When you were five, do you remember how everything was such a big deal? You would cry when your mom wouldn’t tuck you in, or when your ice cream fell off your cone. And you would laugh hysterically when someone made Peek-a-Boo faces at you. When I was five, I was the exact same way, only way more dramatic.
It was a hot summer day in the middle of July. My plan was to go swimming in the creek down the road. I got all ready to go. I had my rainbow swimsuit on, a bag slung over my shoulder, a noodle in one arm, a tube around my waist, and a smile from ear to ear. Of course my mom was just being a mom. I had to be lathered from head to toe in sunscreen, make sure I wore my floaties, and look both ways before I crossed the street. Finally, the time came to go to the creek. I stepped out onto the pavement holding my mom’s hand. My sandals made a flip, flop, flip, flop, noise with every step. Then it was right in front of me. The creek. Not just a river or pond. The creek. It even had a waterfall. I dove straight in. I played for hours! It was a blast.
Sadly enough, the time had to come to go home. I wrapped my towel around myself and trudged back home with my mom at my side. She told me to go into my room and get into my pajamas for dinner. I walked into my room and…began to follow orders, but didn’t quite finish. I took off my swimsuit top, and bottoms, and only replaced one half with a pair of underwear. Then I saw it! My rock collection. Who knew rocks could have so much meaning? I sat there for an hour playing with my little rocks. Giving them names, making families, I even started to build a home for them. I eventually got bored with myself and decided to walk into the kitchen, only to find we had company. Two neighbor friends had come to talk to my mom about “grown-up stuff.” Anne, one of the two, looked up at me and let out a giggle. I just thought that she was adoring my dimples or something. Then my mom looked up and smiled as well. “Honey,” she pointed to my legs. I looked down to find only the underwear…nothing else. With all that rock hub-bub, I had forgotten to dress myself. I immediately started screaming. I was mortified! Our other neighbor looked up and I was even more upset when I realized he was male. I started running around my house crying, not even bothering to put on clothes. As soon as our guests left, I ran into my mom’s arms and shrieked out all my embarrassment into her shirt. She helped me get clothed properly and the tears finally stopped. She told me everything would be alright. Suddenly, I didn’t care how horrified I had been five minutes before, because I walked into the living room Miss Congeniality was on. I couldn’t help but sit down and watch it! I had completely forgotten about all that had just happened.
The best day had turned into my worst nightmare and back to normal within a few hours. But I was only five. What else can you expect?