Deception

Act I

Mama is relentless.

“Take it. It's good for you. Open your mouth. Aaaaaaa…” she insists.

 Ew... Nasty. I scrunch up my nose at the sight of the bottle. I am six years old, and my brother, Harut, is three years old. A spoonful of fish oil every morning. Harut gags and chokes before the spoon even reaches his lips. Mama rushes to help. Lucky for me, this is going to take a while.

Mama pulls out the prize for the end, a mandarin.  Little, round, and orange in color. A fruit that must be eaten after peeling the skin. Only the citrusy aroma of sweet mandarin juice droplets on the tip of my nose will make the swallowing of the vial substance worth the trouble. 

Slice by slice Harut and I take time to savor each bite. Between tongue and palate, my mouth feels the juice trickle to the back of my throat. It takes three slices to soothe the taste buds repulsed by the fish oil. I gobble up the rest.

The nasty fish oil.

The mandarin - a sweet treat.

Deceptive? Maybe.

Worth it? Absolutely. Sometimes, even the most unpleasant experiences can benefit one in surprising ways when concealed with something more agreeable. Deception helps us navigate situations that cannot be handled otherwise.