Perhaps the third time is a charm, as this would be my third attempt to successfully post this. Here we go.....
His name was Danny Maley and he was the force behind my quitting school at the ripe age of six years old. Danny and I were in kindergarten together and he falsely, and exuberantly claimed me to be his girlfriend to anyone that would listen. He was loud, abrasive, slicked back his hair and did not take the scholastics of kindergarten nearly as serious as I. He would call out my name and talk during nap time, clearly not following the quiet time rules. At recess he would spend the time chasing me around, and would exclaim his desires for me even louder yet. I felt that Danny's sole focus in school was to bug, watch, chase, worship and follow me around all day.
I awoke one morning with an announcement to my mother that I would no longer be attending school. After her motherly investigations, she uncovered the inentions behind my out of character rebellion. With my mother's plan of escorting me in to talk with my beloved teacher, Mrs Decker, and her promise that all would be fixed, I conceded to go.
And so, as promised, Mrs. Decker did fix my problem, as she had a gentle yet honest chat with Danny in explaining how my feelings toward him were not reciprocal. Ah....life in kindergarten was good again.
I do not know what became of Danny, as he moved away in first grade. I would anticipate, and hope, that he did graduate from high school and maybe went on to a trade school. I picture him in greasy overalls, a worn hat and black boots working at a small town mechanics shop.
I bet he found someone to love and probably has a large family of four or five kids, and appreciates the simplicity of life. He likely attends church every Sunday, coaches his sons' little league, has a warm dinner to come home to every night by his happy, homemaking wife and enjoys a beer at his Friday night barbeques spent with friends and family.
Thoughts regarding exercise 27...
My character did not really change following that exercise. I instead found myself sincerely wishing and intentioning that Danny does experience joy and contentment in his life.
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Hi Anita,
ReplyDeleteInteresting. I usually consider myself a positive person and try to think the best of people but after reading your description of this boy, I expected an entirely different perception from you. Of course it is really just my perception.
I thought he might have ended up as a stalker of some other unwilling person and all that that might entail.
Maybe I watch too much True TV.
Good Luck. I will try to keep up with your story.
Mindy
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ReplyDeleteYou've done something interesting here, Anita -- your image of Danny in the present is surprisingly sympathetic -- and even your portrait of him as a child is sympathetic. You've allowed yourself to see past his negative impact on your own life to what might have been behind it.
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