheese. It takes him 45 minutes to eat a single slice.

One evening during our visit, grandpa retired to the back porch to sip his wine and savor his cheese. He carefully wrapped his cheese in a paper towel to ensure Pete, the dog, wouldn't steal it. Once grandpa settled into his perch on the porch, the rest of us including some neighbors invaded his quiet time. As we were all gabbing, Maggie sidled up to Grandpa, smiled sweetly at him and swiped the cheese, napkin and all. Once the deed was done she ran to me, stuffing the cheese in her mouth as fast as possible. By the time, I could ask the group about the cheese's owner, it was half way gone and she and I were wrestling over the remaining chunk. (A wrestling match I lost, I might add.)

Grandpa was shocked. He had taken careful precautions with this cheese, and it never dawned on him that a child would be interested in his Havarti Dill. He sputtered, he wondered, he wanted to be outraged, but how exactly could he be mad at a clever little toddler with an impish grin and a love for Havarti Dill? In the end, he couldn't be angry. He could only marvel at her nerve, stealth and shameless disregard for HIS cheese. He spent the rest of the night muttering, "She ate it in two bites. How could she do that?" And that night, Grandpa drank his wine without his preferred sidedish.