"And honey, I miss you,
And I'm bein' good,
And I'd love to be with you,
If only I could."
- B. Goldsboro

"Remember that song that made you cry?" asked my Mom.

"Yea, I think so." I scratched my cheek. "It was some song by Chicago."

"No, it wasn't. It was a song called 'Honey.' Let's find it."

"Find it? Why? You want to make me cry right now?"

(Words in italics are Chinese)

My Mom laughed. "No, no. Come on, let's find it!"

"Mom!"

She rummaged through some old CDs. "Dad has it in one of his CDs."

"Are you sure it was called 'Honey?' I don't remember that."

"It was. It was by a really old singer. You wouldn't know him. His name is Bobby Goldboro."

I pondered for a moment and scratched my head. "Nope, never heard of him."

"You were really young when you heard this song."

"Are you sure it was that song? I could have sworn it was some Chicago song that made me cry when I was a kid."

My Mom grinned. "I never understood why you cried. I asked Dad once, 'Why is Michael crying?' He said, 'It's a sad song, that's why!'"

"I was, what, eight or ten years old, right?"

"Eleven."

"Eleven?! Geez. And this song called 'Honey' made me cry?"

"Yup. It was playing on the radio and I saw you lying in bed, quietly tearing up. I asked you what was wrong, and you said nothing." She fetched a CD from the pile. "Ah ha! Here it is!"

"I'm not sure I want to hear this song again. What if it makes me cry again?"

My Mom laughed. "Come on, let's listen to it!"

"You just want to make me cry! Why are you toying with my emotions, Mom??"

She put the CD into the stereo and skipped over to the correct track. The song drifted out of the speakers. It didn't sound familiar to me at all; perhaps it was buried deep in my subconscious somewhere.

"It's about a woman leaving a man. I guess it really is a sad song."

I sucked in my stomach, stuck out my chest, and deepened my voice. "I guess I'm a sensitive guy, what can I say."

She studied my eyes. "You're not crying."

"You ARE trying to make me cry again!"

She laughed. "No, no. It's just funny, that's all. I always wondered, 'Why is Michael crying to this song?' But I guess it really is a sad song."

When the song ended, she removed the CD and handed it to me.

"What's this for?"

"You can make a copy of this song for yourself."

"Why? 'Cuz you want me to cry to it??"

My Mom grinned and walked out the door. I held the CD in my hands for a few moments. The song's melody continued playing in my head.

I looked up to make sure she was gone. Then I sniffled.

. . .

Has a song ever made you cry?