The Blue Gel Pen

This is a really old story, but I feel like it needs to be recorded somewhere. As we were reading in a textbook in my 6th grade class today, the authors brought up gel pens... and oh man... do I have a story about gel pens.

Gel pens in the 90's were all the rage. I would know. I was in elementary school at the time, and gel pens were pretty much a status symbol. Like cell phones in elementary school today. If you have a cell phone now, you are cool. Back then we didn't have cell phones. We had gel pens. And if you had gel pens, you were cool. Especially the sweet gel pens that were sparkly or the ones that changed colors right before your eyes. Believe me, they were ALL the rage.

That being said, let's rewind to 3rd grade.

Do you see me? With the weird pink things in my hair? Yah. I don't know what I was thinking. I also want you to notice the girl in the front row with the pretty white dress with purple flowers on it. That is Meagan West. (Now Meagan Williamson). In 3rd grade, I absolutely coveted one of Meagan's blue gel pens. It was one of the pretty sparkly ones. One day, I found myself inside the classroom during recess, when I spotted Meagan's blue gel pen sitting on her desk. Out in the open. Taunting me. I literally could hear it speaking to me, saying, "I know you want me! Nobody else is in the room. You can just take me!" So I did. Yes. You have it. I Beki Nye, innocent 3rd grader who had never done so much as to harm a fly just stole Meagan West's gel pen. However, I was finally going to live the dream... I now had a beautiful blue gel pen that sparkled in the light. Cloud 9, here I come. 

When Meagan got in from recess, she was wondering where her gel pen went. She asked everyone in class... including me. When she asked me if I had seen it, I hesitantly said, "Nope." Can you believe it? I stole it, and then I lied about it. 

Anyway. Years went by, and this memory HAUNTED me. Whenever I thought about bad things I had done in my life, this was on the top of my list. I thought about it often.... but it was far past the time to make it right. I hadn't seen Meagan West in years... since elementary school, at least. But when I say it haunted me, I really mean it. I had such a guilty conscience. I thought about it, I dreamed about it..... it was bad. 

Fast forward to college. One day my FHE brother, Jared, told me he was headed back to Boise for the weekend. When I asked him what for, he told me it was for a baptism. Since I was from Boise, too, I asked him if it was anyone I would know.... you will never believe what he said. "It is the baptism of my good friend, Meagan West." My heart sank. I could barely speak. I immediately went to Walmart, bought a blue gel pen, wrote her a sorry note, and sent it with my FHE brother to give to her. I am sure Meagan hadn't thought twice about it since that day, but this was my chance to finally make it right. After years of lost sleep.... I finally was able to return a sparkly blue gel pen to old friend Meagan. 

So... moral of this story... don't steal. Or lie.... your conscience won't let it go. EVER. 

That's the story. The end. Flash forward to April 2013 once again. Where gel pens are a thing of the past.