I Wonder What Happened to Luella

Luella’s mother was murdered. We were in third grade, Luella and I. Not best friends, but we had played together. Red rover red rover, hopscotch and jump rope. Luella’s mother was murdered in October on a Friday night. My mother brought Luella home on Saturday morning. She was quiet, and did not tell me what happened. After a few days she began asking when her mommy was coming for her. Her grandparents arrived on a Tuesday. They lived three states away. Luella did not know them well, but they took her anyway. I felt like I had lost a sister. We wrote to each other twice. I still have the letters. I often wonder about Luella. But I never heard what happened to her.