What a scared little seven year old boy I was when the orphanage
finally let me out of that dark closet, after two days. I took my
bath, brushed my teeth with soap and dressed myself for school in
the clothes that the matron had laid on my bed. Clothes that were
always to big, or to small for me.
When I reached Spring Park Elementary I just kept on walking passed
the school building because I was so afraid that the other kids in
my class room were going to make fun of me because of all the black
and blue marks that were on my legs, where I had been whipped with
the polo paddle.
I walked and walked for what seemed to be hours. Finally I came to
this great big wide street which was at the end of Spring Park
Road. I had never seen a street that big before and I had never
seen so many cars in all my life.
Across the street was a big brick store and the sign on top said
"Preston's Drugs". There was also a sign in the window that read
"everything you'll ever want is here."
It took me almost and hour to get across Atlantic Boulevard,
because I was so scared. But finally I ran across the road as fast
as I could and none of the cars hit me. Then I walked into the
large Preston Drug Store and noticed people sitting at a counter
drinking drinks with ice cream in them. I had never seen nothing
like that before. I don't think I ever had ice cream before, but
that is not what I was looking for anyway. The sign said they had
everything that you would ever need, in the whole wide world. I had
heard about something very special and I wanted to buy one if they
had it.
I looked, and I looked and I looked but I just could not find the
thing that I had heard about on the television movie. Finally this
old man grabbed me by the arm, and it scared me real bad too. "What
are you doing in here, Boy", he yelled at me. "I'm looking for
something special", I told him, as I backed against the wall. "Are
you stealing stuff", he said as he pointed directly at my nose."No
Sir, Mister", I said. "I'm not a stealer."
I was taken into the back office and this policeman came and asked
me why I was not in school. I didn't tell him anything because I
was afraid that he would take me to jail for running away from the
orphanage. So I just started crying real loud.
After the policeman left the room this old lady, about twenty-five
years old came in and sat by me. "Were you stealing?", she asked
me. "No ma'am. I was just looking for something special." I told
her. "And what might that be?", she asked. "Do you have a "hug" in
this here store?", I said to her. "We always have hugs for kids in
this store", she said as she stood up, wrapped her arms around me
and squeezed real tight.
She smiled, walked out of the small office and when no one came
back for a long time I looked out the office door and saw that the
back door of the store was open. I quickly walked out of the back
door and I ran all the way back to school. When I got there I found
out that I was only 20 minutes late.
I was the only kid in my class that day that did not have the five
cent milk money for lunch. That is because I had laid my nickel on
the desk at the Preston Drug Store to pay for the "hug" that lady
gave me. It really was "the store that had everything in the world
that you would ever need", and I didn't have to steal it
either.
Roger Dean Kiser, Sr.
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Roger Dean Kiser, Sr.