One thing that struck me about that comment was the phrase “passionate about people”. Of course being passionate is a very different thing than being overtly demonstrative. I can’t think of Melissa being demonstrative except in those 4th grade notes.

Melissa was a quiet girl who had been a friend in 2nd and 3rd grade… at school. There was no one my age within walking distance. Prior to 4th grade, my parents assumed that sending me to school each day should cover any social needs. I spent my evenings alone in a booth at the restaurant they owned and were trying to keep afloat. That changed.

These short memoirs do create images in other’s minds, images that are partly true to long-ago reality — yet deviate from it at points.