CROSSING GUARD - FIRST DAY

I wanted to get there abit early just so I could look around and observe.  I brought a small folding camp chair with me so I could sit down.  As the kids would be coming from across the street towards the school, I placed my chair on the South side of Glenwood.  I sat right in front of Eleanor J. Toll Jr. High. I would not only cross the Toll kids, but the Mark Keppel kids too.  As working for the City demanded that I station myself at the cross walk, it occured to me Jeanette would probably J walk as it was less of a walk than going down about a hundred feet to the cross walk.  This bode in my favor as it would give me  chance to intercept her and ask her to use the cross walk. It was another beautiful morning....every thing in crystal orangish light.  The air still carried the damp smell of the night and the lawns twinkled with dew. A few kids started coming, carrying their note books and lunch boxes. I had been here for about five months now and still was amazed at things I saw.  Every body looked clean and wholesome.  No garish sweaters or shirts.  I loved the old cars.  They still had that rather functional only look...many still looked bulbous.  No sleek looking and low,  racing look.  There was something even more amazing.  There was such a.....relaxed, non animated....relaxed and slow feeling in the air.   The feeling that something might happen at any minute was not there.....it felt so safe and sane.  I am not a racist...but all I saw were white people.  Glendale was a staunch, conservative, moral town.  In fact, public dancing was against the law back then.  No cell phones, I-Pads etc.   They simply talked to each other face to face.  My first kids came and started to walk across the street and I did my first yell...."HEY"    I ran out to middle with my stop sign high in the air.  Then, I waved them across, and of course they were very curious.  As  the time progressed, the kids came in clumps, and I began to recognize a few from Mark Keppel days.  How they had grown and matured, but still carried their familiar faces.  I kept glancing towards Jeanette's house and I saw her coming down her driveway and my heart started really pumping.  I was right, she started walking across the street diagonally from her corner towards Keppel.  Instead of yelling, I ran to her..eyes fixed. She had grown too...going to be a taller gal someday.  She was so cute as always, but still carried that reserved and intelligent air.  I stopped her and explained the school system had installed me as a guard and would she please use the cross walk.  She was very polite and said it was a good idea.  She looked intently at me with her hazel eyes and thanked me.  I decided to rush things and I called her back.  "Do you remember a Bobby Fishback?" I asked.  I would not say she lit up, but there was a facial change somehow.  "Yes, we were in Keppel together....do you know him?"  I told her we were neighbors up in Sparr Heights and he was my paper boy.  She said  "He must have mentioned me and told you something about me"  I wanted to look closely at her when I said:   "He told me that you sat next to him in every class for five years and  that he thought you were the cutest girl in class."   Her face showed little change of expression and she simply said:   "He was a nice boy and I liked that....Thank you again for your work"....and that was my first encounter and the ice was broken.  (to be continues)