On January 31, 1957, two children walked to school side by side. The older child was a girl of fourteen and the younger, a boy of twelve. It was the first time in over two weeks that the brother and sister had been able to walk together to the Junior High School that they both attended because the young boy had just recovered from a nasty flu.

The boy was especially pleased that he was able to wear a brand new pair of penny loafers that he had recently received and their conversation centered on the fact that the shoes were a little tight and hurting his feet on the long walk. The sun was shining, the air was crisp and cool and the day looked promising.

At the gate the brother and sister said their goodbyes and went off to their respective classes; she in the ninth grade and he to the seventh grade. Today was a special one for the girl since she would be participating in a rehearsal for the forthcoming ninth grade graduation as a member of the girl’s chorus. They were to perform for an audience of parents and friends in a few days time. The big number was “You’ll Never Walk Alone” from the movie “Carousel”, a particular favorite of the budding singer.

As the day progressed, nothing out of the ordinary happened and at the morning break the two siblings ran into one another and reminded one another to meet at the front gate to walk home after school. The boy reminded his sister that since she had a habit of stopping to socialize with her friends, he was hoping that she would meet him on time for once. She agreed and they went their separate ways.

Little did they know that they would never see each other again.

Fifty two years ago I was that girl and my brother Bobby was that boy. We had a normal family life and lived, played and argued together as most siblings do. We were two years apart in age and had different interests but we were still close and I loved him very much. If I had known that I would never speak to him again I would have told him how much he meant to me and I would have grabbed him and run as far and fast  as I possibly could to get away from what was about to transpire at Pacoima Junior High School that extraordinary day.