REMEMBERING PAPIRO

It was a clear morning in the fall of 1964. A small child is awaken from a deep sleep. There are sounds of the birds chirping high above the wooden roof of this old but sturdy Queens house. The mother is quickly dressing this child to go to the nearby red-brick school. The boy is hiding back that anxiety and the apprehension that he has felt ever since the school semester began. He is holding back a deep secret. Deep within the dark shadows o his little mind. This young little boy had not been going to school. He would only pretend to go and then, he would wander off and hide in a secret place until it was time to back home. This young boy was terrified of his 2nd grade teacher because she would actually hit the children. this day was no different, for the child went around the corner and hid for, what seemed to be an eternity. There was a dark green jalopy of a car in the backyard of this old house. The boy thought to himself. "This will be my hiding place for today. The little boy quietly opened the car door and hid deep within the front seats. The little boy is now feeling as if something is not right.

He begins to hear some noises in the back seat of the jalopy. slowly, ever so slowly, the little boy begins to bob his head towards the back seat when, at that same split second, there is another head tat is bobbing their head up to see who is in the front seat..To the amazement of the little boy... it was his older brother who incidentally, was also playing hooky fro school. Both brothers looked at each other in a rather, surprised look and then, they soon realized that they might as well stick together for that day. Both brothers spent several hours in this green jalopy in the backyard. There was a close call, when they saw their father throwing the garbage out into a large can that was several feet away from the car. The two brothers held their breath and gazed out at this chubby short man who was throwing some bags into the garbage can. the two boys felt a great relief when the father finally went back into the house. The two brothers were years apart but it was amazing how close they were. The older brother took the younger brother for an exciting Ride on a city bus and they spent most of the day at the bus depot and played with all the machines and game boards. The two had spent so much money on food and games that they had to walk back home instead of riding the bus. The younger brother had bonded with his older brother. This was to be a memorable day that was to be remembered and cherished through the years tat would follow.

The older sister looked out the window and saw her two brothers walking from the opposite direction of the large red-brick school that dominated the neighborhood. "what are you guys doing?" "Why are you coming home from school so early?" as the very suspicious sister. "We got out early"said the older brother and then, winked at his younger brother. who was still in great awe of the day. It was a day that he did not want it to end. They had shared a day full of secrecy and the memory of that day was deeply embedded in the little 2ND grade boy. The long hall is dark now and there is only a flicker of light that comes from the window of the Boy's room. The little boy fluffs his pillow and quietly whispers to his older brother. "This was a great day." " had a it of fun, can we do this again, tomorrow?" "No!" said the older brother. "We can never do this again and you must never tell anyone about this, do you understand" The younger brother felt sadness. e understood the risk that was taken today, but as a little boy, he could not help to feel a little saddened that the day had finally come to a halt.

The next morning, the young boy wakes up and prepares to go to school. The dark green jalopy is no covered with morning dew and the young boy glances at the early morning mist as he makes the awkward effort to walk to school. The young boy, then makes a detour and hides in the bushes until the coast is clear. He then, walks to the backyard and gets into the old car in the backyard. He glances at the backseat and remembers how much fun, he had the previous day. He has never forgotten that day with his older brother...He never will.