The Day I Came Home a Knight

When I was in kindergarten, I walked to and from school like it was no big deal. My mom usually didn’t worry, but on this particular afternoon I took my sweet time getting home. She started pacing a little and imagining every possible scenario except the one that actually happened.

We always came in through the back door. That was the rule. So when the front doorbell rang, she froze. It wasn’t a sound that belonged to the end of a school day. She opened the door, probably bracing for something serious.

Instead, she found me.

I was standing on the porch with a garbage can lid from a nearby house, held like a shield. In my other hand, a stick I had clearly decided was a sword. And I wasn’t just standing there. I lunged at her like a tiny knight defending the kingdom of Illinois Street from whatever danger I thought I’d encountered on the way home.

My mom burst out laughing. She couldn’t help it. There’s a special kind of laughter parents have when their kid does something so purely themselves that it knocks the worry right out of them. I wasn’t late because anything happened. I took my time because the walk home had turned into a quest, and I arrived at the front door fully committed to it.

Not long after, she found a Precious Moments figurine of a little knight holding a shield and sword. It reminded her of that exact moment, so she bought it and kept it for years.

Now I have it in my home.

It’s funny how a tiny porcelain knight can hold an entire childhood in its hands. But every time I see it, I remember the day I marched up to the front door, armed with a garbage can lid, absolutely convinced I was brave enough to protect the whole world.

Turns out I only needed to protect my mom from worrying. And I did. In my own ridiculous way.

Thank you so much, kind friends, for reading, liking, lurking, and commenting! You are important!

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