Everyday, except weekends, had gone the same ever since I started
school. I'd get up and start getting ready for school while my Mum would be
in the kitchen preparing my breakfast and lunch. I would be half dressed by
the time she would call out, telling me that breakfast was ready.
After eating and completely dressed I would holler that I was ready then wait outside in the grass with my books in hand. While waiting I would watch some of kids walk down the sidewalk on their own or with one of their parents. I don't see why I couldn't walk to school with one of my friends. Every time I had asked they had told me 'no' and that would be the end of that.
The school wasn't very far from where we lived but even if it were we would still be walking. We only had one car and my father usually had it, which caused my Mum and I to walk to a lot of places. I didn't mind it all. You can see more of the world on your feet then when you're riding in a car.
Once we reached the gates of the school we would usually say our goodbye's for the day and our I love you's but not today. It was different today. I was being told that I would be walking alone from now on. At first the thought of walking from here to my house alone was frightening and I think my Mum saw that fear in my reaction to her words.
"Somebody whose two digits old was big enough to walk by herself."
After the fear and terror went away I felt so proud and so grown up that I was finally going to be able to walk to and from school all by myself. Every time I waited for my Mum I would wonder how it would feel to walk by myself and today, finally, I was going to be able to know.
Time seemed to go by so slow. I guess it didn't help matters when all I kept doing was looking up from my paper work to the clock every ten to fifteen minutes. I just wanted the school day to end. I was talking about it so much my friends were telling me to keep it to myself. That it wasn't a big deal. I know they didn't see it the same way I did and that's okay. Let them think I'm strange for being excited about walking home all alone.without the company of a parent.
The final bell of the day had rung and I was up and out of the classroom before anybody else. I held my books tightly to my chest as I skipped off the school grounds, humming a little tune to myself.
I was half way home when I heard someone call out to me. They didn't say my name but I knew they were trying to get my attention. I stopped walking and turned around to see a very well dressed man standing a few feet away from me. I wonder what he wanted from me.
"Do you want to take a ride?" He asked, smiling a little at me. I shook my head and told him no. I knew better then to go with somebody I didn't know and I didn't know this man. He was kind of scary looking the more that I stared at him. I started to back away and then that's when he grabbed my arm and started dragging me down the sidewalk towards his car. I tried to get away from him but his grip on my arm was too tight. I couldn't get away. Just when I thought it could get worse somebody came walking around the corner. The man had let go of my arm and ran off, leaving me there all alone. The woman who was walking my way had frightened him off. I don't think she ever knew what was going on but I was glad that she had come around.
I glanced around then ran the rest of the way home. The minute I was inside I started telling my Mum what had happened. She made sure I was okay then ended up telling my father what had gone on that night.
I knew after today I wasn't going to be walking anywhere alone. I wouldn't want to even after all the wishing and hoping that I could do something on my own. Walking alone wasn't something I wanted to do for a very, very long time.
After eating and completely dressed I would holler that I was ready then wait outside in the grass with my books in hand. While waiting I would watch some of kids walk down the sidewalk on their own or with one of their parents. I don't see why I couldn't walk to school with one of my friends. Every time I had asked they had told me 'no' and that would be the end of that.
The school wasn't very far from where we lived but even if it were we would still be walking. We only had one car and my father usually had it, which caused my Mum and I to walk to a lot of places. I didn't mind it all. You can see more of the world on your feet then when you're riding in a car.
Once we reached the gates of the school we would usually say our goodbye's for the day and our I love you's but not today. It was different today. I was being told that I would be walking alone from now on. At first the thought of walking from here to my house alone was frightening and I think my Mum saw that fear in my reaction to her words.
"Somebody whose two digits old was big enough to walk by herself."
After the fear and terror went away I felt so proud and so grown up that I was finally going to be able to walk to and from school all by myself. Every time I waited for my Mum I would wonder how it would feel to walk by myself and today, finally, I was going to be able to know.
Time seemed to go by so slow. I guess it didn't help matters when all I kept doing was looking up from my paper work to the clock every ten to fifteen minutes. I just wanted the school day to end. I was talking about it so much my friends were telling me to keep it to myself. That it wasn't a big deal. I know they didn't see it the same way I did and that's okay. Let them think I'm strange for being excited about walking home all alone.without the company of a parent.
The final bell of the day had rung and I was up and out of the classroom before anybody else. I held my books tightly to my chest as I skipped off the school grounds, humming a little tune to myself.
I was half way home when I heard someone call out to me. They didn't say my name but I knew they were trying to get my attention. I stopped walking and turned around to see a very well dressed man standing a few feet away from me. I wonder what he wanted from me.
"Do you want to take a ride?" He asked, smiling a little at me. I shook my head and told him no. I knew better then to go with somebody I didn't know and I didn't know this man. He was kind of scary looking the more that I stared at him. I started to back away and then that's when he grabbed my arm and started dragging me down the sidewalk towards his car. I tried to get away from him but his grip on my arm was too tight. I couldn't get away. Just when I thought it could get worse somebody came walking around the corner. The man had let go of my arm and ran off, leaving me there all alone. The woman who was walking my way had frightened him off. I don't think she ever knew what was going on but I was glad that she had come around.
I glanced around then ran the rest of the way home. The minute I was inside I started telling my Mum what had happened. She made sure I was okay then ended up telling my father what had gone on that night.
I knew after today I wasn't going to be walking anywhere alone. I wouldn't want to even after all the wishing and hoping that I could do something on my own. Walking alone wasn't something I wanted to do for a very, very long time.