The Day I Wrote the Mayor
A seven-year-old on a mission
I never expected to write the mayor at any point on that day. Honestly, I don’t think I had any plans. At seven, my schedule was wide open. So, I had time to write to the mayor about an incredible injustice I experienced later that day. Basically, this older man stopped me on my bike while riding on the sidewalk and scolded me for not riding my bike on the street.
I mean, he yelled at me. He actually snarled. I already had trouble identifying with him due to our age differential, but it did not go down like I thought it would. But what does? And as far as I was concerned, I was guilty of nothing. I did not create this tragic injustice, but instinct kicked in, and I had no choice but to fight for my rights.
It is frustrating that this man did not understand that there were no bike lanes on Gainsborough Road, and it was a busy street. I did not feel safe so close to the cars. Plus, the adults had their vehicles, and I am sure he had one, too—just a hunch. Mr. Grumpy did not realize that the sidewalk was for kids! And that is why I wrote the mayor. It was unfair, and at that point in my life, I did not know that life was never fair.
So I ripped out a page in my three-ring binder, wrote the mayor, got an envelope and a stamp, grabbed a pen, and waited by the mailbox for the mailman to come. When…
