My Real Memoir
The Beatles tune “Hello, Goodbye” seemed to be the theme song for my junior year. My life was full of hellos and goodbyes, and moving impossibly fast! In May alone, the month I turned seventeen, I …
Was in my sixth play of the year, Othello, playing a fop. Which, I told my pen pal Judy, meant “a ferry” (sincerest apologies to my dear friend Ralph and others who were, no doubt, cruelly taunted by that word). Perhaps it was a bit of quid pro quo, then, that in our final dress rehearsal I was stabbed by a rapier, and had to be rushed to the local ER (where I was on a first name basis with most of the staff)!
Started writing songs with my buddy Marc, and found a stage dad who’d buy our rejects (we kept the best tunes) for a hundred bucks a pop so he could slap his would-be rock star son’s name on them. It made us believe we actually had talent — and it financed our prom dates!
Created a dance sensation “The Kumquat” (see my hand-drawn “Cptn. Kumquat Klub” flyer above) with the help of my “shy” Drama friends, and managed to get everyone doing it at an end-of-the-year dance party! I also published my final cartoon for the school paper (above).
Ran for school president and almost managed to beat Jim, the handsomest guy on campus, captain of our football team, and boyfriend/future husband to Darcy, the gorgeousest cheerleader in history! But then, I did originate The Kumquat Dance so, you know, it was a pretty an even match.
Hellos and Goodbyes
The Prom with Kelle had been magical. Now she was leaving for the summer, though she assumed we’d continue dating when she came back. I, on the other hand, assumed the Prom had been our farewell date, and kissed her for the last time under a not-very-magical carport awning.
A month later, I would fall madly in lust with a girl from Texas, and a month after that fall into something considerably deeper (to be continued). Told you I was moving fast!
My first band the Luscious Naipseht, a.k.a. Death Ward of the Inheritance also came to an end. The band was broken, and we couldn’t seem to put it back together again.
As if symbolic of that break-up, shortly after our final gig, I was sitting in the school parking lot with Marc in his creaky old Chevy Bel Air when our lead singer Jeff jumped in front of us and jokingly demanded a ride. Marc gunned the car as if to run over him, then hit the brake, and then gunned it again as Jeff ran in faux fear. And then Marc did it a third time, but this time his foot slipped off the brake pedal (nothing faux about it), and like our band…
Jeff’s leg was fractured in multiple places!
Not a very auspicious beginning to what came to be known as…
The Summer of Love.
My Real Memoir is a series. To read the next one, click here.
Your lengthy letter to Judy showed that your life really was like a bowl of carefully plucked kumquats. Kudos for keeping your head on straight and being so involved in school activities.
Well, I’m not sure my head was on all that straight, Nancy, but I certainly did stick it in a lot of places! ;>)
$100 dollars a piece! In 1967 that was quite a bit. I bet Jeff never forgot you two…hopefully, he did forgive though.
Not quite, Max, it was $100 per song, i.e. $50 bucks for each of us. Still, that was enough to do the prom in style!
I’m really enjoying this trip down memory lane with you, Mitch. ✌️
Delighted to hear that, MW.
Wow, you sure compressed a lot of life into your coming of age years!
I did indeed, Howard!
Mitch,why haven’t you turned your memoir into a movie? All these “fractures” are filled with amazing stories of an amazing man’s life~a life so different than what “younguns” (me included, lol?) experience today~yet filled with the same emotions~love, loss, music, hellos, and goodbyes! My mind went to Srgt Pepper’s Lonely Heart Club Band~the “Thespians” the Kumquats (great graphics, Mitch) and did you write yourself a note? Or was it another Mitch? I giggled at the “bitchin” summer! I enjoy reading your memoir, Mitch!
Yes, I wrote myself a yearbook message, for the amusement of anyone who might happen to notice it (I don’t recall that anyone did), and simply to amuse myself. So glad you’re enjoying my quirky little memoir, Karla!
I love it! Take care, dear friend!
You too, dear friend.
I totally agree!
😁
Yikes! I hope there was no permanent damage done to Jeff’s leg.
I don’t think so, Liz, but I’m not certain.
Were you voted as the least boring student? 🤭
;>)
You did more in one summer than most kids do in a lifetime. 🙂
But did you ever eat lead paint flakes or drink from an unfamiliar garden hose?
(Bonus points if you did those things while riding in the back of a pickup truck)
;>)
Mercy! That is a wild year!
Not surprised you were familiar to the ER staff. Wonderful stories. God bless, Mitch!
;>) Thanks, you too, Nancy!
Your memoirs are so much fun, Mitch! Always love reading them.
Thanks, Kellye!
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