“Hah hah hah hah.  Hah hah haa haa haa!”  “Oh God, you’re one hilarious man, John Hills.  Fancy playing with toys at your age and you’re now a grown up man in his late fifties.  Hah ha ha ha ha!”  Just then, Carol Bleeming another colleague came over and stamped her left foot on the ground.

     “Stop this at once, Frank.  You should have more sense than to disrupt a colleague at work.  Now go back to your desk at once, or else I’ll have no option but to report you to Mr Treekson.”  “GO!”  Frank, who was still finding it hard to control his laughter returned to his desk.  Suddenly, John’s phone rang and he looked up at Carol.  She smiled approvingly.

     “Go on,”  She whispered, “pick it up.”  John picked up the phone.

     “I’m so sorry, love, I looked everywhere you told me to.  I even looked under the Humpty Dumpty Jigsaw but there was nothing there.  Only your view master with the slide show of “The people that time forgot.”  Kitty’s voice was very loud and it echoed across the office, even as John held the mouthpiece. 

     “Thanks all the same.”  Said John and placed the receiver down. 

     “Thank you too, Carol.  I’ve never been so embarrassed in my entire career. ”

     “Look; do you want me to have a word with Mr Treekson?  He’s a good man and I’m sure he’ll let you go home and look for it.”  John managed a slight smile.

     “I really appreciate your help, Carol and I’ll take your suggestion into consideration.” 

     “Well, I’ll got to attend a meeting but you can come to my desk after lunchbreak if you like.”  Carol left and John looked around his desk, still restless.

     “Oh, it’s no use, I just can’t concentrate.  I think I will go and see Mr Treekson and ask him if I can take the rest of the day off.”  Jack stood up and marched to Mr Treekson’s office.  He was the top grade officer there.  John took a deep breath and knocked on the door.

     “Come in!”  Called out a deep voice.  As John opened the door and entered, he got the surprise of his life.  Mr Treekson was on the floor playing with several toys and among them was his lucky mascot.

     “Oh, I do apologise John.  I know how much Benji the bear means to you but I just wanted to play with his for a while.  Apparently, it must have accidentally slipped and fallen out from your coat pocket  last night when you left the office in a rushe to catch your train so one of the cleaners handed it to me this morning.  I recognised it immediately but thought, well, why not play a game with it and then return it back to you.”  “After all; boys will be boys!”  “I….er hope you don’t mind.”

     John found himself about to erupt in a fit of laughter and this soon turned to a kind of maturity as he realised there and then how others must have seen him when he was showing off Benji the toy bear for all these years. 

     “Not at all, Sir.  I’ll be at my desk and wait until you’ve finished playing with it.”  He left Mr Treekson’s room and sat at his desk, alot more calmer.  For a moment he sat and stared at his computer screen and then said to himself softly.

     “I don’t exactly know what maturity is.  I never did.  I guess I’m just young at heart and funnily enough, that’s probably the way I prefer it!”

The End.