The EHHS Social Order – 10.4 – The He-Man Women Haters’ Club - Summer

What a day for a daydream; it’s Spring, 74º and time once again for those delicious spring afternoons, and gentle breezes.  It has been ever thus for as long as I can remember.  Finishing off our Meadowbrook Jr. High days having fun with the 1960 Stars Over Meadowbrook program and looking forward to our first year in high school just a few weeks ahead.

Summer 1960.  I don’t remember it.  Well, not much of it.  For me, summer baseball was in the rear view mirror so, whatever happened that 9/10^th grade summer was a blur.  There might have been a party or two at Gay’s house which were by now I think, ad hoc affairs, or we might have gotten a swim mob or two together at Lucas or Burgers.  Getting a girl up on your shoulders for a pool joust was much more about touching and enjoyable views than it was about anything competitive. 

The Meadowbrook bowling alley was a favorite hangout…good fries and cokes.  But once again, getting together with some girls to roll a few 50¢ lines was not so much about high scores as it was observing feminine forms.  On the other hand, if the girls weren’t available, it was just about as entertaining competing with a friend…old hanging-out habits faded slowly.

Sophomores.  When, for the very first time, we entered the new Eastern Hills High School as Sophomores we had little idea what was in store for us on the other side of those doors.  As 15-year old youngsters, we had little understanding of what had been developing within our social psyche the past 2-3 years, puberty, and all.  But, we were immediately aware that we were no longer the big kids at school, as we had been the previous year at one of the junior highs.

It’s easy to imagine that our Sophomore girls were getting a lot of attention from the “older men” (juniors & seniors) already at EH, waiting for them.  Their first weeks of encountering those grown-up opportunities must have ranged somewhere between flattering and terrifying.  In actuality, to my mind it was something more akin to a flock of predator Gulls circling over a herd of hatchling Sea Turtles (our girls) flapping like hell to gain cover in the surf….and the girls getting picked off, one-by-one….to go steady.  

For the boys, it was flatly the most miserable year of our lives….or, at least it was for me.  Why?  Well, think of it this way….we’re still those little baby goats looking for someone or something to butt or snuggle up to, we’ve got no wheels, no driver’s license, no money, and our girls are being picked off by those older “EH men” at school every damned day! 

MUSIC.  Before launching into this 10^th grade recollection, a couple of old songs from that early sixties period come to mind…they perfectly describe a couple of powerful aspects of those days.

Daydream

What a day for a daydream
What a day for a daydreamin' boy
And I'm lost in a daydream
Dreamin' 'bout my bundle of joy
And even if time ain't really on my side
It's one of those days for takin' a walk outside
I'm blowin' the day to take a walk in the sun
And fall on my face on somebody's new mowed lawn

Another Saturday Night

Another Saturday night and I ain't got nobody
I got some money 'cause I just got paid
How I wish I had someone to talk to
I'm in an awful way

Next…The Starting Shuffle