A Ride To School

One Morning about thirty nine years ago I was going to take my little niece (Nettie) to school. It wasn't like it was her first day to go, but if you had been there you would have thought so.

Everything was going so smooth until we got in the car and she realized that I was taking her to school not to Papaw and Mamaw's.

She cried as I started the car and as I started out of the drive she cried so much that my pants were getting wet. Not from tears but from wetting her pants. Back down the drive to change clothes and try it all over again.

After her mother changed her we set out on our drive to the school. I told her if she was good I would stop at Riedlings and get her some candy before going on to school. She agreed and she was great with getting her candy and we got back into the car to go on to school. As we got close to the street to go to Mamaw's house she started crying wanting to go their instead of school. I explained, that she had to go to school and see her friends and learn her abc's. She turned to me and said, "Your just like my teacher, I already know my abc's and I don't need to go there to learn them." I then asked her, "Do you know how to read?" and she said, "No." Well this is another reason why you need to go to school so they will teach you how to read." She immediately had a response, "My mother, can teach me to read as well, so why do I need to go to school." It was then I remembered my Grandmother's favorite saying, "Because I said so." The ride went smoothly as we drove onto the school lot.

She then spoke up and said, "I can't go in now because I'm late and everyone will be looking at me. Oh gee what do I do now. What I thought would be an easy task was turning out to be a problem and she needed to be in her class.

I said, "You are such a pretty little girl when you smile and I'm just a big ole guy, that when I take you in they will be looking at big ole me and you can just slide into your seat and it will be like you were there all along."

I never saw such a big smile on a little girl as we walked into school that day. When I turned to leave their was that smile again.