Best Friends

  My best friend in grade school was Cindy Cheatum. We where a rambunctious couple of girls, always in action. We ran, jumped and rode our bikes through the small town of Elgin. Cindy with her curly head of brunette and me in my long blond ponytails.

  Cindy lived only a block away from our pink house and spent allot of time with us. Her Dad worked nights at the lumber mill so it was easier for us to play at our house. We would put pieces of cardboard on our bike tires so it sounded like we had moters on our bikes. Cindy and I had foot races. I rarely won. She went on to be a cross country runner in high school.

 In school we would play spy games. we would sneak behind our class and hide in doorways while they where in a nice line on the way to the gym. We must have been pretty good because we never got caught and would arrive for the physical education class in time.

 Grandma Simmons lived in a big brick house no far from the school. On our way home we would always stop for milk and cookies.

 One day after school a man driving a cream colored station wagon with a wood look strip down the middle tried to get us to come over to his car. We hid in the bushes by the school and ran to Grandmas house as fast as we could. To this day I still have nightmares about bad guys chasing after us and having to hide in the nooks and crannies of Grandmas house.

 I stayed the night at Cindy's house a few times. Her parents where very nice. I always think of her Dad as Danny Devito. They took us to the neighboring town of Imbler one evening and bought us ice cream cones. I had grape sherbet, my favorite!

 We grew apart as many school hood friends do and that is OK. People come into your life for a reason and a season and I still have fond memories of friendship.

Who was your best friend in grade school?