{W} Challenge 2 – The Lunch Box

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Week 2 of the {W}rite of Passage Challenge. This weeks challenge is to write about your elementary school lunch. Describe taste, smell. Who’s there, where are you and what are you eating?

Big, Bad Bathroom Doors

I always hated school lunch. With my mom and I’s abundant allergies, we often didn’t eat what other families ate and so the other kids always wanted to snoop at my lunch. And if they thought it was weird or something, they made no bones about it. Sometimes, those kids could be downright cruel. And that was only lunch!

The one lunch time meal that really stands out in my mind, though, was one from where I went to pre-school (though it was called pre-k at this place) and it was a christian school. I was 4 or 5 at the time and we lived in Redlands, California. Since my mom worked at the school, I went there. I thought it was so cool that I got to go to school with my older cousins. It was cool, too, that we got to eat outside.

Somehow, I remember several picnic benches around the outside courtyard area where everyone ate. I don’t know if that’s really true or not, but I think it must be. And the thing I remember most is the bathrooms. Because I always had to go to the bathroom at lunch.

Now, I was always on the small side for my age and those doors to the bathrooms at the school were just huge! And they were really heavy. So heavy that I actually had to have help to open them. They were big, solid and metal with those huge hinges at the top that are shaped like a V and attach to the door and the frame.

One day at lunch (I have no idea what I was eating, sorry!) I went to the bathroom and an older kid went in with me. Well, she must have forgot I was in there because when I went to go out, I was alone and as usual, couldn’t open the door. I pushed and shoved with no luck.

Finally, I decided I was going to run for it and push as hard as I could. And when I hit the door, I felt it move! It opened! I could hardly believe it. I knew I had to be fast or it would shut on me. I was so excited I got the door open and tried so hard to get out before it shut.

But then . . . I felt it hit my hand.

One of my fingers got caught in it. I started to yell and cry. There was no way I could get my finger out of the door. It was pinned shut. Luckily, I was on the outside and people came running.

My poor finger was mangled. It hurt like HELL.

And then some.

I remember my mom coming after that and bandaging up my hand. I also remember the other kids getting chewed for leaving me in the bathroom alone. Oddly, though, I don’t remember much else about that school or much about what happened over the rest of the year.

My finger is still somewhat misshapen from that damn door. It still hurts every once in a while too. But at least I’m finally big enough to open the door myself!

In the arena,

I hope you have a great week, that all your shopping is done, and for God sakes – don’t drive in bad weather unless you really have to and you know what you’re doing. Better to be safe and be here for your loved ones than risk life and limb for something trivial. Stay safe and warm, dear readers!

Annie Anderson is a freelance copywriter and graphic designer specializing in the small business and real estate markets. Her tagline “Making your business, my business” means that she’ll take the utmost care when creating words and images for your business – just as if it were her own.