May 1977:
It's hard to believe that I would break the rules, but I did....twice.
Our school had painted the bathroom stalls in vibrant colors, and it wasn't long before people began to chip away the paint. I found a particularly large area in one particular stall, along with a barrette someone had left behind, and over the period of a week, slowly chipped away at it. But one day I got careless, and forgot to make sure no one was in the next stall. I went back to class,.....and it wasn't long before I was called to the office. Another girl, GC, was also in the office, and accused me of vandalism.
I covered my fury with her, and embarrassment at being found out, and put my acting skills to the test. I protested that I couldn't possibly have done it; I was a rule follower, not a rule breaker! Thankfully, the principal bought my act, and I escaped back to class. Over the rest of the school year, I continued to chip the paint away, a small flake at a time, and always made sure the other stall was unoccupied.
A week or two later, I decided to play hooky from school. I told my sister I was going to board the bus at the other stop, but instead, skipped around back and hid in the tree house. Mom had already left for work, and I heard the bus honk several times. When the coast was clear, I came out.....and promptly discovered I'd left my house key inside.
That sucked; I had no way of getting into the house. I couldn't go to a neighbor and ask for the screwdrivers needed to take out a window; I couldn't even break into the garage. So I resigned myself to a boring day....and decided to walk down to the creek. What I had NOT counted on was a neighbor calling my mom to ask why I was outside. Mom soon arrived home, and took me back to school. I was humiliated, and though I don't really remember what excuse I gave, Mom says I was upset over other girls teasing me.
I do know that one girl, Tobey, came up to me later and angrily said she had been trying to be my friend; I didn't believe her, and was happy when she tossed her head and walked off.
Mom also graduated from Purdue, getting her Masters in Health Ed. I was allowed to attend the graduation, and my sister and I were sad that our weekends with Dad ended afterward. We asked Mom to go back to school, but she said no!
Next Month: School's Out.....and A Surprise For 6th Grade!
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Present Day:
I've spent the past week with my parents, and Wednesday was our 26th wedding anniversary. I went to Cheddars with Mom and Dad, and tomorrow we're all meeting at the Beefhouse in Covington.
Had fun at the Author's Fair last weekend, but the rain and storms knocked out the power to the surrounding area, so sales were down. I only sold 1, and others didn't sell any.
Rain is supposed to stop this weekend, so everyone have a safe and happy weekend!
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