The Better Gift
(A small gift shop on Green Street. Three days before the party.)
Amelia: Our cousin is fifteen in April. Look — a photograph in a blue frame. Is it good?
Oliver: It's okay.
Amelia: Only okay?
Oliver: My gift is better.
Amelia: Is your gift a hat?
Oliver: No. It's bigger than a hat.
Amelia: Is it a bag?
Oliver: Bigger.
Amelia: Oliver, is it a bike?
Oliver: It's a day at the cinema. Two films, ice cream, and the bus there.
Amelia: That's amazing! How much is it?
Oliver: Ninety… something? I don't know. Mom pays.
Amelia: So your gift is free.
Oliver: For me, yes. I hope she likes it.
Amelia: She likes films. She likes ice cream. She likes free things too.
Oliver: Then my gift is the best gift in the shop.
Amelia: It's a good gift. But it's Mom's gift. My frame is small, and my money is in it.
(Oliver is quiet for a moment.)
Oliver: Okay. Your gift is better.