A CLOSE CALL

LAST NIGHT I AWOKE WITH A THOUGHT RUNNING THROUGH MY MIND OVER AND OVER. I GUESS BECAUSE IT IS EASTER TIME, THIS PARTICULAR MEMORY CAME TO ME OUT OF THE BLUE. WHEN I WAS IN THE THIRD GRADE, WE LIVED IN A TOWN CALLED WESTPORT MISSOURI, JUST OUTSIDE OF KANSAS CITY. WE LIVED IN AN APARTMENT BUILDING THAT HAD AT ONE TIME, BEEN A LARGE HOUSE AND CONVERTED INTO APARTMENTS. IT WAS A SMALL BUILDING, AND MY GRANDMOTHER LIVED UPSTAIRS AND MOTHER LIVED DOWNSTAIRS. WE HAD THE RUN OF BOTH OF THE APARTMENTS, SO THE WHOLE THING WAS HOME TO ME. I HAD TO WALK TO SCHOOL EVERYDAY. IT WAS QUITE A WALK, AND FOR SOME REASON, I WALKED ALONE, I CAN'T REMEMBER WHERE MY BROTHER WAS. ONE COLD DAY, AS I WAS WALKING TO SCHOOL, A MAN CAME UP TO ME. HE SMILED, AND SAID HELLO. HE WAS OBVIOUSLY HOMELESS, AND WEARING AN OVERCOAT, RAGGED HAT AND WORN SHOES. HE HAD A KIND FACE, AND SMILED A LOT. HE ASKED ME MY NAME. I TOLD HIM THAT I COULD NOT TALK TO STRANGERS, AND SO HE TOLD ME HIS NAME AND THEN SAID THAT SINCE HE HAD INTRODUCED HIMSELF TO ME, WE WERE NO LONGER STRANGERS. HIS NAME WAS JAMEY. I THINK HE WAS OLDER, BUT IT IS HARD TO TELL, AS A CHILD'S COMPREHENSION OF AGE IS DIFFERENT THAT AN ADULT'S. BUT HE SEEMED OLD TO ME. WELL, IT MADE SENSE THAT IF HE INTRODUCED HIMSELF TO ME, WE WERE FRIENDS AND I TOLD HIM MY NAME WAS JODIE. HE ASKED IF HE COULD WALK TO SCHOOL WITH ME. I THOUGHT, "WELL WHY NOT? HE IS A NICE MAN", AND TOLD HIM OKAY, SO OFF WE WENT. HE ASKED ME QUESTIONS ABOUT WHERE I LIVED, ABOUT MY FAMILY AND OTHER QUESTIONS ABOUT ME. I FINALLY GOT TO SCHOOL AND DID NOT THINK ABOUT HIM ANYMORE. THE NEXT DAY, THERE HE WAS, WAITING FOR ME. HE WALKED TO SCHOOL WITH ME AGAIN, TALKING AND LAUGHING ALL THE WAY. I DID NOT REALIZE THAT I COULD BE IN ANY DANGER, HE SEEMED NICE TO MY YOUNG MIND. ON THE FOURTH DAY OF WALKING ME TO SCHOOL, HE ASKED IF I WOULD GIVE HIM A HUG GOODBYE. I DID. I WAS HAPPY THAT HE WAS SO KIND TO ME. THE NEXT DAY, WHEN HE SHOWED UP TO WALK WITH ME, HE HUGGED ME RIGHT AWAY. WE WALKED TO SCHOOL AS USUAL. NOW, LET ME EXPLAIN THAT I FELT NO DANGER FROM JAMEY, HE WAS MY FRIEND. (I DON'T KNOW WHY I NEVER TOLD MY MOTHER ABOUT HIM, IT DIDN'T SEEM IMPORTANT I GUESS). THAT AFTERNOON, HE WAS THERE AT THE SCHOOL TO WALK ME HOME. WHEN WE REACHED THE PLACE WHERE HE ALWAYS MET ME, HE HUGGED ME BUT THIS TIME, HE RAISED MY SKIRT AND TOUCHED MY PANTIES.. I PULLED AWAY AND LOOKED AT HIM, AND THEN I SAID, "JAMEY, THAT IS NOT NICE. THAT IS NOT WHAT FRIENDS DO. I DON'T THINK GOD WOULD LIKE IT IF YOU DID THAT AGAIN". HE GOT THE FUNNIEST LOOK ON HIS FACE, AND THEN TOUCHED MY ARM SAYING, "OH JODIE, YOU ARE RIGHT! THAT IS NOT WHAT FRIENDS DO. I AM SO SORRY, I WILL NEVER DO THAT AGAIN!" I TOLD HIM THAT WAS OKAY, AND WALKED HOME. SOON, IN A COUPLE OF DAYS, I HEARD A TAPPING AT MY WINDOW IN THE EVENING. I WENT AND THERE STOOD JAMEY. HE WANTED TO KNOW IF I WAS ALRIGHT. I SAID, YES WHY DID HE ASK? HE SAID I LOOKED SAD THAT DAY AND HE WAS WORRIED ABOUT ME. WE TALKED AND HE LEFT. AFTER THAT EACH NIGHT AT THE SAME TIME, HE TAPPED ON THE WINDOW AND WE TALKED. SOMETIMES HE BROUGHT ME CANDY OR SODA. HE SAID HE LOVED SPENDING TIME WITH ME. I THOUGHT IT WAS WONDERFUL THAT HE LIKED ME SO MUCH, AND HE EVEN BROUGHT FRUIT AND SANDWICHED TO ME BEFORE SCHOOL AND AFTER. I HAD NO FEAR OF HIM AT ALL. WITH THE DIFFICULTIES MY FAMILY WAS GOING THROUGH, I WAS HAPPY TO HAVE A FRIEND THAT WAS SO GOOD TO ME AND GAVE ME SO MUCH ATTENTION. THEN, SUDDENLY, WE MOVED. I DID NOT GET A CHANCE TO TELL JAMEY THAT WE WERE MOVING AND I DID NOT SEE HIM AGAIN. OF COURSE IMISSED MY FRIEND, I WAS SO INNOCENT, I DID NOT REALIZE THAT THE RELATIONSHIP WAS IMPROPER OR THAT I COULD HAVE BEEN IN TERRIBLE DANGER FROM THIS MAN. HE SEEMED LIKE A NICE GRANDPA TO ME. SPRING CAME, AND LIFE WENT ON. WE WERE VERY POOR, AND I WAS WORRIED THAT PERHAPS THE EASTER BUNNY (OKAY, I KNEW THERE WAS NO EASTER BUNNY BUT THAT DIDN'T MEAN I DIDN'T WANT AN EASTER TREAT!) WOULD NOT COME, BECAUSE THERE WAS NO MONEY FOR SUCH THINGS. I WAS DETERMINED TO BE MATURE, AND HOPED THAT MY LITTLE BROTHER WOULD GET SOMETHING AT LEAST. ON EASTER SUNDAY, I DECIDED THAT I WOULD GO FOR A WALK TO ENJOY THE DAY. IT WAS EARLY, AND WHEN I OPENED THE DOOR, THERE WAS A HUGE EASTER BASKET WITH MY NAME ON IT! I MEAN HUGE! I WONDERED WHERE MY PARENTS HAD GOTTEN THE MONEY TO BUY IT, AND WHY MY LITTLE BROTHER DID NOT GET ONE. I WOKE MY MOTHER AND ASKED HER, AND SHE ASKED ME WHERE THAT BASKET HAD COME FROM. IT WAS NOT FROM HER OR MY GRANDMOTHER OR EVEN THE NEIGHBORS. IT WAS FULL OF CANDY AND A LARGE STUFFED EASTER RABBIT- SO I SHARED WITH MY FAMILY AND THOUGHT THAT PERHAPS HEAVENLY FATHER HAD SENT IT SOMEHOW. I WAS SO HAPPY, IT WAS TRULY A WONDERFUL SURPRISE FOR ME. THE WEEKS WENT ON, AND ONCE AGAIN WE HAD TO MOVE. ON THE LAST DAY OF SCHOOL, AS I WAS WALKING HOME, I HEARD MY NAME. "JODIE". I LOOKED AROUND, AND TO MY SURPRISE, THERE STOOD JAMEY. I SAID, "OH, I HAVE MISSED YOU! WE MOVED AND I COULD NOT TELL YOU THAT WE DID, I FELT SO BAD ABOUT IT, BUT WE MOVED SO FAST! I AM SO GLAD TO SEE YOU!" "HE SMILED AND SAID, "DID THE EASTER BUNNY COME TO SEE YOU?" I SAID, "YES, AND I GOT A....... WAIT! JAMEY, WAS THAT YOU? HOW DID YOU KNOW WHERE I WAS?" HE TOLD ME THAT HE ALWAYS KNEW WHERE I WAS AND EVERYDAY, FOLLOWED ME TO SCHOOL AND HOME TO BE SURE I WAS OKAY. HE SAID HE WAS LEAVING TOWN, AND WANTED TO SAY GOODBYE. HE HAD A TEAR IN HIS EYE, AND TOLD ME I WAS THE BEST THING THAT EVER HAPPENED TO HIM. HE WANTED EASTER TO BE SPECIAL FOR ME. I TOLD HIM THAT I TOO, WAS MOVING FAR AWAY, AND WAS SO GLAD TO BE ABLE TO SAY GOOD BYE TO HIM.
I NEVER SAW JAMEY AGAIN, BUT ON EASTER I THINK ABOUT HIM SOMETIMES. I WONDER IF MY WORDS AGAINST HIS IMPROPER TOUCH COULD HAVE CHANGED HIM. I WILL NEVER KNOW, BUT I DO HOPE THAT HE DID BECOME THE MAN THAT I CAME TO KNOW. I WAS TOUCHED THAT HE KEPT A VIGIL OVER ME WITHOUT MY KNOWING IT. I ALSO REALIZE THAT HEAVENLY FATHER PROTECTED ME FROM THIS MAN- IT COULD HAVE BEEN TERRIBLE. I NEVER TOLD MY PARENTS ABOUT JAMEY. I JUST WENT ON, AS A KID, LIVING LIFE AND CHALKING UP THAT EXPERIENCE TO SOMETHING THAT WAS A PART OF ME. EACH EXPERIENCE MAKES ME WHO I AM. LOVE, NANASEE