Isn't it funny how we choose little memories to stick out more than others? For example, I remember my fifth birthday party, my little sister completely ruined it by coming three weeks earlier than expected. I remember when I first learned to ride a bike, then when I taught my sister to ride the same bike. My favorite memory? When I was eight, I saw a little girl sitting on a bench watching me and my mom with… I couldn't tell you what she was thinking, she wasn't jealous, she wasn't envious, but she wanted to be with us. I remember how dirty her clothes were, how black her feet were from being barefoot in the dirt. I remember looking up at my mom, she was busy paying for our ice cream, so I went and sat down next to the little girl and handed her my ice cream. She stared at me with her big brown eyes, not sure if she should accept the ice cream being offered to her. I was just about tosay something to her when my mom came over to me.

"Edward, honey, don't wander off from me," my mom had said, her tone filled with concern. "Come on, let's go home." As I walked away with my mom, I looked back at the little girl. What about her? Where were her parents? She couldn't have been any older than five. She continued to stare at me as I walked away, her brown tangled hair blew as much as it could with the wind. The sad look in her eyes was a look I knew would haunt me for the rest of my days.

As I grew older, more things earned memories, such as me learning to drive a car with my dad. I also continued to return to the park bench; hoping to find that girl again. I never did though, she never sat on the bench when I was there. However, when I turned 17, I went to get milk at a mini mart store fifteen minutes out of my way. Why go fifteen minutes out of my way when there was one down the street from my house? Some might call me lucky, some might say it's fate, destiny, or whatever. I don't really care what you call it, because the truth is, when I walked into the mini mart that day I met the woman who was the very best of me.