DENNY STARTS A TREND

Kenny Foster races into the kitchen still tucking his shirt in his pants. Tripping over his shoelaces and laughing happily he picks himself up and climbs into his chair. “I tripped.” He announces to his mother as she sets his breakfast before him.

“I know. I heard you.” She said ruffling his hair.

“I didn’t hurt nothing either.”

“You’re getting to be quite the big boy nowadays.”

“I know.” He chortled. “I am getting bigger and soon I’ll be five years old, too.”

“Un huh.” His mother said absently as she left the kitchen.

Kenny dawdling over his breakfast had no reason to hurry this morning. Thoughtfully sampling his scrambled eggs, he tried to figure out what to do with himself all day. He had learned from his friend, Denny, just last night, surprisingly, that Denny would be going to school this morning. He had no one to play with not even after his nap as his friend Denny was in an all-day kindergarten. Kenny was sad. When I went with Denny and his mother and mommy to that big, big building the nice lady there let me play with all the stuff she let Denny play with, Kenny thought. And Denny gets to go to school and I don’t. It’s not fair.

“Mommy, why Denny gets to go to school and I don’t?” Kenny shouts.

Mrs. Foster coming up from the basement with a load of laundry sat the basket on the floor and clapped her hands to her ears. “I’ve told you about shouting, Kenny.”

“I sorry mommy.” Kenny says pensively filling his eyes with tears.

“Don’t cry honey. I just feel a headache coming on. Sorry if I snapped. Denny is already five years old. That’s why he gets to go to school and you don’t.”

“But Mommy I’m big like Denny.”

“Size has nothing to do with it. You’ll be five in January…”

“Mommy, when is January?”

“After Christmas.”

“Oh, oh, mommy. I like Christmas, don’t you. When is it?

“After Thanksgiving.”

“Er, mommy, when…when is Thanksgiving?”

“Eat your breakfast. It’s getting cold.” Thanksgiving is after Halloween.”

“Wait mommy, don’t go yet.” Kenny implores stuffing a forkful of eggs into his mouth. “When is Halloween?”

“Next month. No more questions now, Kenny. I’ve got work to do.”

“Just one more thing, please.”

Mrs. Foster sighs.

“I just want to know if I got it right. Halloween? Thanksgiving? Christmas? Then January and it’s my birthday.”

“That’s right Kenny.”

“Then I can go to school like Denny?”

“Yes, sweetheart.”

Kenny drank some milk, ate some more of his scrambled eggs, and spread jelly on his toast thinking seriously about what to do. I can color in my coloring book; play with my train set and my GI Joe men. But nothing aint much fun playing all by myself. He bit off a piece of toast and drank the rest of his milk thinking. I don’t mind Ruby and Rodney going to school. They big almost like Mommy and Daddy. And they don’t play with me anyway. But Denny should of waited for me to have my birthday so we could go to school together.

Suddenly he had it. He knew what he would do with himself this long day with only himself for company. Quickly he finished his now cold breakfast and straightway started being mother’s little helper. The small freckle-faced redheaded cleared the table sweeping scraps of food off onto the floor. Next he put the stopper in the sink, turned on the water full force and promptly forgot it as he took out the trash.

When he returned the sink was running over. Kenny was swift. He uncorked the sink, grabbed a mop, and quickly wiped the floor. When he finished in the kitchen, he stood back and proudly surveyed his work. When his mother saw the kitchen floor she shuddered and got a fresh mop. While his mother was recleaning the kitchen Kenny was giving the bathroom a once over. Having revived disaster areas one and two, Kenny’s mother discovers that he has given the carpet a “Kenny Special Shampoo.” Hearing Kenny in her study, she dashes in just in time to save her Tiffany Lamp as Kenny vigorously dusts her desk.

“Kenny, darling I want you to go to your room and play.”

“But mommy, I want to help you.”

“You’ve helped enough. Now go to your room.”

Kenny’s bottom lip trembled. What’s the matter with mommy, he thought. I’ve been so helpful. She don’t have to send me to my room, I’ve not been bad. He sniffled as he desultory flipped through Dr. Seuss' The Cat in the Hat. She didn’t have to be so mean. I’m not a baby, he thought as he felt a treacherous tear slide down his cheek. I won’t cry. I just wish Denny didn’t go off to school and leave me.

In the loneliness of his room, Kenny decides that his mother just plain didn’t appreciate him, and decides to run away. I’ll show her he thought as he puts a shirt, socks, and his GI Joe men in his backpack. After lunch he goes back to his room and waits until he hears his mother talking on the telephone. Then he slips out. Kenny has never been outside the yard before without some member of his family. As he walks along the dusty road with the hot afternoon sun beating down on his bare head, he feels the excitement of adventure. He picks up a rock and puts it in his pocket. He stoops and watches an ant colony busily at work. He tires of watching the ants and moves on. He chases a butterfly, picks up another colorful rock and puts it in his other pocket, and then he sees a dog. He stops in his tracks. Dogs bite, he thought. The dog wags his tail and says arf. “Oh, you’re just a little tiny dog. I like you. Come on boy. I’m kind of lonesome. My friend got to go to school today and I didn’t ‘cause I’m not five yet. You want to come with me? Huh? Kenny stoops down and picks up the puppy who promptly licks his face. Kenny laughs and continues on his way kicking rocks and talking to the sleepy puppy.

A school bus roars pass but Kenny doesn’t notice, and no one on the bus sees the red-headed freckle faced little boy trudging along the road getting more and more tired with each step. Finally Kenny can’t take another step and he sits down on the roadside to rest wishing he had taken his nap before he ran away. Hugging the sleeping puppy, Kenny falls asleep.

With all the excitement of getting school supplies and exchanging news about the first day of school, the family doesn’t miss Kenny until just before dinner. His mother races up to his room, flings open his door saying breathlessly to the empty room. “Kenny, honey. It’s time to eat. Where are you, baby?” Then she sees his blocks spread out on his bed. AWAYRANME. On his chalkboard she sees what her husband calls scribble scrabble but she sees the words. “Kenny ran away.” She tries to get her husband to see what she sees. He never does but he calls the police anyway because Kenny simply isn’t there.

It is growing dark and chilly when Kenny wakes from his nap. “Puppy,” he says, I’m not scared. Honest I’m not. I’m a big boy, four years old, almost five. I just want my mommy ‘cause I’m cold and hungry. I don’t like dark. And my mommy misses me. But I’m not scared.” But tears fills Kenny deep brown eyes.

The puppy licks Kenny’s face and says “arf, arf.”

Kenny says sadly. “I wish I don’t run away. I wanna be home.”

“That’s good.” Says the friendly voice of Officer Danny Lee as he squats down in front of Kenny. “Tell me what you learned that Sunday when I stopped in your Sunday school class and gave a little talk.”

“When you get lost find a policeman.” Kenny said eagerly. “But I didn’t get lost officer, sir. I ran away and I’m tired of being ran away. Can you please take me home? My whole family misses me, and they all crying.”

Officer Lee hoisted the sniffling little boy to his shoulders saying. “Can’t have all that crying. I guess I’d best take a little fellow home. But first let me call your Dad and let him know I found you.”

Kenny grinned. “Me and puppy hungry, and there’s MacDonald’s right there. Could you feed a fellow first?”

Officer Lee puts in a call to Kenny’s family while Kenny downs a glass of milk and a hamburger with fries. The puppy happily laps up a bowl of milk while Kenny speaks to his mother on the phone and then his dad.

“Guess what little sport.” His dad says.

“What Dad?”

“Guess who is going to school tomorrow.”

“My friend Denny already went today.”

“And Kenny Foster is going tomorrow.”

“Me, Daddy?” Kenny shrieks joyfully.

“Yes, you, little sport.”

“Mommy says I’ve got to wait until I’m five. Am I going to be five tomorrow?”

“No you’re not but do you remember that test you took just for fun when your friend Denny was taking his pre-entry test?”

“Halfway, kind of like I do.”

“They graded your test too just for fun and you’re smart enough to go to school right now.”

“Officer, Sir. You hear that. I’m smart ‘nough to go to school right now. I don’t got to wait until I’m five. Come on Sir, please let’s go now. I’ve got to get home and to bed ‘cause I’m going to school tomorrow. Come on officer hurry.” Kenny says as he grabs the startled puppy and streaks from the diner.

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