Recently I have written a narrative essay of a learning moment of my life, and I have decided to share it today.
“Quan stop being so scared and throw one already!” yelled my friend, Cavin, as he demonstrated another successful throw over the wire fence. Fed up with his constant provocations, I furiously grabbed a dirt pellet around the size of my palm, threw it over the fence, and watched as it flew down on its target.
I knew the damage had been done. However, the thrill overcame my body and soon my hand was a mind of its own. Dirt pellets swarmed the sky as my friends and I threw one after the other with ceaseless effort. No one was there to stop us, not even the wire fence, who watched helplessly as three second graders barraged oncoming traffic with dirt pellets. The drivers were not thrilled of course, as no one wants to be on the opposite end of a second grader’s “harmless” prank. Nonetheless, nothing could be done while the days of the dirt pellets lasted, as the drivers had much better things to do than to correct our behavior.
It wasn’t always like this though. Star View Elementary School was, in my opinion, one of the safest and most spirited and active schools I’ve been to. Weekly spirit assemblies were like church on Sundays that no one dared to miss, and fights or even verbal arguments rarely occurred. Recess and whatever time was left of lunch was well dedicated by the students, including my friends and I, to any physical activity possible.
Now, I was an obedient and energetic boy as a second grader. I obeyed the rules and listened to my teacher and all, but come recess or lunch, I was always the first one to leave and the last one to come back. Although I wasn’t very skilled at it, I loved playing handball with my friends in the little time that we had during school. In fact, I enjoyed any activity as long as my friends were involved, which would prove rather conflicting as my friends began to venture in the entertainment of pranks.
The pranks started out when my friend, Jovanny was inspired from his older brother, that it would be “hilarious” if we stuffed wet paper towels down each other’s back when we least suspected it. This would last for quite some time, until every moment at school felt like we are sitting in the soak zone for SeaWorld.
And so, we held off from the pranks for some time and enjoyed the peace that came with it. My friends and I resumed our normal recess and lunch activities of shooting hoops or intense contests of classic handball.
Winter came fast, and it was that time of year again where the school playing field would receive a visit from the district lawnmower. This wasn’t no ordinary lawnmower however, as it was as big as a tractor and took up the entire length of the field. The field was cut with that fresh lawn smell and littered with dirt pellets left from the fertilizing process. On the same day, all the balls were taken away from us due to mischief and misbehavior in the classroom.
So there we were: me, Cavin, and Jovanny standing at the handball courts, bored out of our minds. Then without any words spoken, Cavin walked to the grass field, picks up one of the dirt pellets, and throws it over the fence and hits an unlucky car. He turns around and says, “Guys this could be our new prank.” Jovanny joined him with laughter and shortly the two were making it rain dirt pellets on unsuspecting cars.
At first, I stood tall and innocently watched as my two friends left early Christmas presents of dirt pellets on car windshields. However, the holiday spirit soon got to me, and I soon joined in on the act of giving with my two friends.
The principal soon caught on with what we were doing, and busted us one morning in the middle of our act. The usual “Who started it?” and “Why did you do it?” questions were expected, but the loyalty wasn’t, well not from me of course. I simply was not going to confess or prove my loyalty to my friends, because I knew the heavy consequences that waited for me if I did.
Like the wire fence, I tried to say that I was helpless and my friends constantly urged me to take part. The principal bought my story, and I was spared free. I was still left with the stinging guilt of betraying my loyalty to my friends. It would’ve been safe to say that Cavin and Jovanny would’ve stop talking to me after that incident, but being the simple second graders that we were, all was forgotten and forgiven. Loyalty would never have a major impact as it did for me than on that day.
Cabinet of Curiosities 