So dark and permanent

I feel nostalgic all the time, probably because we're living in my parent's house while they're away visiting my favorite Germans. 

Mikey and I dropped yet another load off at D.I. (one of the perks of moving so often is the routine de-junking that you do) before dinner yesterday. As you pull out of the loading bay, you see Adventure Time Preschool. I went there as a tot and had memory upon memory wash up in my brain as we drove past: trying to convince my cousin to stop sitting under the tires and come play, getting dared to kiss said cousin, stealing a Sharpie...

Yes.

The memory of coveting and then stealing a Sharpie Marker is one of my most vivid preschool memories. I remember how badly I wanted it. Its ink was so dark and permanent. (The fact that I was never allowed to play with them at home probably added to the lure of the whole thing).

When my mom picked me up in our little blue Honda Accord I had the stolen marker in my right hand, tucked at my side, hidden from her view. She saw it somehow. She asked where I got it. I'm not sure how I responded. But I do remember her turning the car around and telling me that I had to go give it back and tell my teacher I was sorry.

It was so humiliating. My teacher had her next class gathered around her when I entered the classroom door. I had to tell her that I stole a Sharpie (a Sharpie that I still wanted SO BADLY to keep), that I was sorry, and that I was here to give it back.

I'm pretty sure the whole class saw. And they all seemed older than me. And smart enough to not steal Sharpies from preschool.

I'm pretty sure I cried.

But I'm proud to say that I've never stolen a Sharpie marker since.