Going To Jim and Elsie's House

When I was a little girl, the place where I most wanted to be was with Jim and Elsie, our next door neighbors. They lived on the farm next to ours. Whenever Jim and Elsie would come by to visit, they would always say that I could stay with them whenever I wanted. Yet, my mother would refuse to take me, so I had to figure out how to get to Jim and Elsie's house on my own.

One day when my mother wasn't paying attention, I sneaked out of the house, crawled under the barbed wire fence and ran through Jim and Elsie's pasture. I had almost made it to their house, but, then, the cows started chasing me. Believe me, it's always scary to get chased by cows, but especially when you're a little four-year old girl. Luckily, Jim heard me hollering. He jumped down from his tractor and scooped me up in his safe arms and carried me to his house. Elsie ran out and hugged me, and, then, she brought me in for some ice cream. I did get a lecture from Jim saying to not try that again. He told me to have my mom call them, and that if she couldn't bring me, they would come get me.

However, my mother refused to call them. When I asked why, she told me that Jim and Elsie didn't really like me. She went on to say that people always say the opposite of what they're really thinking. She told me that whenever anyone acted like they cared about me, they were really just pretending.

I didn't believe her. I just knew it wasn't true. I thought about it, and I figured out a way to let Jim and Elsie know when I wanted to come over. Early in the morning I would tip toe past my parents' bedroom and would sit down by the black rotary telephone. This was back in the day when all the neighbors shared the same telephone line. I knew that Elsie loved to talk, so all I had to do was pick up the receiver and just wait. Elsie would always sense my presence and what I wanted. She'd say, "Lorraine, I'm comin' right over to get you." Soon Elsie was pulling up into the driveway, much to my mother's dismay.

To me, when I was at Jim and Elsie's house it was like being in heaven--my little girl's idea of heaven. I didn't get yelled out or shamed. I could play as much as I wanted. and I didn't have to worry about getting into trouble. Whenever
Jim would come in from the fields, he would always take the time to talk with me. He made me feel important. I felt safe and free.

Jim and Elsie taught me about kindness and compassion and love. They showed me a whole other world that was different from the one my parents had created.

Image by Vidar Nordli Mathisen

(c) Lorraine Darnell