Sidetracked

Packing, I found this:


This is not just one class, it's 4 classes (the top row of kids got cut off, since my scanner's not big enough for the whole thing). I was in the second grade here, but there are third graders as well. They mixed us all together. See that it's called "Pod II" instead of Mr. Morgan's class or something that sounds normal. Remember, it was the beginning of the 70's.

Can you find me? I look like I just dropped my Big Stick popsicle that cost me 10 cents at lunch. I'm wearing a dress my Nana made me and a haircut my mom gave me.

Lori, my first best friend is there with the cat eye glasses; she's above me to the left. She was a year older and dropped me once being popular became important. There's Thomas Eck over there, the first boy to grow taller than me in the 7th grade, and Julie Jern, who beat me up at school one day, and then beat me up again when I told on her. Oh, and Jay Sepulveda, the first huge crush I ever had. He's down there second from the left, second from the bottom. Underneath him is Julie Sanchez. She and I were the only two kids in the 3rd grade to have braces. I also came in second to her in the read-a-thon contest. She was cool.

Going up a bit you can see Quinton. He's the only African-American boy in the photo. Goleta was a very very white place back then. I went to my first formal dance with him in 10th grade. My father didn't speak to me for three days because of it. Next to him on the right is Cathy Brown. She hit me in the mouth at 6th grade camp and chipped one of my front teeth. She wasn't a nice person. There's Jed in the boy scout outfit; he became a big track athlete in high school. The big story about him though was that one day at Red Rock (a swimming hole in the mountains) he jumped from up high and landed on the rock you were supposed to have someone stand on when you jumped so you wouldn't land on it? And then there was one. Testicle I mean. Yep. He lost one. Ouch.

I can't find Richard Jenks. He put rocks in his lunchbox and hit me over the head with it. I wonder how he charms the ladies now?

Looking at all these faces, from so many years ago, I wonder what's happened to these little bits of hope. I know at least one, Scott, is in prison for murder. We were all so cute back then. Well, most of us. There's the other Scott, Scott Harwood. He was mean then, and is mean now. He stole my necklace the next year, and wore it to school. He even waved it in my face. A "nah nah nah" may have been involved. But when I told on him, the teacher said it was his word against mine, and he got to keep it. Later, when we were older, he put down a board with a nail sticking up from it in front of 7-Eleven. My barefoot sister stepped on it, and had to get a tetanus shot. Oh, he was a winner, that one.

I see faces and names come to me. I don't remember everyone of course, but wow. 38 years, and my memory is still working. Who is happy now? Who is good, and kind and loves others?

And do they remember me?