This was something that happened so long ago that a lot of details are a little blurry. It's not like it

happened yesterday. I'll try my best to fill in smaller details that I don't

fully remember with how I best remember things played out. It was the last day of school. I was in the fourth grade.

Fourth grade was the last year in our elementary school where kids had to be picked up by their

parents. Fifth graders were allowed to walk home on their own. My mom would always

be the one to pick me up. On the last day of school, my friend Dennis and I had a play-date plan

to celebrate the last day of school. Dennis wasn't in my class this year, but we had been friends since kindergarten.

He was in a different dismissal hallway from me.

After school was over, we single file lined up and walked to the exit door at the end of the hall where we waited outside by our teacher Miss Blue

I waited for Dennis's dad to appear from the crowd of parents shuffling in and out of the parking lot next to the doors

Then I heard my name Tommy in and out of the parking lot next to the doors.

Then I heard my name.

Tommy, Tommy.

I look over and see a man waving at me as he approached.

He introduced himself as Dennis's uncle and said he was picking me up.

I went over to Miss Blue and said I'm being picked up.

She asked where is he, sweetie?

And I pointed to Dennis's uncle who waved at Miss Blue.

Miss Blue dismissed me and I went with the man. He led us through the crowd and was a very quick and jittery talker, like he spoke fast and had a bit of a stutter. He was walking incredibly fast, it was almost hard to keep up with him with my backpack on.

He explained to me that his brother, or Dennis's dad,

was working later than expected, so he was driving me back.

We got to his car, which was a dark red hatchback type car from what I remember, and it

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