The Beginning and the End

The Beginning and the End
When I was preschool aged I was in Raley’s with mom, saw some orange bubble gum while we were in line, decided that I wanted it, so I put it in my pocket, took it home and started to open it in my room. Before I got a chance to chew a piece, mom caught me and drove me back down to the store to return it. I remember being really embarrassed and knowing that if I wanted something that I couldn’t have, from now on I was gonna have to be sneakier. Yeah, not so good.
So years later after never being caught (don’t remember much in-between), I was now in the 5th or 6th grade and as mischievous as ever, I was on my way to school and dropped by 7Eleven to get some “free” school snacks. After school and not happy with the current candy I had, I greedily went back to 7Eleven. My back pack was probably a quarter full and my left hand was completely full of Dubble Bubbles when the lady behind the counter told me to come up to the counter.
“Open up your bag” she said.
So I opened it and she said that she was going to call the police, so without any hesitation I said,
“Why?” And she said because I had stolen all that candy.
“What are you talking about? I came in here this morning and bought all of this for my brothers and sisters. I forgot the gum and had to come back for it. It’s you people’s fault that you don’t give receipts.”
She then asked for my name, address, and telephone number and without a doubt I said,
“Jennifer Simmers”, gave her phone number, address, and parent’s names. The clerk then mentioned something about the police and picked up the phone. I was now on my way home and fear finally found and owned me. I went thru parking lots, across business parks, anyway to stay away from streets because I knew that the cops were looking for me. I made a run for it in front of the canal and hid in the field across from the hospital for a short time until I was sure that I could make it home. After an eternity, I got home, and knowing that everyone in the world knew what I had done, hid the bag of treasure behind the bushes in front of the pool area. I was so nervous that I didn’t go to get the backpack until the next day and it was gone. And so ended my klepto. days.
Wendy 2002