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My Friend the "A"

It's time once again for "What I Found in the Music Cabinet."

When I was in the fifth grade, I was the teacher's pet. Mr. Shumway always chose me for special jobs like being featured in an Encyclopedia Brittanica filmstrip and passing out papers to the poor slobs sitting at their desks. Even though I broke my right arm that year and had to do my school work with my left hand for six weeks, I was a pretty good student. Those are the things I remember from that year, that and the arm slings my mother sewed to match all of my dresses. I loved this dress here, and I'm pretty sure I loved the sling that went with it.

Here is a writing assignment from that year, one Mr. Shumway thought was "very clever!" I'm not so sure.

My Friend the A

Once upon a time I was learning the alphabet. I had to take it home so I would learn them by the next day. It was 8:00 p.m. I was in my room studying, when there it was. The letter A, I think, popped out of my page.

"Hi," I said.

"Hi. I'm the letter A. Who are you?"

"Oh, I'm Robin. (notice the misspelling of my own name) I was just learning my alphabet, and you popped out."

"Did you meet B and C?"

"Yes. Who are they?"

"Oh, they're my mom and dad. I'm 12. In 8 years I'll be big enough and old enough to be on my own."

"I'm 10. In ten years I'll be on my own. I want to go to college. Do you?"

"What is college?"

"Oh, it's a place you go to when you're done with school."

"No. I don't. I've had enough of school already. I want to get all grown up so I won't have to go to school."

"Oh, it will be fun. That's why I want to go."

In 8 years the letter A was all grown up. It was big enough and old enough to be on its own. It told Robin good-bye. "In two years you'll be on your own. I'll miss you. I'll try to visit you."

"Bye," I said. Two years past. I was in college. It was at night when I was studying when A appeared. He looked different. He was bigger. He was there 2 seconds and then he left. I never saw him again. Never.

Comments

dive said…
Those letters … they can be so fickle!

That's a great story, Robyn, and wow! What a cutie!
You've still got that lovely smile (or at least you did have last summer). The hair and the dress have changed, but you're still cute.
Hee hee.
I knew you were the teachers pet type of kid. I always hated those kids.
Anonymous said…
hahaha.

i'm speechless.
Scout said…
Dive, I was adorable, wasn't I?

Rich, humph. Maybe those kids hated you,too. Ever think of that? Huh?

D1, you didn't know your mother was brilliant even as a child, I bet.
Mrs. G. said…
Beautiful, witty and clever. You were (and are) a triple threat.
Lovely story, well written despite misspelling your own name - how funny! Isn't it fun to look back on thse things.
Maria said…
I was a teacher's pet once.It was in second grade and my teacher was Sister Adeletrude. She stank. Literally. She was hugely fat and hated kids and in an attempt to get around that, I sucked up good and hard. It paid off.

I loved that story. It reminded me a lot of Liv's stories. Things are always popping out of papers and from behind walls...it must be a kid thing. Unless....letters are still doing that to you??

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