Thursday, September 26, 2013

Kenny, this one is for you..... :-)


Have you been in front of a group, ready to speak and everything, including your speech totally escapes the mind? In addition, you see a face screwed into contortions and realize the tormentor is a fellow classmate! 

He should’ve displayed concern. Compassion. Caring.

Instead, his face showed after effects of a sour lemon.

Have you uttered a curse word in front of said crowd because Lemon Face was the last straw?
 
The redeeming factor was the total shock on everyone’s face. The downside I made the only “F” I’d made in 12 years. The teacher never looked up, but said “Next” to a quiet classroom which rivaled an E.F. Hutton commercial.

I recognized this as another defining moment of growing pains. Pain isn’t necessarily physical. No, that particular moment was one in which I simply didn’t care.

The key to not caring is the same as caring or following the rules. One must live with the consequences--an “F” on an otherwise commendable English average.

Lemon Face (LF) isn’t a fair moniker. It should be HF (Happy Face). HF always and to this day has a big (sometimes silly) grin. Most everyone adored HF. Especially the girls. Some even older and wiser (so he said).

I never won an honor in high school that he didn’t.  We were awarded by class vote, as junior class favorites. We had our picture taken in formal wear. We were skinny and had more hair back then. Especially Happy Face, just sayin’…..

He probably received more, but the only other for me, by overall vote of the whole high school, was Wittiest. Again, we had our picture made our senior year–still skinny and with more hair at a poker table with yours truly holding all the chips. The only time he’s had a sad look. He knew I could take all his money.

We must’ve been funny if the whole school thought so. Or we were comedic pests. Hard to remember now, all these pounds later.

We never dated (he liked older women, remember?) and besides that would’ve been like kissing my brother–yech–but we were and still are good friends.

Over the years we’ve crossed paths at many opportunities. Spouses have met and lamented their sad but true lives with clowns. That’s why we’ve been married a total of over 80 years. They’ve had a bad life, haven’t they? By the way, she’s a young chick.

HF, remember, payback’s you-know-what.

Give me time. I’m still thinking.