Forever Friend

Living in a small community like Gwynn's Island, sometimes fitting back in is hard. We had always had a home on Gwynn's Island, my Mom was from there, Daddy the mainland, but not living there long full time made me a "come here" in some people's mind. We returned home full time when I was in second grade. Gwynn's Island School was the only school on the Island and it housed grades one through seven. Most rooms had two classes, first and second, third and forth, and so on. Seventh grade most years was alone with Mrs Josephine Brown, principal, teaching that class. Anyway, I was in Miss Clarice Callis room. I wasn't afraid of going since most of the kids at school attended the same church I did and I knew them before............so I thought. Breaking into friend circles is hard. I wasn't the smartest tack in the box, but I did ok. Unlike most of the kids there I had been to kindergarten before first grade, but that didn't help here.

You must close you eyes and realize I looked nothing like I do today. I had long blond curls that my Moma wrapped on her finger nightly and pinned with bobby pins to make sure they stayed. Most days I arrived with a cute bow in my hair tucked to the side just right. Moma made sure I was dressed ever so properly no one knowing just how good a sale she hit when she bought my cloths. Even at a young age boys heads could be turned and I had a couple that kinda liked me. And I had the bruises on my arm to prove it.

The year before I arrived, I was on Romper Room on Channel 3 in Norfolk with Miss Anne. My friend Dickie stopped what he was doing and sat in front of the TV everyday for two weeks just to see me. He never understood why I didn't talk back to him when he talked to me. We still laugh about that to this day. When I went to John B. Dey in Va. Beach for 7th grade she was a teacher for that grade, small world.

Girls do not like their territory invaded, no sir re! So if I wasn't ignored for being the new girl, I was ignored for getting attention. During recess it was plain to see I was not the best athlete around. You see Moma never liked to see us sweat, so we didn't. Being left handed made it almost impossible to be chosen on a soft ball teams side. I was always the "oh alright we'll take YOU!" Then when I got up to bat, they called me "Stonewall Jackson" because no one could throw a ball that a left handier could hit!!!!

There were girls that Moma didn't want me to hang around with in my school. Some were older but not by much. I could associate with them at school, but not go to their houses. Even if they asked, which they didn't. I had lots of cousins at school and we played together all the time. Guess they had too I was one of them. To her credit my friend, who was my friend from my birth, she was eighteen months old then, was always someone I could count on. We were the kind of friends you didn't have to see everyday, but picked up where you left off when you got together. We remained friends throughout our school years. Even though until the eighth grade I went to seven different schools. Our Moms were close friends. They along with Moma's sister Christene and cousin Minnie traveled together and spent countless hours riding around Mathews, sometimes looking for us!! She and I may have had our ups and downs, but our laughter and long talks have out weighed any strife. Sometimes we were like two old Indians sitting in a Wigwam recounting stories over and over. We still laughed until we almost cried every time.

Knowing I had someone I could count on made life just a little easier.  Knowing that friendship has died is hard.  Not knowing what killed it is even harder.  One can move on with the memories of days gone by.  I morn the death of our friendship but unlike a true death there is no burial, no service, just the grief that digs deep into your heart. Maybe one day we will be ok, who knows.  Until that time life goes on and I'm a big girl now and can handle it on my own.