I don't remember particularly when or in what grade we met, but in 5th grade our friendship blossomed. We were in the same class, shared the same social circle at school, and then hung out some more afterwards (along with a cast of various other characters from Cherrywood). This was a very convenient friendship considering we lived (essentially) one intersection away from each other, on the opposite sides of Hostetter and Agua Vista. Fast forward to the end of the school year, and needless to say our bond has only strengthened throughout the months. Now that I think about it, for a couple of children, being great friends for a whole year without any type of squabble or anything like that is pretty remarkable (because children are generally fickle creatures). Anyways, we finished out 5th grade and moved on to 6th grade at Sierramont Middle (where, incidentally, I might be employed next year) close as ever.
A brief information session on the geography of the story. While we lived pretty darn close to Cherrywood, Sierramont was a bit further afield (probably 2 or 3 times as far as Cherrywood was, which is a lot of land for a child to remember). This wasn't really an issue for me, considering my mom picked me up from school 99% of the time anyways. & as far as I was concerned, David must have been an excellent navigator of the neighborhood, considering he had walked to and from school for... well, as long as I'd known him (at least to my knowledge). To my young self, as far as the Berryessa area was concerned, David was a real professional - in line with Christopher Columbus, or Ferdinand Magellan.
Well, this wouldn't be much of a story if that were the case, would it? At the end of our very first school day, I hung around, waiting for my mom to pick me up, while David got to walking. Either my mom was late or that after-school traffic really was as bad as it is in my memory (y'know, hopping into your car then not really going anywhere because the area is all congested with pedestrians or parents waiting for their children REFUSING to move from their position in the middle of the parking lot smfh), but whatever was going on, it was taking a while.
Traffic notwithstanding, we eventually make it out and onto Hostetter Road. We're cruising down the road before we hit the spot to turn into my neighborhood. However, before we get too close, I can see David standing on my side of the intersection (remember, we live on opposite sides). He's looking around with a worried expression on his face and scratching his head in the exact way you expect someone who is puzzled to scratch his or her head. Like so:
Seeing him there was confusing to me too, because...well... he was on the wrong side of the road. Clearly something was up. I told my mom he was a friend, and to pull over because it looked like he needed help.
As we pull up next to him (in my minivan, btw), I hit him with the "Hey man, are you lost??" He responds in the affirmative, and that he doesn't know which way his house is (which is literally 2 blocks away from where I found him, lol). I tell him to hop in and we'll give him a ride home. I direct my mom to his house because for some reason I remember better than he does where he actually lives. He is dropped off safe and sound, and that's the end of the story.
~5-6 years ago, he's over at my house and my mom says it's nice to meet him. I remind her of this story, that this is that kid, and she starts to laugh and says she remembers. She adds that, without me, he'd still be lost. So there you have it, folks. He basically owes me his life, haha. Hope you enjoyed this story, and if you're lucky some day you'll read it from his perspective.
No comments:
Post a Comment