One Word At A Time  
 
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The next day Henry was anxious to thank everyone for all they had done for him.  He knew how lucky he was to have such wonderful friends to celebrate his birthday with.  After a nice cup of tea, he and Mr. Remington sat down together to write some 'thank you' notes.

He enjoyed working with Mr. Remington because he could think out loud and it didn't look as silly as sitting there talking to himself.
In addition to that,  Mr. Remington had a way with words.  There was something about the feel of the typewriter keys that was magical.  It didn't feel at all like a computer keyboard.  The clicking and clacking of the key strikes on the paper made Henry feel like a real writer.  Everything he typed sounded important.  At the end of every line, the little bell went "Ding!" and Henry thought it was the neatest sound he had ever heard.

When they were almost finished the thank you notes, a look of pawplexity crossed Henry's face. 

"How do I thank YOU, Mr. Remington?  Can you thank a gift for being a friend?"

Mr. Remington's eyes lit up and he smiled. 
"No, but you can thank a friend for being a gift, and I would be delighted to be considered a friend of yours."

Henry already loved Mr. Remington, partly because he was a gift from Wiggle, and partly because Mr. Remington helped him to put words on everything he was feeling. 

"There are so many thoughts and ideas and feelings inside me," Henry told Mr. Remington.

Of course, Mr. Remington knew all about that sort of thing from years of helping others to write. 
"The best way to talk about feelings," said Mr. Remington, "is one word at a time."

Just then, Patrick O'Malley walked in.

"Do you mind if I join you?" asked Patrick.
"Not at all," said Henry.  "We were just talking about feelings, and how to put them into words."

"Oh!" said Patrick, looking surprised. "That is what I wanted to talk to you about too!"

"What's on your mind?" asked Henry, listening carefully to his buddy Patrick.

Patrick didn't know exactly how to say it.

"Spit it out," said Henry.

"One word at a time," said Mr. Remington.

Patrick took a deep breath, and finally blurted out, "Cricket is making me fall in love with her."

Henry smiled.
Mr. Remington smiled.
Patrick blushed.

"No one can make you feel anything," said Mr. Remington. 

"Your feelings are about you," said Henry.

"I'm falling in love with myself?" asked Patrick with surprise.
 
 

 
Henry doubled over laughing.  "No goof ball, I'm saying it's not Cricket's fault that you have feelings for her."

"Well I sure know I never felt this way before!" said Patrick.  "I can't stop thinking about her."

"Ah, youth!" smiled Mr. Remington.  "It's time to go a-courtin'!"

"You want me to SUE her?" asked Patrick.

"Courting..." said Mr. Remington.  "It's an old fashioned word for dating."

"Oh," said Patrick, feeling silly.

"It's true," said Henry.  "Spend some special time with her.  See if you still feel the same way.  If you do, tell her how you feel."

"How do I do that?" asked Patrick.

Henry looked at Mr. Remington and smiled.  "It's easy," he said, 
"One word at a time."