Just A Little Time to Think

         I learned a lot in those years. I learned that no one is all good, and that no one is all evil. I learned that it was a sin to kill a mockingbird. It was an enlightening few years for me, as were they weird.
         We were a normal family. How do things like this happen to people like us? We were lucky. Lessons wouldn'ta been learned if it weren't for Boo Radley, Tom Robinson's trial, and everything else. For that I'm grateful. If I could, I wouln't take back anythin'.
         I'm still not wearin' dresses, though. I never feel the need to.
         Aunt Alexandra still nags me about wearin' boy clothes, but I don't care; in those years, I also learned how to express myself, and in dressin' the way I do, that's how "myself" is expressed.
         I learned a long time ago how to write; Calpurnia taught me how. Actually, when I was twelve, she moved away from Maycomb, and now we hardly hear from her. She sends us Christmas cards and birthday presents, but that's about it.
         It was her who inspired me. All these years, she's been like a mother to me, even now, even though she's not around anymore. I am writin' today because of her.

         I'd like to thank many people for helping me become the young woman I am today. I'd like to thank Atticus, my father, for lettin' me be who I wanna be. Thank you, Jem, for being a role model. I love you, brother. Not thankin' Boo Radley would be a mistake, so thank you for showin' me that there is goodness in everyone, even in the strangest of places. I'd also like to thank Tom Robinson for teaching me that racism is bad, and it's important to treat everyone with equality. And last but not least, I'd like to thank Calpurnia for being a motherly figure and teaching me what it really means to be a woman.

Love, Jean Louise "Scout" Finch