by EnnisP

Created on: January 26, 2009

As a first grader I lived no more than one and half miles from the school I attended and the route to school was along back roads which, in those days had little traffic. For that reason, my parents considered it safe for me to walk home from school each day.

It was unusual in the mid 1950's but my mother worked, so walking saved her an extra trip in the afternoon. Before implementing this plan, however, I was seriously warned to come straight home immediately after school and call Mom to let her know all was well, which I did most days. On the surface it was a good plan. My sisters got home shortly after I did so there wasn't much to worry about. What could go wrong?

What the plan didn't allow for was me. I'm the kind of person who lives very much in the moment. Whatever exciting opportunity presents itself at any given time gets my full attention. In fact, in those days I was captured irresistibly by these unexpected happenings and there were many appealing distractions that could develop on the walk home from school each day.

That is exactly what happened and no one saw it coming.

I had classmates that also walked to and from school and it was only natural that we would walk together. It just so happened that one of them had a mulberry tree, which on one particular day was full of over ripe fruit. I could see the tree and loads of fruit from the sidewalk. On any other day, it was just a tree. That particular day it was a candy store with a huge "Open" sign that said, "all you can eat for free."

I also had a sweet tooth to go with my "in the moment" approach to life. I was doomed. "Enticing" doesn't describe the sensation.

"Would you like to help us pick the berries," my friend asks?

"I don't know, I'm suppose to go straight home."

"There won't BE any berries tomorrow," he says, "we're picking them all this afternoon."

"I don't know, I might get in trouble!?!?"

"My Mom said it was OK. It won't take long, come on"

What could I say? How could I resist?

A couple hours later my white school shirt waswell, what can I say. The berries were so ripe they were black and soft and stains were everywhere. I really had a great time but all good things must come to an end, so when the berries were gone I began slowly and regretfully trudging the rest of the way home.

What I didn't know is that while I was bathing in berries Mom was going berserk. She was driving up and down the road asking everyone, anyone if they had seen me. When she wasn't driving around she was on the phone

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