anna jimenez.

third grade.
the boys hated that i was fairly competent in basketball
so they pushed me on the asphalt one recess.
i remember blood on my knees,
some hot anger rushing through my skin.
i wanted to fight them,
to pull thier teeth
to grab their arms.
i was violent back then.
instead, i turned to my friend Anna
who if i remember correctly,
was so soft spoken,
most times i could never hear her.
she was pretty
and loyal.
i respected her loyalty,
i needed it,
even back then.
she put her tiny arms around me and walked me to the bench
and grabbed those harsh, stiff paper towels
that elementary schools buy because they are cheap
but this was back in the 90's
before things got really bad.
but anyways, that is me digressing...
she took the paper towels and wiped the blood from my knee,
cleaning it
and pretending that she was a mother.
or maybe she was,
meant to be a mother
so she was showing her instincts early.

but i remember her.
she was my first experience with loyalty.