Some bakery nearby must have had an exhaust fan flowing the fresh-baked smell of sweet rolls to lure customers in. Popcorn that had spilled on the ground behind my bench had attracted sea gulls; they were not intimidated by my presence, but instead they picked the popcorn clean. In about forty-five minutes, James, his mom, sister and grandmother emerged from the building. Mom pushed a shopping cart filled with several large bags, each packed with items that were likely to be used by the children, not the adults. Mom's right hand tightly gripped James' left hand as they made their way to the minivan. Mom glanced quickly around the parking lot, and I wondered if she was checking to see if the pickup truck had left. Though I'll never know, it's okay to conjecture that those two people were attracted and planned to get together.

An individual that influenced me was my grandfather on my dad's side. If I could speak to grandpa today I would tell him how grateful I am that he taught me to read when I was 3 years old. Grandpa was a retired schoolteacher, who came to live at our house after he retired for a few years. He would get a good book, sit me on his lap, open the book wide so I could follow along with the words while he read out loud.

That is how I learned to read, and I am so grateful, grandpa, for the time you took to help a little boy become literate before kindergarten....

I can still feel your scruffy whiskers on the back of my head as you read to me. I do remember Swiss Family Robinson. The way you read the descriptive parts of the story, the adventures that their dad took them on, Jack, the third oldest of the four boys was someone I wanted to be like.
But the truth is grandpa, I also wanted to be like you. I admired my dad a lot too but he was gone a lot and you were always there. You had a full head of hair when many older men were bald! I wanted to have a lot of hair too. You influenced me to be curious, to investigate literature to see what was in those stories that might apply to me.

What I also liked grandpa was the stories you told about your teaching experiences in the rural areas of West Virginia. You had several one-room schoolhouses to cover, so you would teach at one on Monday and on Tuesday you would move on to another one. You told me a story about a boy who wouldn't behave and was always slapping other kids. The way you handled that was great, grandpa. You had his 18-year-old brother come to school and sit beside him, watching him every minute. He didn't dare act up because his older brother had permission to spank him.

Yes grandpa, I do appreciate all the time you spent helping me learn not only to read, but to be a good student and a good citizen. Thank you so very much! I am an avid reader today because of you.