Forrest Gump was a man who was used to people turning their noses up at him. From the time he was young, with braces on his legs and boys that chased him on their bikes, just to grow up and chase him in their cars. When he was young, he didn't really notice as much. But looking back on it as an adult make his heart feel funny.

And that was all he had to say about that.

Forrest wasn't quite as smart as the people around him every day. Even he knew that. His mama had tried to protect him from that notion, but even she couldn't stop people from talking forever. Look at him go, they'd say. Just the town idiot off on his merry way to go wherever the hell he would be going.

Jenny didn't really want anything to do with him. He never knew why, and that made him real sad. She was always gettin' tangled up in boys that made her cry, or put their hands on her. Forrest had been raised to believe you should never hit a woman, no matter how mad she makes you, because it just wasn't right. He'd be a much better husband than any old guy that Jenny found. But she told him that she didn't want that. Not with him.

He didn't ever see Jenny much. He missed her with all his heart, of course. But he figured she might come back someday. Or at least part of Forrest had hoped that she would.

Forrest always seemed to be caught up in all sorts of things. College Vietnam. D.C. But he never really knew where he was going and how he was going to end up there. He loved to explore. He loved to run, he loved Jenny, he loved his mama.

But... really, what else did he know about himself? What else made up Forrest Gump besides people whispering when he was in earshot that he was too slow to get very far. That last thing made his ears get real red and his head get real low. He wasn't supposed to listen to other people. But he couldn't help it sometimes when they said it so loud around him, could he?

He met you on a bus back from D.C. He stood up, searching for a bus seat, and watching people put their bags in the second seat if it wasn't already taken. You'd moved yours away. A silent invitation. He took it.

"Name's Forrest. Forrest Gump." He looked over at you. Forrest never could sit still long.