When I was six years old, my family moved to the suburb, and I was transferred to another kindergarten. I felt very sad about the move, since I had to leave behind all of my close friends and playmates. Especially after the loss of my younger brother, the last thing I wanted was to be separated from my friends. But my parents were adamant about the move, and I was yet again thrown into a new environment.
In the new kindergarten, I didn’t feel at home as I had used to in the previous one. There were some kind girls who approached me and made friends with me, but for the most part, I was quite on my own daydreaming. I didn’t even remember the name of all my classmates.
When there was a gathering in the classroom, we were told to form lines according to our heights. One line for girls, another line for boys. As the tallest kid in the class, I always stood at the end of the girls’ line.
One time, when we were lined up, my friend who stood before me pointed to a boy standing near us and told me to stay away from him. When I turned, he was laughing and smiling. When I asked why, the boy himself replied. “Because I’m creepy!” And everybody around us laughed except me. I didn’t find it funny at all. “I don’t think you’re creepy.” I said and went back to my daydreaming.
Some days went by, and one day, this boy visited me while I was walking around and daydreaming in the classroom as usual. He said he wanted me to come with him because he had something important to tell me. Wondering what it was, I followed him.
He brought me into the boy’s bathroom. Once we were alone, he lowered his voice as if to tell me a secret. “I’m actually fond of you. Can we play together tomorrow?” I didn’t see any reason why we shouldn’t. “Yes, of course!” I replied, and the boy smiled happily.
From the next day, we started to play together. I actually enjoyed playing with him. We played a lot with blocks in the classroom. I really appreciated his kind heart.
I don’t even remember how long we continued to play together. In a few months, we both finished the kindergarten and went on to different schools. The memory of the time I spent in two the kindergartens slipped away as I became active in the busy new life. But even in the fading memory, the gift of the sincere words from that boy stayed in my heart.