ibeachalot's Diaryland Diary ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Where Were YOU in '72? I found this on someone�s webpage and thought it would make a kewl entry. It�s called �Where Were You�. The idea is to go back ten, twenty, thirty or however many years and give some insight as to who you were back then, what you were doing, etc. You have to try to remember as many details about that particular year as you can. I�ll start with 1972, since I wasn�t around in 1962. �Where Were You in �72?� When 1972 rolled in, I was five years old. I was an only child and the center of my parents� universe. We were living in a rented townhouse on Fifth Street. I had long blonde hair and a dark tan from being outside every minute of everyday. My two best friends were the boys who lived next door, Paul and Patrick, who were seven and six respectively. I have many memories of living in that apartment, including listening to �I Got You Babe� by Sonny and Cher so many times I wore a groove right through the record. I would jump on my bed and sing along until my mom would yell upstairs that if she had to listen to that song again, she�d lose her mind. Across the street was a little Ma and Pa-owned convenience store commonly referred to as �The Little Store� by all the neighborhood residents. To show you what a different world it was back then, at age four I was allowed to cross the street by myself and go buy candy at The Little Store. I shudder at the thought of letting my kids do that! We lived in the apartment for only two months in 1972. My parents wanted to buy a house of their own and we spent weekends househunting. One day, we found a new housing tract being built near the new park. We found a split foyer house near completion that suited our needs perfectly. It had three bedrooms, two baths, a family room, living room, dining room and a huge backyard. Better yet, it was close to the new elementary school, since I would be starting Kindergarten soon. I remember vividly overhearing my parents conveying their worry about how they would afford this new house. They had to beg, borrow and steal to afford the $2,000 down payment. Their rent on the apartment was high enough - $75 a month - how would they possibly afford the $255 a month mortgage payment? On February 28, 1972 - my grandmother�s birthday - my dad loaded me up in his new blue Pontiac and took me to a new restaurant that had opened. It was called McDonald�s. I had my first hamburger and fries and so began my addiction to fast food. We spent the day together so my mom could stay at home and get everything packed up ready to move. Upon arriving home, I found that five new books from my �Weekly Reader� book club had come in the mail. Five! By then, I was an avid reader, already having read hundreds of books. I sat in the front yard and read my new books while my parents loaded the moving van. The first night in our new house was exciting for me, but traumatic. I woke up in the middle of the night and didn�t know where I was! I wandered through the house trying to remember where I was. I stopped at the top of the stairs and cried until my mom and dad came out and reassured me that I was in the right place. I slept with an overhead light on that night and every night until many years later. I remember the first time I went into our new garage. I was mesmerized at the sight of a thousand square feet of empty, inviting drywall, just crying to be drawn upon. I saw a green magic marker atop a box and the temptation was just too great... I started drawing like crazy on every wall. I wrote my name - frontwards and backwards. I drew myself, I drew flowers, I drew houses, I drew Sesame Street characters. Since I would soon turn six and was anxiously awaiting the day, I drew �6� in every empty spot I could find. I still clearly remember the look on my mother�s face when she saw it. I also remember the sound she made. She tried to yell, but all that came out was, �GRNNFFMMGRFFFAGGGHHHHH!!!!!� Since becoming a mother, I can now relate to that sound. I make it often, when words fail me at the unbelievable things my own kids do. Our new house had every modern convenience - Harvest Gold appliances and thick gold shag carpet that looked like it needed to be mowed. I loved having a big backyard in which to run and play. I had free reign of the neighborhood and spent everyday outside trying to round up new friends. One day, I walked over to the next block and found a little girl named Jo Lynn. We instantly became friends and stayed so for many years afterwards. I started Kindergarten in September of �72. My teacher�s name was Mrs. Duringer and I suspect she was at least 110 years old then. We did nothing more than play all day in school and never really did anything academic. Jo Lynn and I were in the same class and were inseperable. One day I came home from school (I rode the bus) to an empty house. I correctly assumed my mom was next door at the Fritz�s house. I walked over and let myself in. There was my mom sitting at the kitchen table talking to Neva Fritz. They were both beaming. My mom told me she had some news. I braced myself as I heard the words... �We�re going to have a baby!� �Why?� I said, �Things are fine the way the are!� Neva and mom laughed. I felt my world shift. I was the apple of everyone�s eye and now it was all going to change. I felt slighted. How could I be spoiled rotten if I had to share it all with a brat sister or brother? In October of �72, I turned six. I started to lose my baby teeth and my hair got darker. After wearing it waist-length for so long, I was heartbroken when my mom cut it short. Short! Like a boy! She said she was tired of messing with it and had enough to take care of, with a new baby coming and all. My hair changed from blonde to a medium brown that year, and got darker every year afterwards. The rest of the year is a blur to me. I have vague memories of Christmas. I remember falling down the stairs and getting a scar on my ribcage that looked like a third nipple. It�s a scar that remains today, although I have trouble finding it under my big left boob. I remember spilling my mom�s chicken and rice casserole down my front and burning my leg. I had such a happy childhood. I was happy to be me. That would change. Stay tuned for 1982! 10:10 a.m. - 2002-11-13 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
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