The Big Picture Chapter 7

A special thanks to Ed for editing this chapter.

And to William F. Laegler for Content Editing.

1974

Something has happened that has really put the fear of God in me. Everyone is gone and my dad has a Honda 90. I decide to borrow it. I drive it to see my girlfriend Charlotte. I am almost there and I get pulled over by a state police officer. My heart's beating out of my chest. The policeman takes one look at me and knows I'm not 16. He asks me for my driver's license. I tell him I do not have one. He writes a ticket for driving without a license. He tells me I have to walk the motorcycle home and then he leaves.

I ride the motorcycle home. I show my mother the ticket and ask her not to tell my father. She agrees. I have to go to juvenile court for the ticket. My mom goes with me. I end up having to pay a fine. If dad finds out what I've done I'll be grounded for life.

We have a revival at church. I get all fired up. I decide that I'm going to do all that I can to be good. The close call with the motorcycle has taught me that my actions can get me in jail. I don't want to go to jail. It is a time for new starts. I'm starting high school shortly. If I get good grades perhaps I can even go to college. All I need to do is figure out what I want to do.

I go on a trip with my church youth group. We go to Cedar Point. We stay at Doug's old church in Toledo, Ohio. I don't sleep at all and stay up all night. We leave early and go to the park. A friend of mine named Tim and I go on all the rides together. There is this roller coaster called the 'Blue Streak'. We wait in line about 30 minutes before boarding the roller coaster. At no time in my life have such profanities poured out of my mouth. The first hill is bad enough but on every hill I get lifted out of my seat and I get a major adrenaline rush. I love it. We go again and again. However, I control my language better. Soon I'm going with my hands up in the air. Tim never says anything about my language. I eat lots of junk food and have a great time.

The first day of high school is very interesting. I start out with physical education first period. There are many new faces. Our freshman class is made up of two different middle schools. Second period I have English class. Third period I have social studies. Then I have lunch. This school is set up like a college campus. There are seven different buildings that classes are held in. We have to walk outside between buildings to get to our classes. After lunch I have advanced algebra, biology, and my last class is band. I'm a member of the marching band so I will get to see all our football games.

It is hard trying to march and play at the same time but I'm getting better at it. I have to be able to march, read my music, and play at the same time. I have made a new friend; his name is Tom Kruska. Tom is in marching band with me. We are in the same rank. Ranks are made up of four people. Tom is kind of a quiet kid and I'm kind of loud. I guess you could say that I do most of the talking.

There is another new kid that I get along with. His name is Mike Babraj. He is in my first period gym class.

For the first time in many years I'm having problems with math. I'm in the advanced algebra class and I just don't get it. I sit next to Charlotte in class and that doesn't help much. We talk throughout class. I just don't see any use for algebra in the real world. It's confusing to me.

Dave Vallier picks a fight with me on the bus ride home. I have never been one to back down from a fight. We go to his backyard after we get off the bus and all the other kids follow. We start boxing and Dave quickly gets the better of me. He's bigger and stronger than I am. After about five minutes my sister grabs me and says, "You're coming home." Dave was getting the better of me so I don't resist. I will probably hear the words; "You're coming home" for years to come.

Marching band is lots of fun. I like going to the football games and playing at halftime. But it's rough some times like tonight. It's 35 degrees and raining. Our band uniforms are either too hot or too cold. Tonight it's way too cold. In no time my uniform is soaked. We win the game but by the end of the fourth quarter the band members are the only ones left in the stands.

I turn 15 years old. Only one more year and I'll be able to drive.

I've always liked different types of music. I have liked popular music for many years. I'm starting to like heavy metal rock music. I spend more and more time listening to the local rock station on the radio.

Matt and I are drifting apart. I'm spending more and more time with my friend Tom Kruska and

Matt is involved in activities that I'm not interested in. He went out for cross-country and I'm not at all interested in that.

I have stopped all sexual activities, at least with other people. I can wait until I'm married. My girl friend is not interested in doing anything anyway. That does not mean that I don't think about it all the time. After all I'm 15 and it's normal for kids my age to think about sex all the time.

Being a freshman in high school is really not that bad. All of the upper classmen just ignore us. The only extra activity I'm involved in is band. It's a pain having my sister in the same school that I'm in. The teachers are always telling me what a good student she is and they ask me why I can't be more like her. I'll be glad next year when she goes to college.

The holidays are fun as always. 1974 is over and I'm looking forward to 1975.

1975

Dad has a new part time job. He is a Youth for Understanding counselor managing the foreign exchange student program in our area. He's talking about us getting an exchange student next year. My sister is going to college, so we'll have an extra room.

I'm out sick. I have a bad case of brown cystitis. The doctor gives me a bunch of penicillin and I break out in a rash. He says I have an allergy to it and I'll never be able to have penicillin again.

I'm totally lost in my math class. After missing a week of school I just can't seem to get caught up. I always liked math but I only need one credit of math to graduate from high school. I think this will be the last math class I'll take.

I'll be going to summer school. I'm old enough to get my learner's permit and driver's education is held in the summer time. I don't mind. I can't wait to get my license and the independence of not having my parents to drive me everywhere. I bet I'll get pulled over a lot. I look like I'm about 12 years old.

Charlotte and I have had a falling out. We were having a snowball fight and I hit her with a really big snowball. Now she won't talk to me. If she is going to play with the boys she has to expect to be treated like one. I really don't mind that she isn't talking to me. It's not like she was my girlfriend and we were in love or anything.

It's spring and my youth group is going on a canoe trip. I ask Tom to go along with me. We go and it's the longest day of my life. We end up traveling 40 miles on a slow moving river. The whole way I'm regretting it.

School's out and I pass all my classes but just barely. I get several D's. My parents are real upset with me. That's nothing new. I can't remember when my parents haven't been mad about my grades.

We go on a vacation out West again. We stop at a campground and there is this guy on a motorbike in the site next to us. I go over and introduce myself.

"Hi, my name is Bill."

"Hi, I'm Ron. Nice to meet you."

"Are you on a camping trip?"

"No I'm on my way to Denver to find a job."

"How old are you?"

"I'm 22."

"I'm 15. I see you smoke cigarettes."

"That's not all I smoke."

"Wow, you smoke pot too?"

"Yep, you want some?"

I've been curious about marijuana for quite some time now so I agree. I tell Ron I have to wait until my parents go to bed. He says that's just fine. We spend the next two hours talking. Then my parents call me for dinner.

About 10:00 o'clock I go over to Ron's camp.

"Here you go. I have a joint just for you. It's not very good. It's just some cheap Mexican stuff but it will give you a buzz for about 15 or 20 minutes."

"You sure you don't want to share it?"

"I just smoked one. Go ahead and knock yourself out."

I take the joint and light it up. I know from my smoking experience how to smoke and unlike President Clinton I inhale. Ron just sits and is quiet. After I finish he goes to bed. I really don't feel any different. I go to the bathroom and look in the mirror. My eyes are red and glassy but I don't feel high. I smell my hand and it smells like burnt leaves. I wash my hands and go to bed.

Driver's education is lots of fun. I only go two days a week. I get to drive first on a course in the school parking lot and then on the street. I pass at the top of the class and go get my learner's permit. I get a long lecture from my dad because of my grade. I don't understand my parents sometimes. I get a lecture when I do bad and I get a lecture when I do good. Dad says that if I do good in driver's education, why don't I do good in all my classes.

We are going to pick up our foreign exchange student. His name is Anders Viken. He is from Norway. He lives just south of the Arctic Circle. He comes out of customs and introduces himself as Andy. He's taller than I am. I'm now 5' 3" and he has to be 5' 9". He is 17 years old and about to turn 18. He has brown hair and brown eyes. He speaks good English. His favorite activities are downhill skiing and table tennis. We get along well even though he is two years older than I.

I quit my paper route. Tom Passariello helps me get a job at Howard Johnson's as a bus boy - dishwasher. He is a cook there. My starting pay is $1.75 on hour. I'm rich! The head bus boy - dishwasher is Declan Ellis but we all call him Dexter. The morning bus boy - dishwasher is Maxine. She looks and acts like the patients I saw at Caro State Hospital. All the waitresses complain that she steals tips. The head manager is named Vern Davis and he is real old. Then the day manager is Elaine and she is also real old. The night manager is Nick and he is a few years older than I. My mom has not been able to keep me out of the kitchen since I was tall enough to reach the counter. I love to cook and I can cook and bake many things. I hope I get to be a cook.

I get my class schedule and I'm depressed. I select world history as an elective. I like history. I get the hardest teacher in the school. Her name is Miss. Busaid. I take Andy over to school to show him around. I don't think I have told you our school is called Douglas MacArthur. The west building is where most of the 9th and 10th grade classes are held. The assistant principal is Mr. Arllington but we all call him 'Worm'. He is real skinny and a jerk so that is how he got his nickname. Anyway we are walking past the west building and there are a bunch of sea gulls flying over the building. I explain to Andy that 'Worm' must be in.

My first day of school and I get to Miss Busaid's class. We all sit down and she starts explaining her grading system to us.

"I don't grade the same way your other teachers do. I could care less what you do in class as long as you don't disturb anyone. If you sleep I don't care. If you want to leave I don't care as long as you let me know where you are going. If you want to go to the student store or smoking area that is fine by me. But if you get a zero don't be surprised. If you stay awake and do all your work and do a good job you will get a C. If you do extra credit and go far beyond everyone else you might get a B. If you are smarter than the rest of the class and smarter than any student I have ever had and smarter than me you might get an A."

I could tell that this teacher is going to be a hoot. I'm in marching band again this year. I have social studies and my teacher is Mr. Dubay. He seems like a great teacher.

I can't wait to see what's going to happen this year.

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