My mother and step-father were rather careless of me when I was growing up. And while I always had grandparents who loved and guided me, it is the constant kindness of strangers which I wish to remember here.
At fifteen, I paid for and took a speed reading class which was held at night in downtown Washington, D.C. To get to this class I walked two miles through the suburbs to the nearest bus stop, and then took a bus which let me off at 14th and F Streets, which was near the office building in which the class was held. I was the only young person in the class as most of the other students were working men coming in at the end of the day. They were all very welcoming, and as the class progressed my interest never flagged, and I enjoyed keeping up with the adults around me.
After the first class, two of my fellow classmates approached me and asked where I had parked my car. When I explained that I came on the bus they said they walked right by that bus stop. They walked with me there, and then engaged in conversation about the class until the bus came. This they did after every session until the class concluded. At fifteen, I was too young and immature to realize what was being done for me. They made sure there were always two of them while making it seem natural that they should be standing around talking to me. I have a feeling that after they waved me off, their transportation home was nowhere near where they kept an adult eye on me. I wish this group of strangers, who were not my age, and no more than casual acquaintances could be thanked for the care they took of a young, naïve girl.
When I was even younger, I spent every summer with my grandparents who lived in California. My first flight was at six, and I was put on the plane by myself for the then, eight prop-propelled hours, to get to San Diego. While I wanted to get to my grandparents, I was apprehensive about the flight and sat frozen in my seat clutching my doll and my bag of cards and coloring books for fear of doing something wrong. There was a group of young sailors on the plane across from me in six seats facing each other with a table in between. One seat was empty and before I knew what was happening I had been moved, and we were all engaged in a rip roaring card game of Go Fish. It did not hurt that the very attractive stewardesses came by often to check on us, but those young men threw themselves into making me feel comfortable and at home. Once again the kindness of strangers.
In this current time of uncertainty and unrest, my 19 year-old grandson works at a grocery store. He is putting himself through college and is grateful to have a job which will help him meet his expenses. He faithfully wears a face mask at work, which as we now know is primarily to protect others from him. I went in his store the other day, and was disappointed to see so many of the customers were maskless. There was no thought for this young man collecting carts, bagging groceries, ringing up purchases all in an effort to meet the expenses of his college education. I thought about the kindness that had been shown me as a young person, and I am convinced those caring business men and thoughtful sailors would have willingly put on masks to protect him.