A Solid Little Boy PART ONE by Priscilla Wilson/Mills College

I was sitting on a bench at the bus stop on my way back to Mills, when I noticed a young boy far too young to be out at 11:30 pm pacing back and forth in front of me. He checked the bus schedule and sat next me. Although I was occupying myself by listening to music and reading some poetry in an attempt to not invite anyone to talk to me, I had to halt what I was doing because I needed to know why this little boy was all alone in the middle of the night. I took out my earphones and placed my poetry in my purse, whereupon I asked this little boy if he was okay. He said that he was. He was wearing a school uniform: Green collard shirt and khaki pants. His buttons were unbuttoned and his backpack was hung across his narrow shoulder. Then, I asked him clearly and directly, why he was alone. His mother never picked him up from school, he said. He got out of school at five, and when he realized that his mother wasn’t going to show up, he killed time by going to his friend’s house and by meandering around the neighborhood. I was in utter disbelief. Whether or not it was my place, I found myself extremely angry with the mother and deeply saddened. However, he soon shared with me that this was out of character of his mother. She always picked him up promptly.