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94 PRIVATE ENESHIA MYLES HE’S GONE Playing with a child is like payday for some adults. Attwon, a clever young man, had the brain of Einstein. He knew the answers to the hardest questions and the solutions to most problems. Attwon was fascinated with the stars, galaxies, and planets . He would spend hours reading books about the Earth’s gravitational pull and how long poison could be in a person’s body before he or she died. Attwon enjoyed being adventurous. No matter how uncomplicated the game, he always managed to make it exciting. Tag could become an adventure in a matter of minutes. The typical tea party always ended up turning me into a magical princess whose servant was the faithful Attwon. Attwon, a rather built man, had the strength of a bulldozer. There were many days he would push me on the swings at the community park for hours at a time. The muscles in his arm flexed with each push. Attwon’s smile was as bright as the sun. In Alabama the weather is very hot and humid. On a hot day, when there was nothing else to do, Attwon and I would fill up my swimming pool. Although his feet would hang over the outside of the pool like socks on a clothes line, Attwon spent several hours in my undersized kiddie pool. My mother laughed at the sight of oversized Attwon next to me. My mother never joined us in the pool, but she made sure we had a cold glass of refreshing lemonade for our outing. I can hear him now calling me by my nickname, “Cookie Dough Batter, where are you?” “Right here, Doughnut,” I would reply. As a child, the temptation of chocolate chip cookies for me was like water to a tadpole. Attwon, or “Doughnut,” always had everything ready to begin baking in the morning. Rolling and forming the gooey cookie dough into balls always caused me problems. Attwon’s hands were a lot larger than mine. My tiny ones couldn’t quite get the hang of forming the soft cookie dough. Attwon was able to roll his cookies into a ball without a problem. HE’S GONE 95 For some reason, I became impatient when it was time to put the cookies on the sheet. My small fingers would tremble as I helped move the cookies to the flat metal pan. Attwon had already set the oven to 350 degrees, and in a matter of moments the cookies would be ready. Fifteen minutes always felt like an hour. The sweet smell of fresh cookies and melted chocolate filled my nose. The day passed quickly when I was with my uncle. It would soon be time to get ready for bed, and I had school in the morning. Glenda, my mother, always made sure her little princess looked fabulous and matched from head to toe for school. We didn’t wear school uniforms at my school, so my mother was able to dress me as she pleased. My mother would spend an hour every morning doing my hair in several ponytails and making sure my little skirt fit just right. I think my mother ironed my clothes for hours. The creases in my skirt were hard as bricks and the collar of my shirt was starched down so it would stay. After I got all dolled up, my uncle would walk me to the bus stop. I think Attwon knew the bus schedule by heart. He could count when the bus would come to the minute. After he gave me a hug and watched me get on the bus, I made sure I gave him one last farewell after I sat in my seat. My days at school felt like years. I couldn’t wait to get back home so I could see my uncle. As expected, when the yellow bus brought me to my stop, Attwon was there waiting with a big smile on his face. Seeing my uncle at the bus stop was better than cookies. Just to know that he would be there gave me something to look forward to all day. Unfortunately, Attwon is gone. Air doesn’t smell the same, and food has a spoiled taste. My heart no longer feels like a child’s at Christmas with tons of presents waiting to be opened. My soul has yet to rest. I can now look back on those childhood moments and feel Attwon smiling at...

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