One Sunday A Long, Long Time Ago

I was just sitting here, working, when all of a sudden the memory of her rushed over me. I haven't thought about her in a while; but I suppose over time that's the way things go.

We were walking through a neighborhood near my great-grandma's house. Though it was winter, there was no snow on the ground and the sun was shining. Maybe the pavement was wet, but hell, I can't remember. Like I said - it was a long time ago.

I was peddling Campfire candy and Jo was walking through the neighborhood with me. Her daddy was a Marine and they were getting ready to head over to Bangladesh. I remember hearing about how at her last day of school the class through a party for her and gave her presents. Maybe she told me about the Barbies and such as we walked through the streets, cold and hoping to unload all this candy for whatever cause it was for. All I know is it was Campfire candy. And yes, boys could be in Campfire.

Jo had big blue eyes and blond hair. She was a sweetheart. Really, she was a good, sweet kid. I remember one Christmas when she was around (obviously, her old man being in the military her family moved around a lot)and we hadn't seen each other in years, well, two or three, but when you're eight or nine it might as well be an eon as the world is still so new, but we were fast friends. I loved her. Everybody did.

Anyways, we were walking back to my great-grandma's house (which was her grandmother, making her my mom's cousin, but anyways this isn't a delving into my family tree) and Jo had this calculator. I remember her stopping me and saying, "I can make the numbers look like a rainbow."

I was instantly interested. Would they arch on the tiny little screen? She was older than me by a year so surely she knew something I didn't. "Really? How?"

She pushed her thumb against the little LCD screen and like oil in mud puddle greens and purples and blues quickly rushed onto the screen. There was no arch and there were no other colors like red and orange and yellow. But it was pretty.

I don't remember saying goodbye to her before her family left for Asia. I'm sure we did. And I didn't get to say goodbye to her before, well, I didn't get to tell her goodbye. And to say why seems unnecessarily cruel for whomever may stumble across this damn thing. But for some reason today, in the monotony of my everyday Monday, my mind drifted to her and that one sunny Sunday in what I'm guessing was February.

I didn't realize how much I missed her.