A.K.A. BINSK

When I was in grade seven I had a boyfriend who was in grade six.
He would carve "Danny loves Robinhood" in my desk when he had class in my room.
My teacher would tell me to tell my boyfriend to stop carving in my desk.
The girl that sat in front of me, Lisa, was very nice and would laugh about Danny and his silly but sweet carvings.
Danny would ride the bus home with me and bought me shoelaces with hearts on them.
He would call my house, and my dad would answer, and I would say I don't know anyone named Danny because I didn't want my parents to know I had a boyfriend.
Then Danny moved away (nothing to do with me pretending not to know him).
He moved back in grade ten.
We became friends again and we all hung out being silly teenagers.
Remember Lisa from way back in grade seven?
She ended up getting together with Danny in grade eleven.
She got pregnant with Danny's baby.
Danny had a motorcycle.
One day in late fall I was driving home from school.
At the top of my street there were police cars, and ambulances, and firetrucks.
I wanted to pull over to see what was happening.
But something told me no.
It told me no so strongly I drove straight home without stopping.
Two hours later my friend called to tell me Danny had died.
He died at the top of my street, his motorcycle slid right under a car.
Lisa was at the funeral, eight months pregnant.
Tuesday would be Danny's birthday.
And his son never got to meet him.