When I was starting kindergarten there was a group of four kids that lived in my neighborhood
who were starting school at the same time. It was a half day class and we were all signed up for the
afternoon session. Our parents arranged for us to walk to school together because it was only about
3 blocks away. Someone gave me one of those “don’t talk to strangers” lectures before I was walking,
maybe even the first day. I remember I walked the first block and met up with two of my companions
and then we walked together another block and met our last companion. We walked about a half block
more and there was a small side street that we needed to cross. Just as we got to the intersection a car
approached with a bearded old man driving—when you’re little it seems like everyone with a beard
is a little scary, including Santa. As we got to the corner the gentleman in the car motioned for us to
go ahead and cross the street, but I interpreted his hand gesture as, “come over here and get in my
car.” I thought that he was trying to kidnap us! I told my companions and turned the other way and
ran. “Ahhhh! He’s trying to kidnap me!” By some miracle my friend’s mom just happened to be following
us in her car, to make sure that we got to school ok, so I banged on the car door and made her take
us to school so that we wouldn’t get kidnapped. Sometimes when people wave me on I think of that
experience and I’m glad that I’m a lot bigger now.
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