Crime Does Not Pay

Centralview was where I started to school. I went back out there with Aunt Mildred and one of my grandmothers years ago. It had been torn down and was a hog farm. Probably the hogs have left now.

School was a grand adventure. I got to ride a bus, Never had ridden one, guess I had never seen one. Had oh so many new friends. Got to eat in the lunch room. You would sit down and your plate was there, all fixed for you. It was spectacular. I think it began my love of eating out. Funny how I can remember those plates on the table but not a clue as to what was on the plate.

I got my first best friend. Her name was Willowdene. I don't remember the last name. Her dad must have been the principal. They lived in a house on the school ground. I don't recall having anyone to play with since we were such a small family. Frances was to young then to be my friend. I must have had friends at Sunday School but they have faded like so much of my memory. In any event Willowdene had the dubious honor of being my first best friend.

I had the advantage of having not one but two sets of doting grandparents who would answer my heart's desire in a moment. Of course, our hearts didn't have that many desire back then. I only had yellow pencils. I think the same No. 2 pencils we get today, plus a Big Chief Tablet. Willowdene had a red pencil. I wanted a red pencil so badly, but for some reason never asked for one. I watched that pencil like a hawk. Oh it was temptation in its rawest form. I was six years of age, I did not really understand temptation then but I know now how it works. It grows, you might say festers. I began not to want just any red pencil, I wanted THAT red pencil. The pencil haunted me. I am sure I experienced lust in my heart for that red pencil. It, an object, became more important to me than my best friend. I believe that is how temptation worked then and is still how it works today. Funny how simple it is and all this time we have tried to make it a hard mystery. We should teach "temptation takes over your life and then becomes sin". If I am not mistaken, I believe the Bible may have said that before I did. If life were accompanied by a musical background, this would have been where the music would have swelled to a fever pitch. I took the pencil.

I learned something then, but only understood it when I was older.If you have stolen something and your surroundings do not change you cannot use the stolen object. I was convinced she would know it was her pencil. I had to hide it at home and could not share this glorious item with family. They would recognize it as "loot". Oh how miserable I was. I hated that pencil. Sunday school lessons kicked in and I also felt guilty. Willowdene reaped many a reward. I took her presents, I helped her with the alphabet, I would have carried her across burning coals to try to relieve some of my guilt. It didn't work. If truth be known she probably never missed the pencil or thought she had lost it. To this day it is one of those clear memories of childhood.

I never got caught so you see there is such a things as a perfect crime. But as for reaping the benefits of your sin you have to resign yourself to never again using a red pencil without remembering,