Stories Collected While Living in France

French la Vie

A Souvenir… The Runaway and the Chocolate Chip Cookie

Souvenirs

A souvenir- a memory….

I was seven years old the first and last time I ran away from home. I remember I was mad at my mother– but at what I do not know.
I put a few things in a brown paper bag, announced that I was leaving and walked towards the kitchen door.
I do remember my mother saying, "Goodbye, and have fun." I was bothered by her casualness… didn't she realize that I was seriously leaving?

I walked to the end of our graveled lane and since I didn't know which way to go. I sat down by the mailbox.

Soon there after my brother Marty (who was five years old) came walking down the lane. He too had a brown paper bag. He sat down beside me. I assumed he didn't know which way to go either.

He opened his brown paper bag and pulled out a chocolate chip cookie and ate it. I asked him for one. He said, "Mommy told me not to share them with you unless you decided to come home."

I recall the sound of my brother opening that paper bag, and the taste of love in those cookies.

Home sweet home.
——————————

Did you ever runaway from home?

Comments

47 responses to “A Souvenir… The Runaway and the Chocolate Chip Cookie”

  1. rel

    Corey,
    D.’s making biscotti today. If you agree to come here, she’ll let you have some! 😉
    rel

    Reply
  2. Beverly

    Cute story.
    Do you believe that I never ran away from home? In fact, I think my parents had to push me out the door when I was done with college!
    My own children…oh my! One of them even thought to include silverware in his “run-away”bag!
    Thanks for the story…I love them!

    Reply
  3. Gracie

    Even if I never run away from home (my daughter said once that when she would be 18 she would have lived by her own – she’s almost 21 and still at home) my childhood memories are linked to the vanilla flavour my grannie used for her cake. Every saturday afternoon we all got to her home, knowing a slice of the cake was waititng for us. Each time I get the chance to smell some vanilla, it brings back such sweet memories.

    Reply
  4. Elaine

    I never did, but our oldest son did. Packed 3 T-shirts and his teddy bear and went down the street to his aunt’s house. My husband had followed him (he was only 3) and when there was no answer at the door, he told our son that mama had dinner ready, let’s go home and eat. And that was the end of that.

    Reply
  5. Candy

    I can’t remember ever running away but my son did once. Same thing. He got to the end of the driveway with his little suitcase and didn’t know where to go so he sat down. My husband found him there when he got home and brought him in. I’ll never forget watching him sit there from the front window wondering how long it would be before he gave in. He was pretty stubborn. Now he’s almost 17 and he may never leave. Great story, Corey.

    Reply
  6. Tzr7@cox.net

    Your story is wonderful!
    When I ran away to my best friend’s house down the street, her mom called my mom to let her know I was there safe with them.
    I had brought my pillow and stuffed animal and a change of clothes. After being there most of the afternoon, it began to get dark. I got hungry. I came home. Some how, but I don’t remember now, she let me know she was happy I didn’t stay gone long and was very missed!
    Your friend,
    Tamara

    Reply
  7. Nancy

    In third grade, I took my brand new white suitcase with the red satin lining, hopped on my red and white western flyer bike and rode to the end of the street. After figuring out that it was hard to ride and carry my suitcase, I came back home. I don’t think my mom even looked up from her ironing board to welcome me back!
    (circa 1966)

    Reply
  8. Catalina

    No…I never did…I guess at the time I thought about it I knew it would be like serious…:)

    Reply
  9. Jeanne

    I never ran away from home once.
    Always loved it there.
    I miss the homestead and wish we could all gather there for Christmas the way we once did.
    I love you
    Jeanne

    Reply
  10. kenju

    Oh, yes, and my mom offered to help me pack a small suitcase!! I was mortified by that. I don’t remember what happened, but I didn’t get far.
    I ran away from home when I was 18 (back when 21 was the age of reason…LOL) and went to NYC by myself on a plane – my first flight! But my mom tracked me down and brought me home.

    Reply
  11. Ed in Willows

    I was about 7 years old when I ran away from home. Since I wasn’t allowed to cross the street, all I could do was keep walking around the block.

    Reply
  12. Nancy

    I “ran away” when I was about 6.
    I made it as far as underneath the wooden steps at the front door.
    Unfortunately, it was also where the dogs liked to lie in the shade and I got eaten up by fleas so I came out and decided not to run away that day.
    Momma never even looked for me, darn it!

    Reply
  13. Laura Ellen

    No, but I’m thinking about it now.

    Reply
  14. Tongue in Cheek

    Oh no….
    if you do run to my house… I’ll listen.

    Reply
  15. Suzanne

    Yes Corey, I did ran away from home when I was about six or seven. I don’t remeber why exactly but it was something with Mom or Dad. Anyway I didn’t go too far… only reached the street!
    Thanks for bringing this up… I was thinking I was a rare case! 🙂
    Love*

    Reply
  16. beachy

    Yes, I did. I was 12. If there was ever anything in my life that I hated, it was my time in juinior high school. And what a better way to face that hatred than to run away from home (so I thought). Like you, my mom said the exact same words, “Goodbye, and have fun.” Those words totally burst my bubble; took the “fun” out of running away. Running away for me meant putting $2 in my pocket, walking a few houses up the street, turning right around and going back home and having a nice warm supper.

    Reply
  17. caryn

    i ran away when i was about 6 — i packed my red and orange flowered suitcase with monopoly money, books, halloween candy, and for some reason that escapes me now, only my flowered underpants. i too was not allowed to cross the street, and just kept walking around the block, averting my eyes when i passed my house. my mother finally sent an older boy i had a crush on to come “find” me. i remember he brought me a coke and we sat and commiserated about how awful parents were, and then he carried my suitcase and walked me home.
    smart mom– she sent me a hero…….

    Reply
  18. georgie

    I was five or six years old. Dad was out in the carport. I told him I was running away from home and he grinned and said “Okay, but we will miss you”. I ran away to the backyard thinking my parents wouldn’t see me. Then Mom said lunch was ready and zoom back into the house.

    Reply
  19. Vicki

    I ran away all the time with my older sister…we would sit in the closet with our peanut butter and crackers!!! One time we got brave and went outside and sat by the side of the house…we saw a police car that scared us silly…in we went and we were finally cured.

    Reply
  20. Rosemary

    You have a smart Mother!!
    Rosemary

    Reply
  21. Karin

    Ah, yes. I ran away from home when I was seven as well. Which would have been the same year as you, because we are the same age. I,too, was mad at my mother and she had nearly the same response as yours when I announced my departure! Was there a manual somewhere that mother’s could refer to in times such as that?
    I did make it across the street to the woods that held wonderful things like Princess pines and fiddlehead ferns, mossy patches and native hollies with pokey green leaves. It was one of my favorite places to go, in fact. I didn’t have to go in very far to feel as though I was miles away from home, and my mother, as the woods were very thick. There was a path that led to our across-the-street-naighbor’s house, so I knew I would never get lost. I spent hours in the woods that day, playing with little acorns and pine cones, creepy bugs and salamanders, making houses and tiny towns.
    I’m pretty sure that my mom knew exactly where I was and what I was doing and she left me alone, which is exactly what I needed.
    I don’t think I would be able to do that if I were a child today. There are too many scary things that can happen. It is sad, because sometimes, that is exactly what is needed- to be alone in a place where you feel safe and can let the anger you feel drift away.
    Thanks for asking that question. I haven’t thought about that in, literally, decades.

    Reply
  22. Kris

    Yes I did. When I was 16. I packed this big black suitcase with all of my wordly belongings. My dad told me it wasn’t going to be the way I thought it would be but to go ahead….so I did…as I walked down the road,(we lived in the country and houses were far and few between) my suitcase started to get real heavy. I couldn’t even hold it up after awhile. I decided that I had to many things in it and that I needed to make it lighter….Guess where I went???

    Reply
  23. Star

    I’m a person who tends to think too far ahead; I’m sure if I’d seriously considered running away from home I’d have talked myself right out of it before I got my paper sack packed.

    Reply
  24. Brother Mathew

    Marty left the house with eight cookies. He couldn’t share a cookie even if he wanted to do so. He ate seven before he got to the middle (half way down our lane) pole.

    Reply
  25. Evelyn

    I ran away once. I got about a half-mile away and my mom came after me in my dad’s truck and made me get in. I don’t remember what I was angry with her about then either, but seems like I was always angry with her.
    I always know when I am stressed out and need a break because I start fantasizing about running away and disappearing – starting a whole new life. I even purchased a book on how to disappear and keep it hidden away “just in case”.
    No, I’ve never used it …

    Reply
  26. Colette

    Running away from home … it must be universal. Yes, I did, although I didn’t get far…
    xoxo

    Reply
  27. Shelley Noble

    What an incredibly clever mother you have!

    Reply
  28. carol

    Oh, the lure of a chocolate chip cookie! I wonder what essentials were in your bag, since it obviously wasn’t chocolate chip cookies.
    I don’t recall ever running away from home.
    Thanks for the laugh today, Corey!

    Reply
  29. Jeannie

    I ran away at five. I packed my suitcase with important things like my doll. I was mad at my Mom because of my chore list and when she asked where I was going I told her to Bev’s. Bev was our neighbor with four daughters. I guess I figured she wouldn’t mind one more. When I found out that I had to do chores at Bev’s, I decided that it wasn’t so bad at home. I know realize Mom and Bev were on the phone discussing strategy as I walked up the drive.

    Reply
  30. carol

    I did. I lugged my dollhouse (of all things) downstairs and sat under a lamp post while my mother watched me in the window. It seemed I was there forever and then toted the dollhouse up the stairs again with a welcome home from my parents. I never ran away again. I guess all that lugging got to me and it wasn’t worth it.

    Reply
  31. Genevieve

    Not I!
    But home “ran away” from me many times.
    Way before “No Child Left Behind” was a catch phrase, there I was sitting on a curb! Ten kids, two separate cars and I – quiet, curious and daydreaming off in a corner or wandering after something pretty. This habit often led to me being missing and overlooked at head count time.
    Once I was left over night at my Aunt’s farm because it was too far for them come back after me. I was petted, spoiled and given a picnic dinner in the wildflower meadow, which got me into the fix in the first place. I often had the feeling that I just couldn’t tear myself away from beautiful, interesting things and I’d look up and notice how quiet it was without the marauding horde of big brothers and sisters. 🙂

    Reply
  32. Suzanne, the Farmer’s Wife

    A wonderful memory Corey. I think we’ve all had our turn running away from home, at 5, at 25, 35 and more. What we learn is like Dorothy said, “There’s no place like home.” Click your ruby slippers and be transported, if only in our minds.
    When I was a young newlywed, my husband serving in the military a thousand miles from home, I thought my heart would break at the loneliness of the holiday without an extended family to share it with. Since we couldn’t do anything about our situation we cultivated friends who became our family while we were away from home.
    – Suzanne, the Farmer’s Wife

    Reply
  33. Kel

    I did run away when I was about six, mad at my mom too. I had my blue child size suitcase and announced that I was running away. When my mom asked to look inside to make sure I had packed everything I would need she found that I had only packed shirts. I said that would’nt get my pants dirty and sat at the mailbox until she came to get me when it started to get dark.

    Reply
  34. marge

    Hi Corey!
    I never ran away from home,but I found your story amusing and very sweet. 🙂

    Reply
  35. heather

    in sixth grade i thought seriously about running away from home. it was spring, because i figured i could sleep outside in the summer, but what would i do once fall and winter came? that was a puzzle i couldn’t solve, and there was no way my mom would let me back if i left. so i just stuck it out and counted down to college when i could go as far away as i wanted.

    Reply
  36. Leonce Antiques

    Sweet story. Thanks for sharing.

    Reply
  37. Chris

    I ran away once when I was about 5 or 6. I don’t remember why I ran away, but I remember laying in the field about a half block away from our house, crying because I had no home anymore. I probably didn’t stay away more than one hour. I went home, but I guess because I had 2 brothers and a sister, nobody even missed me. They never knew I had run away.
    Happy Holidays to you and your family,
    Chris in Sacramento

    Reply
  38. Patty

    No, but my brother did – he left home, walked up the street, and when he came to a stop sign and realized he had to cross the street to continue, he came home. Why? Because he was taught never to cross the street by himself! I think he was about 5 or 6 at the time…

    Reply
  39. erika b.

    Dear Corey, thank you so much for the vintage postcard! it arrived safely on Tuesday and brightened up my day hectic days. at the moment it is sitting on my desk and i am enjoying it! Not quite sure were it will land in the end. thinking of a little frame and maybe the bathroom. we’ll see… Hope your family and you have a peaceful holiday and a happy new year. I hope it will bring more happyness than 2008 it. take care, Erika

    Reply
  40. Mélanie Aussandon

    This is such a cute story ! I can imagine it and I love your brother Mathew ‘s reply to Rel .
    I have never run away

    Reply
  41. Shannon

    LMAO. What a lure those cookies had to have been.
    This is so funny, because I was just thinking of this story yesterday. I ran away from home when I was 7, too. I was mad at my mom and thought it would fix her good if I ran away for at least 2 days. So I packed my suitcase with 2 days worth of clothes. And then I decided I’d get hungry, so I packed a couple of apples.
    Then I started thinking where to go. I wanted to go to NYC, but it was too far to lug my suitcase to the next town over that had a bus going to NYC, plus I didn’t have money. But it was dangerous to hitchhike, so that plan was out.
    I decided to climb up my beloved maple tree that I used to spend a lot of time in. I lugged my suitcase up as far as I could and sat on a branch with my suitcase propped next to me.
    My friend was at my house and called out the window saying my mom told her she could have my dessert.
    DAMN, no way was that happening, so I came back home, LOL.

    Reply
  42. Ariane Cagle

    I loved this story. I remember I ran away too once. I think I was around 7-8 yrs. I don’t remember why… something I thought was unfair that mom was making me do. I remember I packed a few things in a little toy case I had. Then I walked a few streets away. Then came back to the neighbor’s house behind ours and stayed there for a little while before I eventually went home. I don’t remember if my mom came looking for me or not. She may have called the neighbor’s. It seems so funny to realize now what seemed like such a big deal at the time, just wasn’t when you consider everything that happens in adult life that you have to deal with. Sometimes I wish I can runaway from some of those things, too, now.

    Reply
  43. Betty @ She’s Sew Pretty

    What a smart woman your mother was. No one could resist the pull of home made chocolate chip cookies. I ran away once too…all the way to the side of the house with my little brown paper bag too.

    Reply
  44. carole

    Hi Corey:
    I really ran away from Fowler. My oldest sister, Betty, lived in Anaheim with her husband and first born. I think I was about 8 or 9 and my Mom said I could not go to the beach for the summer; this to a kid who loves water (I spent more time in the irrigation ditches catching polliwogs than anyone) so I took a bottle of Bayer aspirin and was saying good bye to a cruel world : ) Oh, I was full of myself back then yet fortunately for me, my Mom “understood me”. She took me to the hospital (1 block from our house) where they pumped my stomach and my Mom took me home; my Mom nursed me back to health : ) I hitch hiked and my Dad picked me up on the old 99 : ) Yes, we drove down to Anaheim that weekend : ) I often wonder what book or television show I saw that scenario on. Oh, I use to read True confessions which to me were very worldly so perhaps that is where I got it from : )
    Peace
    carole

    Reply
  45. phyllis

    LOL!
    I ran away everytime Mama announced vegetable soup was for supper. I know exactly where I hid too. Its a little hill behind the community college.
    I came by to say Merry Christmas! Hugs too!

    Reply
  46. Sue McG

    Oh Corey, your Mother is a deeply wise woman who knows just how to lure a runaway home 🙂 That story is SO sweet!
    I ran away from home, typed a letter on my plastic typewriter to my parents explaining very logically my reasons why, I was about 7 years old. I packed my cardboard suitcase, took my best doll with me, and walked down the looong garden to my ‘Wendy House’ – it had real glass windows, a cute latched door, my new home. Oh, they would be so sad and sorry they had lost me forever!! It got dark. It got cold. I got so lonely, but no way could I walk back up the garden in the dark, alone!! I had seen Snow White, I knew the trees could move their arms and grab you!! I sat there until my dear Dad came down the garden to rescue me. No debate there, I just grabbed that still-packed suitcase and my dolly and walked hand in hand back to my home sweet home. My Mum saved the very formal typed letter and gave it to me when I became a mother 🙂

    Reply
  47. Alison Whittington

    I packed my suitcase at 7 to run away from home 🙂 I remember very carefully packing my prized possession: a ceramic, rainbow, shimmery magic star wand.
    I don’t remember actually leaving the house, though.
    I kind of ran away from home when I was 16, to move to Germany, but I did have permission.

    Reply

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