Dix-sept

So, the "secret" box was wrapped last night so that it could be unwrapped this morning. 
And opened it was. And the laptop was set up (the first thing being to get rid of that Windows 10 S* for the standard Windows 10 version) and the bloatware was removed. 
And it works perfectly fine: he played Pacman and a few games of chess. It is turning out to be the ideal academic tool it is meant to be. 

As I said in your card Bouboudge, seventeen is serious business. Seventeen is the age of consent. Wishing you the best of luck in finding someone to consent with. I know what your checklist is for the selection of a potential partner and you may have to revise it if you don't want to be a virgin until you are well into your thirties. 
Anyway, there is no rush. Mum and Dad are not in a major hurry to be magically transformed into grandma Selene and grandpa Nic. 
If however uncomfortably tight trousers with a hem that sits a foot above the ground are in fashion, then you stand a fighting chance. 
You are a fine young man, equally able for a laugh and a serious debate, now equipped with a brand new laptop for your final two years of secondary school (and Pacman, and chess). 
I am really glad that we still frequently go on those walks-and-chats on the  West Pier. If it weren't for these I wouldn't know half as much about Genghis Khan or how the Finns stood up to the Red Army during the Winter War of November 1939 - March 1940. 

* the S stands for Servitude