Running Away

In all my years at school through my first day at school or my soon last day at school I have only ever gotten one suspension and that was in first grade when I tried to run away from school . The day started off like a leaf in the wind ,slowly moving but still going nonetheless. My usual teacher was absent and that did not settle well with myself as the substitute teacher that attempted to take my teachers place was just inefficient. Henceforth I made the executive decision as a first grader that I was going to leave and go home.

While looking at the disgrace of a substitute I starting formulating my escape. Recess and lunch were approaching and I was getting ready for my big show. The teacher outside at recess seemed clueless enough, therefore I told them my fabricated lie , a tall tale as some would say. How could something so simple be so effective others would ask. In the end I simply said “I forgot my mittens in class, can I please go get them”. They let me go inside the substitute wasn’t in the classroom and I grabbed my backpack and started my journey..

Entering the hallway and scouting around looking for teachers and staff who would foil my plan. Ducking in and out of cover slowly avoiding the cameras which at the time I thought would be the end of me, but it would seem that in the end they would not be the thing that brought my plan to an end. When passing in out of the hallways and stairways eventually I found myself at the doorway to leave the school and I looked around trying not to be suspicious and I left the school and started the next step of my journey.

After leaving the school, I found myself in even more unfamiliar territory, it seemed as if the reality I wanted was coming closer, I could almost reach out and grab it, but it seemed as if that was never going to happen. When looking out across the parking lot I searched for a root that would make it seem normal in my very abnormal adventure as a first grader. I started weaving in and out of the cars I saw as well as the bushes trying to avoid any human contact, which could potentially get me caught in this act that I had very much invested myself in. I saw the stop sign at the end of the school road, it was coming, I could almost see the light at the end of the tunnel. I heard a “hello” and my mind when blank staring at the stop sign right in front of me and then turning my head to see the a staff member doing a light jog towards me. I looked at my options and figured I had already been caught. When walking back inside with the staff member they asked me why I did it and I said I did not know. When arriving back inside I found myself having a conversation with the principle who seemed nice enough, but also a little confused on why I was trying to get away from school. We ended up settling on a one day in school suspension, which seemed unneeded, but it is what it is.

In all the years since that day it seems more and more like a joke then something I actually would have taken serious, but as a simple minded first grader anything seemed possible. It seems as though even as a first grader I still had the need and want for things in life and looking back on it now it was not a mistake, but something that I will always remember, even if in the moment it seemed like I messed up and my life was ruined. All in all it is not what I did then and there that has any affect on my life now all it is now is a distant memory, but still a memory nonetheless.

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