Forty years have passed since that note was discovered, but the memory stays with me and the thing I learned about my fathers heart became a small piece of a crucial puzzle that eventually changed the direction of my life.
I thought I'd post an excerpt. Hope you enjoy.
"It happened in the fall of 1973 when i was eleven years old and in the fifth grade at Sumner Elementary School. It was discovered just after the lunch break as we were getting settled back into our desks and making preperations for the the afternoon lesson.
It was found by a girl who had picked it up off the floor as she was walking over to the pencil sharpener. When she paused to read it and learned the content was more than a little offensive. So without hesitation she quickly ran over to the teachers desk and handed it to Mrs. Emory.
I was oblivious to what was going on, but when Mrs. Emory told us to sit down and held up a piece of paper and said, 'This has just come to my attention,' I knew I was in DEEP DOOOO.
Because I knew that what she held in her hand was a note that a friend and I had written and passed back in forth during the morning. Included in the note were several rude and very crude remarks about some of the other kids and if that were not enough to sink the ship, we had also made some very degrading remarks about Mrs Emory.
My young heart began to race as a sickness invaded the pit of my stomach and when I looked over to my friend, I realized he was also gripped by fear and dreaded the consequences. His appearence was more than a little pale: he looked as white as a bleached bed sheet....
...That nightmare of a school day was followed by a long walk home and a quiet dinner, as I sat at the table cringing every time the phone rang. Mom and Dad knew something was up......"
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