Humor During a Rain Storm

Fifty years ago, and a normal school day turned into disaster. I was late for school, it was raining harder, I hated rules but loved funny things people do. I heard the first school bell ring knowing that I had 2 min's or so to get myself to school. I ran quickly out the back door, down the puddled alley in the blowing rain, and across a busy street into the back door of Emerson Elem. School in South Park, Dayton, Ohio. Thankful to be inside, in spite of my new school dress, socks and shoes, and the bottom two thirds of my body spattered with mushy mud. I was trembling from wet cold soggy clothes.I knew that I was in for a lot of trouble for ruining my brand new birthday clothes, being late to school, and hiding then screaming. I hid because the rain and my tears were in my eyes and rubbing my hair out of my face made me look like a mud monster instead of a happy 3rd grader in new birthday clothes.

Of course, I waited until the tardy bell rang to run from the back stairwell back outside. First, I thought the mud was going to make me sick, the wet cold was going to make me freeze to deathr, and by this time I was sobbing as I ran to a safe place , the nurse's office. The outside door to the nurse's station was down two crooked crumbly sets of very old rocky steps- so I choose to cut through the off limits grassy hill to the wide sidewalk. This sidewalk was next to the nurse's door which was locked. As I reached the wet sidewalk the wind began to blow so strong that it flipped my plastic rain cap off and down the mud slick hill by the alley off Hickory St. and Burns Ave. I was so upset that I just sat down in a muddy hole by the nurse's door and started to scream. I didn't know how long it would take for someone to hear me. Then I heard a weird school bell ringing. When I heard the school bell ring I was convinced that it was fire alarm so I crawled down the mucky hill and stood on the grass divider on Burns Ave; just like I had been taught to do in emergencies.

The problem was that I was the only one standing there. Finally, I heard someone calling my name, "Annie', "Annie", "What are you doing over there? "Come up here right this minute!" "Don't you know it is raining outside?". Fortunately, I had enough sense to run toward the strong voice calling for me. But that meant going back up the wet stairs - it was our school nurse. Our nurse checked me out, cleaned me up, gave me some hot cocoa, and tried to call my house; but no body was home.

I was shaky scared and fed up with my stormy rain morning, so I took a nap in the nurse's office. The nurse woke me up to tell me, "Nobody is at your home right now." "You seem okay so I will walk you home to your neighbor lady Miss Pearl". Great!, I said. Nurse walked me out the back of the schoolhouse, around the sidewalk, through the basketball court, across the street, and down to Miss Pearl's. Miss Pearl was smiling standing out on her huge covered wrap around porch and was waving for us to come on in the gate. "Hi Annie, glad you are alright but where is your foster father Winfield at? " " I don't know he was home when I left this morning, I cried. Nurse said ,"Hope that everyone is alright but I must get back to school, have a good day" bye."

Miss Pearl and I went inside for a cup of hot cooca with marshmellow creme and fresh baked oatmeal cookies when the nurse called. Nurse called saying, "Please come back to the school because Winfield is in big trouble." Emerson was only a block from Miss Pearl's who lived across the street from my house. We went right away. Winfield had that , "I am so mad I could spit look on his face" He was in the nurse's office with the Principal, a girl I did not know and her parents; and everyone looked mad and scary. Winfield said,"Annie tell these folks that I always take good care of you." Yes, he always is good to me and helps me everyday, he is very nice," I said. He continued without even breathing, "Tell these folks that you ran out the back door this morning without your raincoat and umbrella!" Yes, I said. Now he was talking with clenched teeth and closed lips, "Annie, I ran after you and saw a yellow rain cap and thought this little darked hair girl was YOU. "Let these good people know that I thought this little girl was you because she had a yellow rain cap on just like yours, and no raincoat."

Winfield was talking through his teeth and accidently spitting with each word by this time. " Annie t when you are skipping school you play in mud puddles on Hickory Street down by Morton Ave. "Yes, that's right, I said but Ithen I started giggling, not good. Everyone in that little room yelled at me,"This is not funny Annie". Okay, Yes, it is the whole truth and nothin' but the truth, he got the wrong kid." Now I was crying not laughing. everyone was quiet for a minute so I could talk about me."

"I was asleep in the nurse's office because I was scared sick from the muddy rain, locked nurse's door, dirty new birthday dress.Winfield said, " And tell me where in the heck were you this morning when I came to find you? They think that I let you go to school without a raincoat and that I was mean to this little girl. " I twisted her ear to get her out of the mud puddles and on to school- just like I do you," I am so embarassed over this mess up". he said. The Nurse hugged me and told everyone about what happened to me on that morning. Everyone could see my muddy clothes. Miss Pearl and I stood up for Winfield. It was a case of mistaken identity. Windfield always took great care of me and we had great times as long as I followed his rules. Rules were : 1) Wear your raincoat, hat, boots and taken your umbrella 2) Never cut down the backyard to the alley to school unless a grown up is with you. 3). Go to the Nurse's office if anything at all is wrong. Hey, 1 out of 3 is kind of good. Oops!

My giggles were embarassment but turned to crying for poor little girl and poor Winfield; he did not mean to scare or hurt that little girl because he honestly thought she was me. I was used to him pulling at my ear when I was doing something wrong, it did not hurt. It was sort of our joke, for me to stop doing what I am doing. Just like when I was good or sad he would pull quarters from behind my ears- as a surprise to make me laugh. The little girl, I think her name was June or something like that, got scared but said she was not hurt and she thought it was funny. Her parents said, "Sorry about this mix up but don't ever get my child out of the rain again," and they smiled real big. Nurse grinned saying, "I am glad everyone is okay, now go home, I need a nap now.)".

Miss Pearl, Winfield, and I were so embarassed but could not stop laughing that he had the wrong child by the ear. We never spoke about it after that day, but I always think of this "OOPS" wrong child rain storm story with love and laughter. Winfield passed away years ago so this humor story is to remember him as the greatest foster father in the world. This story is to thank him for his patience with my antics and his loving care for me no matter the mess I got us into. Now Winfield, the whole world knows you would never hurt anyone or anything.

Always know that everytime it rains I pull my own ear in your memory, love, Annie