Who knew that a kid's desire to be noticed would cause such a ruckus?
It was a chilly morning in late November. My cousin, Nathan, and I were looking out the window, anticipating the start of the benefit race. Finally, as participants began to pass by, we offered encouraging words, such as "Good job," "keep it up," and an occasional "Happy Turkey Day!" People seemed to appreciate our enthusiasm; however, we soon became bored and our language careless.
Our words took on a different spirit when we began to shout, "Ah, come on... You can do better than that." Less attention was returned out way, so we changed our strategy.
This time my cousin and I pulled out the cap guns and innocently "shot" them off, imitating the start of a race. Nobody seemed to give us heed, until we brought attention to ourselves by proclaiming, "Bang, BANG!" A police-woman, who had been standing on the corner, turned toward us with a displeased look. We made light of it and grinned at her. This did little to save us. The officer gently smiled and then sternly rebuked us, stating she'd be over to "visit" once her duty was complete. We anxiously scuttled down the stairs, hoping she would forget.
But not long afterward there was a knock at the door. My aunt called us over and we "fessed" up. The lady was nice enough to calmly explain why guns, real or fake, are dangerous and not to be messed around with.
Today, we are thankful that this incident didn't mar our records. We are even more grateful for the priceless lesson we learned that Thanksgiving morning: never point a gun, real or fake, at anybody. We have remembered this ever since.
