You aren’t the boss of me!

[fbhjr]

Our sword troupe used to do a game where we had wanted posters of our members playing pirates. If you found them all, you’d win a sword lesson.
To find one, you had to get them to sign their wanted poster.
To get them to sign, they got to assign you a task. Usually it was to sing a song, do a dance or some other thing that a kid could do without too much trouble.

Back in 2002 we were doing this at a show not too far from where we live. A girl somewhere under 10 came up to me with her posters.
"I found you!" she shouted at me. "Sign this!"
"OK, I’ll sign it for you if you sing a song," I replied.
"What song?"
"Any song. How about Happy Birthday?"
"No."
"You don’t know that one?"
"No. I won’t sing."
"Then I won’t sign."
"You should probably just give it to her," her mother said, walking up behind her.
"I will, as soon as she sings a song."
"I won’t!" the girl shouted. "You’re not the boss of me!"
"I am afraid that in this regard you are wrong," I told her.
"Just sign her thing," her mother said.
"My conditions for doing so have been clearly stated."
I looked at the girl.
"I’ll sign when you sing."
"NO! You’re not the boss of me! You’re not the boss of me!"
I walked away.

That was 18 years ago. So, that girl is now probably in her mid-20’s.
I wonder about how she feels about the quarantine order…