We moved from the Bronx to College Point, Queens in August, 1957. We lived on 124th street, the school me and my cousin Brian were going to start was on 124th street. To get to school it was a straight walk for about a half mile.
I was starting first grade, Brian second grade. When school started we would get a ride by my father or uncle. At some point, we were going to be on the school bus. And that's were the problem started.
I was excited to start the bus because at the end of the day, the school kids got to leave class earlier. I guess I never liked school. So, the nun announces 1st bus children can leave. I looked around, was I a first bus child? I waited. A little later, 2nd bus children leave. hmmm, I guess it's not me. Next...the bell rang for class to end. Oh no, I don't think that's right. I went outside and there was Brian. At the bus stop, crying.
We missed the bus. He could not get on the bus because his mother told him he was NOT to get on the bus without ME. I made us miss the bus. We stood there for awhile, everyone left, it is just us, so we try to go home the way our dads drove us to school. If we only walked straight down the blocks...but we didn't know.
We started walking...
Around the block from our house my aunt and my mother are waiting for us to get off the school bus. It comes. We don't get off. They talk to the school bus driver. We are not on the bus. It was only when I became a parent that I realized what a terrible moment that was for both of them. They came home and called the school, and woke their husbands (they worked nights) and called the cops. Their only consolation was we were together.
Brian and I walked, we tried to find anything familiar. We saw a house we thought we knew. It was a brick house with a big garden on the side and an old lady working in the garden. We ran up to her and asked her if she knew us. She said no. We left. Now..why didn't she ask us questions and realizing we were lost, hold us there and call the cops. That bothered me...but I think she did not understand English that well, not understanding what we were saying.
At one point I started crying and Brian telling me it's ok, we will get home.
So we walked...
Back at home, the cops are looking and my uncle in his car and my father in his were all searching the town for us. This was the age before THE internet and cell phones, so they would all stop at the house to see if there were updates.
In our journey, Brian spots a boy in his class. He asks the kid if he can take us to the school. He said he has to ask his mother, so we go to his house. His mother said he could take us. We get to the school. The school crossing guard is there, it seems they asked her to stay in case we came back.
She saw us, are you the lost kids? We say yes and just then, I see my father passing by in his car across the street, he sees us. I start to run to him but the crossing guard holds me by my collar. A good thing, because I probably would have been hit by a car.
Next thing I remember me and Brian are having soup in the kitchen with our mothers standing around us and a cop walking in, very glad to see us home.
Brian and I talked about this alot.
Years later, I would have lost dreams. I would get lost and I was always afraid of getting lost. The funny thing is, I never really associated those dreams with this event. I don't know why. lol Anyway I have not had those dreams in years.
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