Purple Candy

When I was a child in grade school, I was very, very, very shy. I would hardly say a word to anyone, not even to my teacher. My parents were quite concerned about my development, and rightfully so. At school, I was so reserved and so painfully shy and awkward that I had no friends. My parents did their best to get me involved in extracurricular and social activities, but it was to no avail.

One day in 4th grade, a new girl was introduced to our class. Her name was Violet and she and her family had just moved to our small town from the Big City. Violet was beautiful with long flowing chestnut brown hair, the brightest green eyes and most precious happy smile. Because I had no friends in class, there was always an empty desk next to me, so our teacher sat Violet there. That simple chance changed my life forever.

Violet had such a bubbly personality; she soon made friends with everyone in the class. Although she could choose to sit next to any of her new friends, she chose to continue to sit next to me. She would smile and say hello to me every morning, and through my shyness I would smile and wave back. Then right before class would start, she would share a piece of purple candy with me. Everyday it would be something different: Purple M&M’s, Grape Crush Jelly Belly beans, Dark Chocolate Hershey's Kisses, Grapeheads, Grape Laffy Taffy, etc. As the days and weeks moved on, I began to return the favor, exchanging Grape Tootsie Pops for her Grape Gummy Bears or some Grape Gumballs for her Grape Jolly Ranchers. It was our little secret tradition.

At recess, Violet would invite me to play hopscotch and jump rope with all my other classmates and she would also sit by me at lunch. Simply put, Violet was my best friend. As the school year progressed, she helped me come out of my shell and I began to be more open and my self-confidence grew and I gained more and more new friends. By the end of 4th grade, my shyness all but disappeared and I blossomed into a fun-loving, joyful, outgoing young girl…all thanks to Violet.

To this day, 50 years later, Violet is my very best friend in the world and whenever I see a piece of purple candy it warms my heart.