The Elementary School Years

I cried. I cried a lot. I'm sure I totally frustrated my mother with my crying. My mother would walk me to the end of the driveway and everyday I would not want to go to school. It wasn't horrible. I made it home each afternoon just fine. School was fine, but as a 5 year old going to kindergarten each day, I couldn't be convinced that it would be okay. I don't remember at what point I stopped crying and "not feeling good" to get out of going to school (not feeling good never worked, just for the record, I had to go anyway ... unless I was really sick ... and apparently my mother could tell which was which).

There really isn't much to tell about school. I was never a cool kid or
sought after by the girls. I was a good kid. Boring I know. There are a few interesting tidbits regarding elementary school. I know you are dying to know, so, here they are.

1) When your mother tells you not to wear your glasses out at recess because they will get broken. She might know what she's talking about. Of course, I didn't think so at the time. As I sat staring at the broken arm of my glasses right after recess, I began to wonder how feasible it would be to tell her I tripped in the classroom walking up to the chalkboard and smacked the side of my head on a desk. Do you think she'll buy it? Not likely? Dang I'm so screwed when I get home!

2) My brother and I have a great relationship. We would kick the crap out of each other on occasion (okay so I was the one who got the worst of those confrontations) but for the most part we got along great. On occasion he would zip into a phonebooth and change into superbrother.
I don't even remember how it happened. I got along with EVERYONE at school. I was not big enough to get into confrontations, nor did I want to. For whatever reason the big smelly bully (yes, I said smelly, he apparently, even at his age, was unaware that bathing at least once a
week would be a good idea.) got into some sort of altercation with me and pushed me down on the pavement in the school yard at recess. What happened next is literally a blur. I was on the ground looking at the sky. I couldn't fight back. I wouldn't have wanted to fight back even if I could. This kid was built. He was big. He was muscular (at least compared to everyone else).
There was a crowd around. What I saw next left the entire crowd, me and Smelly in a complete stupor. A younger kid, who had apparently seen the crowd gathering, noticed who it was that was laying on the ground. Probably without thinking, jumped into action. What I saw from my vantage point was a blur that looked kind of like my brother, moving full speed, ripped through the crowd and with his forward momentum AND a swinging right arm, drove his fist into the mouth of the bully. My brother did NOT stop to see what happened after that. He was not stupid. I will never forget the look on Smelly's face. He honestly had NO idea what hit him. He walked away and didn't bother me again.

3) This next little tidbit didn't happen at school but it was during my elementary school years so I'm relaying it here. Again, as I said before my brother and I had a great relationship. We were playing at our house. My brother, me and one of my best friends who lived not too far down the road. At some point in the games my friend began teasing and picking on my brother. Mostly this wouldn't matter, but at some point, enough is enough. I wonder if me chasing him down the street with a baseball bat and yelling for him to go home while he pedaled his bike as fast as he could was any indication that I was now pissed off and he should leave my brother alone?

4) Elementary school ended with a LARGE accumulation of hockey cards. Kids would play topsies, knocksies, closies, and dropsies. My brother and I never played for keepsies, but we always ended up getting cards somehow from kids that no longer wanted them or had doubles. If #4 left you scratching your head, maybe someday I'll explain it.

To My Brother: We had some great times together and some fond memories. Not a day goes by that I hate living so far away from you! Take care brother, I hope to see you again real soon!

Next: Games We Played...