The Roar
The Infamous Wheelie BackpackTuesday, May 18, 2010 By Allison Dodde
Yes, it’s true. I am the girl with the backpack on wheels that tends to get in everyone’s way. I would like to take the time to apologize for the 100-plus feet I have ran over and the 20-plus students I have tripped. Some of you know what happened to cause the sudden embarrassment with my book-bag. For those of you who do not know why, I will tell you. A couple of months ago I was taking my brother to Dave and Busters for his belated birthday present and some 80-year-old guy sped into my door and hit me. That caused the alignment from my neck and spine to be out of place. If I were to place weight on my back, I would feel serious pain and most likely tip over. So for that reason, I wheel a backpack around until my endless doctors tell me that my alignment is in the correct structure. I’m not writing a sob story or pleading for sympathy. I simply want to share stories that have humored me throughout these months. For starters, the first day with my wheels caused the most horrendous humiliation that I have ever felt before. The blood rushed to my face and I blushed immediately. I remember a couple of boys coming up to me saying, and I quote, “I thought we were in high school, not the second grade!” Oh, yes. I did indeed feel like an elementary student, except they feel cool with a backpack that rolls. I, on the other hand, felt like I took hundreds of steps backward. I couldn't’t even lift the bag down the stairs because the weight was so overwhelming for me. Then, the embarrassment suddenly shifted to my friends and even my little brother who had to carry it for me. My apologies to you wonderful friends of mine that have stood by me through the best and worst times with my book-bag: you have been so kind. I can remember one time I was leaving the cafeteria by the freshmen lockers and this kid was oblivious to the fact that a high school student had a wheelie backpack and he tripped right over it and fell into the lockers hitting his head and my poor backpack got face-planted onto the dirty, disgusting cement. I’m sorry. Another time I can remember was when I was late for first hour and had to carry my backpack down the stairs by myself. The weight was more than I could bare, which caused me to drop the backpack all the way down the stairs and trip on the last few steps…ouch. One of my buddies told me I should go into Discount Tire and see if they will rotate the wheels on my backpack, but, of course, that won’t happen. I would love to accomplish that, but those of you who know me, even if you hardly do, know that I would burst into tears of laughter from the joke. I wouldn't’t even make it into the store. Even now, I still hear comments of the backpack that gets in the way and how I’m just using it to be different and trying to be cool. Oh, how the maturity of high school kids really makes me feel good in situations like those. When people (you know who you are) prolong the fact that I am undeniably in high school with a wheelie backpack and make comments like, “Hey, my little brother has one and he is in elementary school,” I just chuckle and say, “Don’t be jealous!” So you all can maintain your juvenile acts and I will continue to ignore you and roll my way out. To this day, I am petrified of old men and am harshly critical towards their faults. How traumatizing… |