Thursday, May 10, 2007

My Thoughts Runneth Over

Driving down State Blvd. this morning I was watching a slew of kids walking to the High School. My first thought was this, "It's 945am!! What time do these kids go to school?" I began reminiscing about getting to high school, I believe it began around 8am and I think we got out around 3pm.

That sounds about right,doesn't it?

I wish I could have a conversation with my Dad about those mornings dashing to the Catholic High School they forced me to go to in another city. Me and Dad are far beyond those conversations as he is almost totally deaf and suffering from Alzheimer's. I could write him a message about it, but he would read it and only look puzzled and confused and frustrated and shake his head no. "No, I do not remember taking you and your brothers to Lexington each morning for school." That's what I would receive, a terse head shake.

(God I miss my Dad)

But, I remember. And my brothers remember.

My mother standing at the bottom of the staircase that led up to the dormer that was the bedrooms for my brothers and myself.

"Time to GET UP!!"

Moaning and groaning, "Five more minutes." I would wail and cover my head with a pillow. No doubt I had been up half the night listening to the radio, reading unauthorized books (Peyton Place, Valley of the Dolls, Joy in the Morning, The Crowd and the such, heady stuff for a Catholic school girl). My Mother, the librarian, encouraged reading but mainly Lives of the Saints and Alice in Wonderland type stuff, she would have died if she knew what I was able to check out of the library(....before computers, Thank God!).

If I wasn't staying up reading in the huge closet where she could not see the light still on, I was perched on the bottom stairs watching tv in the reflection of the front door. HA!! HA!! HA!! She never knew about that!


And so it would go for about a half hour or so, "GET UP!! You leave in five minutes."

I'll never know how I did it, being a self conscious teenager and all. But I would pull those rollers out of my head, brush my teeth (God I hope so), apply a thin application of Maybelline eyeliner, the kind that you licked the brush and swirled it in the cake, throw on my uniform. Never a worry about what to wear, because it was always the same, navy pleated shirt, white blouse, and navy sweater, white bobbie socks with saddle oxfords, or knee highs with Bass Weejuns. They had to be Bass Weejuns.

I would stumble downstairs and head to the door where my father and my two brothers and the two other kids who car pooled in the morning, Brian and that Drury kid, would be waiting in the car, in the driveway with the car running and my Dad revving the engine.

Miraculously I would have my school books and a cup of coffee, that was breakfast for me and barely have the door shut before my Dad was already backing out the driveway.

He was late for work everyday for four years.

I remember him shaking his head and smiling about that.

He use to remember what a handful I was.

10 comments:

Anonymous said...

We started well before 8 am, and got out around 2something, but I went to public schools. Wasn't getting up so early such a hassle? Little kids wake up earlier naturally, yet they start at 9 pm. I don't get it. It should be switched around!

Nice memory :)

xoxo

Anonymous said...

Its fun remembering about our school days and the routines we had to go through back then.  We moved a lot because of Dad being military.  Each school brought a slightly different routine.  I'll never forget how if felt when I could finally drive myself to school.  Mom and Dad were so relieved they did not have to shuttle me around any more with all my after school activities.
Sam

Anonymous said...

I like this entry. I could see it in my mind. It was like an old snapshot.
Marti

Anonymous said...

Me and 2 of my friends went to a dance at the girls Catholic School in high school.    The night began with us drinking some champaign and we were only 15 years old.    Our friend who gave us the bottle got hell from his father for letting us have it.     So we went to the dance and had a great time actually and were not drunk but feeling the champaign.    The girls were excited having boys from the public high school there and we danced with them I remember.     The Nuns never suspected us of being intoxicated and we left having had a fun experience.     Of course drinking went on throughout high school and I did end up getting drunk several times but fortunately did not drive.   Still I can see now it was wrong and wish I had not started at that young age.    

Anonymous said...

You know I went to a public high school. We were on split sessions and we had to start school at 6:30 am. and got out at 1:30. It was weird because then I worked from 2-6 my junior year. Senior year we went back to full sessions and I was out of school at 2:30. I envied the Catholic school uniforms. I had to agonize over what to wear and at that time I think I was the first girl in my h.s. to wear moccassins which became the rage! Never went to h.s. without my "love beads"...remember hot pants? YOu would have loved my suede American flag jacket! Those were the fashion days! lol

Anonymous said...

They sent me to Catholic high school when I was a kid, until guys started staring at me because of the upper-thigh hem on my Catholic schholgirl skirt.

Anonymous said...

I liked this. Write some more of your memories.

Anonymous said...

Lord, that sounds a lot like my high school years at a parochial school in Kentucky--and my mom was also a librarian!

Small world, huh?

Anonymous said...

What a great 'show and tell' kind of memory.  I remember RED oxfords (ewwww) with my grey pleated skirt, white blouse, red knee highs and red tie.  Lord ... we were funny looking and contrary to what folks believe now -- the uniform did not help erase the lines of class.

Anonymous said...

I was lucky.  I lived a block from High School and was an early riser.

But, I love the image of your dad being there every day to see you out the door.  I'm sure you do miss him.