Bag of Popcorn

"Mama?" my ten-year-old son asked, holding a brown paper lunch bag in his hand. "How long do I have to put this in the microwave?"

I walked over to the kid and took the bag out of his hand. I looked inside. Popcorn kernels. "Dude, you can't microwave these!"

"Why not?" he asked. "It's a  microwave popcorn bag. Just like the ones from the store."

"Not quite," I said. "This brown bag is definitely not microwave-safe. You'll start a fire. The ones from the store are made specifically for microwave use."

He looked sad. "Oh."

"Don't worry, Bubba," I said. "I'll get you a bag of popcorn."

I pulled out the big pot and some oil, and made popcorn the old fashioned way. When I was done, I put it in his brown paper bag and handed it to him. "There you go."

Bubba grinned. "Thanks, Mama. This is the best bag of popcorn ever!"