june 1, 1997
why was everything in her life so confusing? she had just wanted the toy pony in the store. she had seen it, picked it up, and walked out of the store. she was about half way down the block before she realized that the boy at the counter was running after her.
she stopped and watched with large brown eyes as the lanky teen panted and tried to catch his breath.
"k-kid" he started to stammer out. "what in the hell do you think that you're doing?"
gasping she clasped her small chubby fingers to her mouth.
"y-you said a-a-a-...swear!!!!" she whispered with shock, and a small bit of awe.
"kid what you did was way worse!...you can't just steal toys!"
".........steal?"
" yea steal! what are you retarded?!? you grabbed the toy, god didn't your mom teach you anything?"
"of course! she taught me how to plant a flower, and how to braid hair, and umm....how to make shaved ice!"
the teen sighed and ran a hand through his greasy black hair.
"how about your dad little girl?"
"oh yea!!!" she grinned, revealing the missing front tooth, "he taught me how to fish and how to paint and hammer a nail and-"
"what the hell kid! i meant didn't they teach you right from wrong?!?"
she cocked her head to the side. her curls bouncing in her pigtails and her crooked bangs flopping like a drunken caterpillar across her forehead.
"ummmmm....my daddy says that, uh" she crinkled her eyebrows in concentration, "ummm you must use your heart to tell you whats right and whats wrong, and that uh, the whole world is yours for the taking!"
she finished with a proud smile. the teen gave a short laugh of exasperation.
"god kid! he meant that you'll be able to become anything that you want when you're older not that you can take stuf without stealing!"
she looked at him with large eyes.
"so stealing is...wrong?"
"yea kid! i just said that!"
"okay! i promise to never-ever-ever-ever-ever! steal for as long as i live! because its bad!......why is it bad?"
the teen rolled his eyes "ask your parents kiddo" he looked around "ah, how old are you kid?"
she got a blank look in her face.
"umm...five?"
"you don't know?"
"should i?...i should?!?" he nodded his head.
"alright where do you live?"
"in the blue and white house...with the green postage meter out front!"
"okay kid how about i walk you back to your house and talk to your parents?"
"will i be in trouble?"
"maybe."
"no thank you! i won't get lost!"
"look kid you're too young to wander around by yourself you won't get into bad trouble...maybe none at all."
"okaaaay" taking his hand she skipped along the side walk, leading the way to her house.
"what's your name kid?"
she looked up at him with surprised eyes again.
"i can't tell you that1 you're a stranger! mommy said to never tell strangers who i am!" she looked thought ful for a moment. it was fairly adorable but slightly misplaced on her child's face.
"also, she said to never put my full name out on the kahmpyutr."
"computer?"
"uh-huh...but so don't ask me my name....and don't put it on the kaaahmpyuutr...don't put yours either"
"weird kid" he thought as he walked with her.