When a whispered confession turns into “stinky man,” you know the moment was going too well.

I love sharing small moments from Strawberry Moon that show the awkward, tender, very human side of early colonial life. This one has always made me smile — and wince — in equal measure.

John Whipple shows Sarah his new home, hoping she’ll admire the place and—ideally—him. She looks around the empty space and quietly says it feels lonely.

He tries to brush past the awkwardness with clumsy flirtation, joking about someday having animals and furs to keep him warm. Sarah laughs and tells him he’d have to take the furs off her first, stepping away as he reaches for her before letting him pull her close.

She whispers something soft in her language, and he can’t translate the words, but her lingering touch tells him exactly what she meant. When he asks what she said, she hesitates, grows shy, and tells him it means “stinky man.”

John freezes, sniffs his armpit, and dies a little inside. She sees the hurt flicker in his eyes and wraps her furs around him, kissing him gently and calling him “silly man” instead.

Even in 1637, flirting was dangerous work. 

Learn more about Strawberry Moon here.