The Eye of the Beholder

Old School memories, like old snap shots all stuck together, locked in a box stored in the basement, can be a real chore getting out – but once they are out, there are the old familiar highlights, but then, if we are lucky, and we turn the image just to the side, some of the more subtle background elements may catch the eye.

Yesterday, while grocery shopping, I happened to run into the mother of an old ‘girlfriend’.

Well, technically, this girlfriend and I “went out” briefly because her 'best girlfriend' and my 'best buddy' were "In-Love". That term somehow lacks the ‘siss boom bah’, but suffice it to say, grade eight can be a particularly magnetic time.

The four of us got together. My buddy and the ‘girlfriend’ quickly disappeared. After a few moments of being left ‘together’, we “went out” for about two minutes but then very quickly reverted to "friendly chaperone roles". All was not lost. We had some interesting chats, and even played some cards.

Here I am 37 years later in a supermarket with the ‘mom’ of my co-chaperone.

I explained about the HSB Reunion and asked if I could have her daughter’s number.
“We don’t give it out.” She looked at once apologetic, but there was no hiding the suspicion.

It suddenly hit me, that I wouldn’t give out this information about my own daughter either. There are just so many bad things happening ‘out there’ these days.

Tearing a piece of my grocery list, I scribbled my telephone number and asked her to please pass it on. I gave her some details of the blog and e-mail etc so that perhaps she could at least have a look for herself, or even tell her daughter.

“ I’m not into computers”, she said.

So much for that. Perhaps she'll be a "message in the bottle".
Off to the frozen food section I went.

What I remember most vividly about those miscast times were- little square pink chewable tablets in a flat yellow pack- they tasted like soap-THRILLS. It was not the last time I would begrudgingly play the role of co-chaperone in that town, but for a different "best buddy". My oh my, could her "best friend" ever make that gum snap, as she’d smile, with such a twinkle in her eye.