Past

When I was in Kindergarten, I rode the bus to school. There was a special bus specifically for Kindergartners. I hated the bus driver. We could not make any noise, including talking, while on the bus. There was a kid on the bus that I didn’t like. I remember he had warts all over his hands, and as a kindergartner, I remember thinking he was really gross. One day, he sat in the seat behind me and my best friend, Sara. He reached over the seat and was trying to touch me. I tried to get down on the floor so that he wouldn’t be able to reach me, but he kept getting closer. I screamed. The bus driver stopped the bus. He asked who screamed, and of course, I pretended like I didn’t know who did. But another little kid told on me. The rule on the bus was if you made a noise, you had to go sit at the front of the bus, while everyone on the bus sang Rock-a-bye Baby. As I got up to make my way to the front of the bus in tears, Sara leaned over to me and said, “I promise I won’t sing.”

In 7th grade, in between classes, I made my way to my locker, like any normal middle school aged child. I really didn’t like the people that had lockers around me. As a 7th grader, they just scared me. But I really didn’t like the kid who had a locker right next to mine, another 7th grader (yes, I still remember who it was, and yes, we continued to go to school together until graduating high school). When I got to my locker, he was at his, and so I had to move his locker door a little bit so that I could get to mine. He didn’t like that. He slammed his door back open and smashed my hand. I leave, in tears, without actually ever getting into my locker.

I don’t know why I remember these experiences. I know they really affected me at the time. Maybe these two experiences altered my entire self-image. Maybe I am weaker because of them. Maybe I am stronger because of them. I have no idea why these two small incidents are on my mind today. Except for maybe we should all consider that our bad day could completely change somebody. Or maybe it won’t. But they may remember it forever. And how awful to be remembered because of something that you did because you were probably just having a bad day.