made a quick stop into a local shop

to grab a couple of bottles of wine for gifts

on my way to the checkout line

there was a food sample display

with small broken pieces of ghiradelli chocolate for tasting

i popped one into my mouth

 started chewing

but quickly stopped

when i remembered

i had invisalign on my teeth

so i swallowed what was left of it

assuming it would melt

but instead

it got somewhat stuck in my throat

 i started coughing while in line

still not melting

still coughing

somehow i said ‘water’

the checkout person

pointed and said , “run to the drinking fountain!”

so i took off

got a drink

some of the water went down

but still not melting or moving

thought i was going to have to be heimlich-ed

yet again no melting or moving

then somehow it finally made it’s way down

walked back to the counter

cashier told me that some people have that reaction to chocolate

but my issue was that i had popped it into my mouth without a thought

and it quickly went downhill (for a bit, but not downhill enough) from there

finally i emerged from the store with the wine and no chocolate

decided that i should probably think about my chocolate

and not automatically start eating it anytime it is offered

but chocolate does that to a person

it just draws you in.

—

“your hand and your mouth agreed many years ago that,

as far as chocolate is concerned,

there is no need to involve your brain.’

-dave barry