We moved from Fairfax, Virginia to Springfield, Virginia when I was seven years old. We moved into a townhouse on Supreme Court. I went to Garfield Elementary School.
The main friend I remember was Heather Andrews. She lived right across the street.
I think I had a problem with stealing right after starting at this school. The thing I remember stealing was a Barbie doll from this girls desk. I don’t know why I did it. And told my parents that when they asked me. I can remember even then feeling as though I didn’t fit in. I don’t know how in the world I thought, in my seven-year old mind, that stealing was the way to go.
I think pretty soon after that I went to see the psychologist. I can remember in probably the third grade when I wrote a note to the class and left it on the teacher’s desk. I told them that I knew I didn’t fit in and that I didn’t want to return to class.
The teacher read it to the students and then called me back in class. Looking back on that now it’s so embarrassing.
Even at a young age I remember a fascination with babies. One day I was walking to the park and I saw this lady walking her baby. So, I went up and promptly asked her if I could hold her baby.
Her name was Joan Todd. After that day I went to her house almost every day. Her son’s name was Richard. Joan’s husband was an over the road truck driver. Joan became my best friend. She used to come and pick me up and we’d go to the mall and other places. It was near Christmas and we went to this place called “The Party Store”. They were having a contest to win a BIG stocking filled with games, etc… We put our name in this things that spun like the Bingo thing. We went back up at the time of the drawing. I got to reach in and pull out the names (the rule was that you had to be there to win). I pulled out one name and they weren’t there. I pulled out another and they weren’t there either. Then I reached in a third time and read the name…holy cow! That’s my name! So, I won!!!
Heaven's Crazy World 