Memories of Early School Years

The school playground had slides, swings, and teeter-totters – and room to run around. Our school also had a gymnasium for days when the weather was bad. When the weather was good the playground was filled with children, and you had to wait your turn to use the equipment. Sometimes the other children wouldn't give me a turn. One day, when I was in kindergarten, my brothers and I walked to school. It had just rained and we jumped over puddles along the way. When we got to school I was delighted to find that we had the playground to ourselves. I immediately ran over to the slides.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you!” warned my brother Richard.

"Why not?” I asked.

"You'll find out," snickered David.

I looked at them. David was smiling his wicked smile. Richard looked indecisive. James had run off some where. I went down the slide, wondering what David was smiling about. I soon found out.

"Hey, my pants are all wet!” I said. David laughed, and Richard, after a second, joined in the laughter.

"I told you that you shouldn't go down the slide," said Richard.

"But I didn't know. You should have told me why," I complained.

"Serves you right," said David. "Anybody ought to know better than to slide down a slide after a rain. You could have looked, you know. Ha! Ha! Ha!"

I guessed it was sort of funny, but it was not at all funny to me when the school bell rang and my pants were still very wet. I looked back at the seat of my pants. My heart sank to my shoes. "Oh no," I thought, "everyone will think I wet my pants." I walked along the halls of the school, trying to keep my backside to the wall. I found that this action drew unwanted attention to me. It was very uncomfortable sitting at my desk in wet pants. And when I had to stand up and get in line to go to recess I could hear the other children snickering and whispering behind my back. I could feel my face get hot and flushed, and I felt that I was going to die from embarrassment.