It was December 9, 2010, Erin's fourteenth birthday. She was sitting on the back porch with her collie, Rusty. Although she was excited about her friends coming over to celebrate her birthday, she also felt a bit sad. She always felt some sadness on her birthday and on holidays, because her mother wasn't there. Her mother had died almost two years ago of myocarditis. Since then, she and her older brother, Daniel, live with their aunt and uncle and their cousin, Barbara Ann. A few moments later, her grandmother came out. She asked, "Erin, what are you doing out here by yourself?" Erin replied, "Oh, I'm not by myself, Grandma. I've got Rusty with me." Her grandmother smiled. "Yes," she said, "he is your buddy, isn't he?" Erin said, "He is." Her grandmother said, "Anyway, it's about time for your birthday party." Erin said, "Okay." Her grandmother noticed the sad tone of voice and asked, "Is something wrong?" Erin said, "It's just that Mother isn't around. I miss her sometimes." Her grandmother said, "I know. I miss her, too." After a pause, she said, "But Mother would want you to have a good time. Don't you think?" Erin said, "Yes, I do." All of Erin's friends were there, except Benny. He was sick with the flu and couldn't come. She understood and told him to get well soon. Her closest friends, Allie and Paul, stayed a little longer. Erin's aunt and uncle then gave her a special present, a guitar. Her uncle said, "I know you always wanted one. Now you have one." She said, "Thank you so much! This is a dream come true!" Paul said, "Now you don't have to come to my house every time you want to play guitar, and what's better is we can play together now." Erin smiled and said, "That's right! This is great!"
When I had entered the fifth grade, I was dreading it. I had heard rumors that the teacher was really mean. When I met her before school started, she seemed really nice. On the first day of school, I was wearing one of my Beatles t-shirts. She noticed it, and she said, "Darling, I love you already!" I said, "Okay, then." She would take up for me all the time. The other kids often called me glasses. She heard them and said, "She has a name, guys. Her name is not glasses. It's Winter." There was one day when another girl kept picking on me. I finally had enough and said, "I might look sweet and innocent, but that shit is for suckers, and I'm no lollipop." I looked at the teacher. She winked and said, "I heard nothing." I would have had her for the sixth grade, too, but unfortunately, I moved to Tennessee as soon as the school year was over. We both cried. We promised to keep in touch with each other, and we've kept in touch to this day.