Here ya go classers! Another one coming at ya! Sorry it's a bit long. What can I say? Fire me and I won't write anymore.
“Swisher County? Happy Texas? The town without a frown? Happy, Happy? Frown, frown? What kinda name is that?” Asked Self.
“I don’t know man, it’s just a name,” I said to Self.
“Well, what are we doing here? What’s going on? What is this? And where did all these kids come from anyway ?” Self asked.
“Hey, mom said this is school,” I said.
“School!” School!” What is that?” What do you mean? Why are we here?” Self yells.
“Calm down, calm down, it’s ok, they don’t bite,” I assured Self.
“But, where’s the trucks? Where’s the tractors? Where’s the horses? Where the hell are we?” Self continued wide eyed and confused.
Self and I agreed that we had much more fun on the family farm than we did in school.
Then came dress up day. Wicky, Don and I decided to come as cowboys packing six shooters and that changed everything.
“Blow him away cowboy!” Shoot! Shoot! Stop that varmint! Save that girl! And we’ll ride off into the sunset! Together for ever!” Self yelled.
“Yew man! Ye Ha!” I replayed.
It was an exciting day for Self and me, an enjoyable day, a day to remember, a day so burnt into our subconscious that we would hold it dear forever, but Wicky and Don decided not to do it again. Well, that didn’t set well with Self or me. So covertly Self and I came to school several more times that year as cowboys in white hats, riding our horses, guns blazing, saving the young maidens in distress. In our childish minds so did Wicky and Don even though they didn’t know it. Dress up day turned out to be much more fun than reading, writing and arithmetic.
Then everything in my small Texas country world changed when I got involved with Marry Beth. My first love. Well, ok, my girlfriend. It was a second grade romance, one way love affair. Love at first sight for me. Some really heavy stuff for back when. I don’t remember if we got in trouble, if we had been sick or what but we stayed in the classroom during recess and had an exciting, interesting, life changing moment in time. It was my first time alone with a girl and I was nervous, scared and dazed. That deer in the headlights kinda thing. I was never really scared of much of anything, having experienced lot’s of stuff in my short life on the family farm but this was different. She wasn’t like my mom or my sister, the only two women I knew or paid any attention too up till now. Our teacher was out side with the rest of the class. WOW! I’ll never forget that day of fate. Time stood still. My head spun. My heart was in my throat. My knees were weak as water. Mouth dry. Hands sweating. Mind racing. We were together forever and an eternity during that thirty minute recess that lasted several life times. That day we were in a world of our own. A world I was a stranger in. Fumbling, stumbling, spinning and falling as this new reality kicked me in the teeth.
“Hey, she’s different. She’s special. She’s.” Self was saying before I interrupted him.
“Yes she is. Yes she is. There is something about her that is special, If you know what I mean,” I said to Self with a puzzled look on my face.
“What do you mean?” Self asked.
“I don’t know. Shut up! Go away! Leave us alone!” I yelled at Self.
I really didn’t know what I meant. I was dazed and confused. I was startled, astonished, bewildered and light headed but excited and wanting to explore more in this world of confusing infatuation. I decided I would have to plow blindly ahead into this mystical maze of intimate relationships. Wow was I in for a train wreck! The first of many.
Ricky was a neighbor and a good friend of mine who lived about four miles down the Texas dusty road from us. He had a sister a couple years younger than me. She was pretty and I kinda liked her I think. One day she came over to our house to play with Trish (my younger sister). Well, I didn’t know much about girls but if they were all like my sister I knew I didn’t like them. However, I realized that she was different and for some reason I was attracted to her.
“She’s nice man! She’s cute! She’s different!” Self said.
“Go over and say something to her!” Self said in a commanding voice.
“Shut up Self!” Was all that I could muster.
“Come on man! It’ll be fun! Just imagine!” Self continued.
“Shut up!” I repeated.
“Chicken! Chicken! Yellow belly chicken!” Self taunted.
“Shut up or else!” I threatened.
Then someone tapped me on the shoulder and said,
“Hi Randy.”
I jumped out of my skin without moving and I nearly passed out at the same time. It was her. What was I going to do? What was I going to say? I wished I could hide. But where? I thought about becoming invisible. But how? My head was swimming, my heart was beating out of my chest, my palms were wet, I was sweating and having trouble breathing. This had never happened to me before. Self was rolling on the ground, out of breath, laughing at me. If I could have gotten my hands on him I would have strangled him.
I quickly mustered up everything within my being, every muscle, every fiber, every nerve, and all I could say was.
“Hi.”
I was so scared. So flush. So dizzy. So helpless. So shy.
“Will you play with us? Please?” She asked so sweet, in a voice so petite.
What was I suppose to do? What could I say? I was a goner! I looked at my sister and she said without saying a word go away and leave my friend and me alone or else.
Then self shouted.
“What if your friends find out that your playing with girls! What will they think? What will you tell them? How will you explain? You better just run man! Run and don’t look back! Run for your life! Run for your sanity! Run for your heart! Run down to the store and get us a coke!”
“Shut up Self! The store is twenty miles away! Go away! Now!” I commanded.
Then, from somewhere deep within my self, from deep within the recesses of my soul, came the words.
“Ok.”
Self was rolling on the ground laughing out of control. I was so upset and so out of my mind that I just casually kicked a mouth full of dirt in his mouth.
As he lay kicking and chocking in the dirt I casually walked off with the girls to play horses.
What vivid, real, stunning imagination we possessed back then. It really is a shame if you lost that somewhere along the way.
Just a year or so later I discovered another beauty. Her name was Susan McDonnell. Susan was another Happy Texas darling that stole my young heart and wouldn‘t give it back. It was a very special time, a tinder moment in time and my heart was ripe and ready to be taken, as it was most of the time. We were third graders, grown up and all. When we met we clicked. The sparks were flying fast and hot. Fires ignited all over Happy Texas and every ones insurance went up after that.. It was like the fourth of July every day and New Years every night. Things were popping. It’s was a wonder and miracle that nothing really caught fire and burned to the ground during those wonderful days of serious puppy love in our Panhandle town. There was something special about Susan. It was her smile, her laugh, her eyes, her hair, her countenance, her softness, her kindness, her self. Susan was the first girl that I went steady with as we called it back when and all was wonderfully great in my little homemade world. Things couldn’t ever get any better. Don’t slap me, cause I didn’t ever want to wake up from this Alice in Wonderland spell. Art Foster, a friend and neighbor, created a leather carved love gift for me to give to Susan. It was an individually, finally hand carved piece of leather. Three pieces of carved leather connected by wire in a triangle shape that said Randy Loves Susan. After a while my infatuation grew to the point that I carved Susan’s initials in my wrist with a knife leaving first a blood scabbed signature and later a beautiful flesh scar symbolizing my sacrificial love and eternal infatuation. It was loves first blood. Does that sound great or what. Maybe I should make a movie by that name! “LOVES FIRST BLOOD.” Musical? Drama? Comity? Horror? Broadway? Hollywood?
“Ouch! That’s hurts man! What are you doing? Why are you cutting me? Stop! Stop,” Self demanded.
“Are you crazy! Do you want to bleed to death! Stop! Why are you doing this!” Self yells.
“Stop!”
“I’m in love, I‘m in love.” I confessed to Self.
“Well you won’t be if you die from blood loss!” Self shouted.
“So stop it! Stop it right now!” Demanded Self.
“Oh hush man. Were not going to die. It’s just a scratch. Calm down. She’ll love it. Everybody’s doing it and nobody’s died yet,” I explained to Self.
We had a lifetime of wondrous love and adventure that lasted only a few short months. But alas, Susan would find another love and it end up being a lifetime love of marriage, children and wondrous events. Yes, I missed out once again but only by inches.
Other good suggestions would only work if we opted to hold the event in Amarillo, Lubbock, Dallas or other "city". We did have one brave soul who volunteered her place with a bed & breakfast nearby and plenty of space for tents, RV's, etc. Others merely stated they would just like the opportunity to spend time and talk to classmates and felt it was not necessary to have any "planned" activities.
Can't say I ever witnessed the phenomenon myself so thanks for sharing. Maybe other classmates can join in and let us know if they've seen one!
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