Eddie

I haven’t thought about this incident in over 30 years. Last week, I just coincidently recollected and I think I know why.

 

I was 12 years old when I first came to America. At about 13 or so, my sister and I started walking 1.5 miles to school every day. There were other kids that too walked to school from our apartment community, but in particular there were two boys. They sometimes walked ahead of us and sometimes behind us but oftentimes they would giggle. I didn’t know any better and I didn’t know much English to understand what they were saying. So I decided to write a note and slip it in one of their backpack. The note had a typo however. It was supposed to have said “bother” but instead I wrote “brother”. I know this because after I discretely placed the note in the backpack, I went to school, pulled out my dictionary and checked spelling of each word in that one sentence note. I felt sick to my stomach. I felt so nervous about the next morning when I knew I would face him and now I have given him one more reason to make fun of me. Knowing me, I must not have slept at all that night. The next morning came, my sister and I began our journey and every step, I wished for the earth to open up and swallow me whole. As I approached the spot where he typically would “meet up” with us, I braced myself and reluctantly looked at him, we made eye contact, slightly nodded his head and then proceeded to walk silently behind us. I would occasionally look back and he would just give pleasant smile. In the days ahead, there were times when he would walked between us and other kids so as to be a buffer. If we ran late, I would see him waiting on us but then would play it off like he too was running late. Nothing was ever said between us but I soon learnt that his beautiful kind heart read between the lines, read my discomfort and at the same time, accepted an unintentional invite to be my brother. His name was Eddie. He will never read this note and will never know what his kindness meant to me. Lately, I find myself looking for Eddie in those around me which is probably the reason why now recollect this incident.

 

There is a threat of civil unrest in our community. Shops have stopped selling weapons and business are bracing themselves for riots. This sadden me!