And of course GAYLEE, too! We were introduced by an older
family friend when I was 8 and she was 9. Gaylee was one school grade up from
mine. But we clicked immediately! We both had other friends; however it was
always just us when we were together.
Gaylee was a regular visitor to my house and was treated to
numerous family outings such as shows, festivals, & dinners out. She even
accompanied us on one of our frequent weekend trips to Miami and even a family
vacation thru the Florida Keys down to Key West.
Our scenic coastal town as well as the rest of the state had
been discovered and was growing by leaps and bounds. The sprawling campus that
once taught grades 1 thru 12 no longer was large enough. Separate elementary
and high schools were under construction. The old school would soon be a junior
high only.
I was 10 and Gaylee 11 when we were transferred to the new
elementary. The school sported a futuristic design and layout. From the air it
looked like an aqua blue spider. The cafeteria with a large raised stage was
the main building. From there, long covered walkways branched out in many
different directions. At the end of each was a cluster of 6 classrooms centered
around an open courtyard.
Strangely, this futuristic-looking building lacked air
conditioning and this is Florida! However, the wide sliding glass doors on the
sides were nearly always kept open. I was in the 5th Grade and Gaylee the 6th.
Our classrooms were opposite and we often waved to each another.
This school was too far for me to walk, yet too close for
bus pick-up. My father drove me in the morning on his way to work. Since my
mother didn't drive she had a taxi bring me home every afternoon. Back then
cabs were a lot cheaper. (We even used one for grocery shopping.) This was
1961. Still, I thought I was going to be the only kid riding a taxi home, but
to my surprise there were 2 others, an older girl and a younger boy.
One of our regular drivers was a tall lanky man in his 20's.
He was a rough-looking character who wore an eye-patch. (In retrospect I'm
surprised he landed a driving job with only one good eye!) He also had a
scraggly goatee as well as tattoos covering both arms. And when he smiled you
could see a missing tooth on his left side. I called him "The
Pirate". But he was always friendly toward us kids, more so than the other
drivers.
My teacher however, was a real pill! She loved saying with
pride how the first thing she did after moving into her new home was to unhook the
TV and throw it in the garbage. It showed trash not fit for her family! -- And
this was back when television was tame!
She also forbade girls from wearing trousers to her class. I
knew they were forbidden in high school but we were still in elementary! And
worse, when we failed a test we were forced to write the entire chapter!
And horror of horrors, I failed one right before my parents
had an important weekend scheduled! Two couples they knew from up north back-in-the-day
were coming to visit. These were our prime feast years so my parents wanted to
show boat. And Gaylee was coming that busy weekend, too. My mother was a
puncher, pincher, and a slapper as well as a screamer! She never dared do it
around others, but they wouldn't be there forever. So she must never know!
I swore Gaylee to secrecy. Unlike other so-called friends,
she could be trusted. This punishment cut into our fun time so Gaylee (bless
her heart) offered to write the second half of the chapter while I wrote the
first. We had an extra text because my mother happened upon a teacher's catalog
and bought copies of all my textbooks so I could be tutored over the summer
since I was a struggling student.
I have Dyscalculia among other disorders but back then I was
just considered dumb!
The following Monday as the teacher collected our chapters a
student named Sharon confessed: "My mother finished this because it was
getting late and past my bedtime."
I wanted to smack her! Never volunteer that kind of
information! The teacher's reaction was predictable. And now, I was likely to
get caught because our teacher would be going thru everyone's work with a
fine-toothed comb. She'd notice the writing didn't match. Damn that Sharon! How
could anyone be that stupid!
However, by some miracle, I got away with it. Sharon would
have too had she kept her yap shut!
Eventually summer vacation arrived; unfortunately I was
sentenced to summer school with that same teacher. I was now the only kid riding
the cab home. A handful of students were kept after class and naturally I was
among them. My taxi driver got tired of waiting and came searching for me.
I had been instructed to go to the blackboard to solve a
series of math problems. Suddenly I looked over and saw the pirate leaning
against the doorway. "I'm here to pick-up Dianne," he said in a
commanding voice, "We must go now."
The teacher seemed startled and shaken. His presence was an
imposing one. Nervously, she told me to go. Geez, he could have been a
kidnapper!
Away from the classroom I thanked the pirate for rescuing
me. He replied that no teacher should have the right to keep a student after
class. I agreed! And I'm sure he had other fares waiting.
The following autumn Gaylee entered Junior High leaving that
blue arachnid building behind and me as well. She started hanging out with a
whole different crowd and lost all interest in our friendship. Sadly, our close
comradery that I thought would last a lifetime was now over forever.
I entered 6th Grade and to my dire disbelief wound up with a
teacher actually worse than the previous one, something else I never imagined
possible!
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