Dean

Dean is my brother. Well, my half-brother...and that's a story in itself. Anyway, I want to share of story with you about the time he got me lost in the woods...


I remember that I was in 1st grade when this happened, so that would make me, what, 6 years old. My parents went to visit friends of theirs and took us along. Their friends didn't have children our age so that meant we had to entertain ourselves.

Now, since my brother was 7 years my senior I trusted him and so did my parents foolishly. Dean and I decided that we were going to play hide-and-seek in the woods behind their house. The woods weren't really woods. It was maybe an acre of trees that seemed like a complete forest to a 6-year-old. And hide-and-seek wasn't really hide-and-seek. It was more like Dean ran behind a tree and I would giggle all the way to that tree, once I reached it he ran behind another one. I felt safe because I could always see him or I knew which tree he was behind. Here's where the trouble starts. Deans started to do this faster and faster and I got disoriented and I couldn't find which tree he was behind and before I knew it, I couldn't find him at all.

So, I didn't want to just stand there, actually that thought never occurred to me. So, I kept looking for him and finally came up to a road. This car stopped and I got in. Yes, I think about that now and I can't believe how incredibly lucky I am. Anyway, I remember sitting in the back seat behind the driver and I couldn't put my feet on the floor because her guitar was there. So, we drove around the development for a while and the next thing I can remember is my parents standing in the front yard of their friends.

I don't remember either one of them being hysterical. And I also don't remember my brother getting into trouble. That's not to say these things didn't happen, I just don't remember if they did.

But here I am today, safe and sound.