R.I.P. Miss Alice

Rest In Peace, Miss Alice . . .

Today, after only about five hours of broken up sleep, I got up, got dressed, and went to Domino’s for the school run.  My God, that’s a lot of pizzas!!  Luckily, I only had to carry 19 and then 13 to Sycamore.  The other woman had to carry like 25 each time, or something like that.

Anyway, when I went to Sycamore, I got into the cafeteria, and I recognized one of the lunch ladies as someone who was there when I was there.  So we ended up talking a bit and as I was bringing in the last of the pizzas, I figured I’d ask her if she knew anything about Miss Alice.

I should explain who Miss Alice is first, shouldn’t I?  She was one of the lunch ladies back when I went to Sycamore.  I loved her.  She was always friendly and nice and all that good stuff.  I don’t remember too much, except that I was always hanging around her, because when I did, the other kids didn’t bother me.  I do recall that she was always the one who timed us on the swings.  There were only three swings and we were supposed to have five minutes, then get off so other kids could have a chance.  But she always let a couple kids have longer, and I remember being one of them.  I think she saw how the other kids treated me and wanted to do something nice.

I remember, I think it was when I was gonna be leaving Sycamore and going to Beers Street, I gave Miss Alice these sort of July 4th design earrings that my mom had gotten from Avon.  There was a clip on pair for her and a pierced pair for me.  She said that she would wear them that coming July 4th.  I said I’d wear mine, too, but I forgot.

Anyway, I asked about her to the woman I recognized and it turns out Miss Alice died about two months ago.

I wish I’d been able to ask earlier than this.  I mean, I expected her to have passed away, because she looked about in her eighties when I was ten.  I guess she was 94 when she died, so my guess was about right.  I just didn’t know that she would have passed away so recently.  I expected to hear it was about four or five years ago.  Not two months.

Needless to say, I’m sad.  I wish I’d gotten to see her one more time.  Apparently, she lived right in Keyport!  But no one can say she didn’t live a full, long life.

I want to find those July 4th earrings now, and wear them this year.