The Big Picture Chapter 8

A special thanks to Ed for editing this chapter.

And to William F. Laegler for Content Editing.

My sister Mary Jane is off to college. She is majoring in music at the University of Michigan. I'm glad she's gone.

Andy and I are getting along great. He left his skiing equipment in Norway. He decided to buy equipment here. I also buy skiing equipment. Andy is going to teach me to ski. It's only September so I find some really good deals. I can't wait for the snow to fly.

My grandparents come for a visit. Granddad still hasn't figured out how to use the CB radio dad bought him. I go out to the car with him and start teaching him. I explain how this works and that works - how to use this and that. He is really picking up on it when he gets this weird look on his face. It's like he is seeing me for the first time. Instead of looking at some smart-ass grandkid like the way he always looks at me, he looks at me like he has never seen me before. It's impossible for me to describe that look but I will never forget it. I find out later that all the way home he told grandmother how impressed he is with me. He really didn't want to come visit because he didn't want to see me. I'm not sure exactly what happened but I'm glad he likes me now.

My job is going great. My boss works me all the hours that I can handle. The work is not hard. I bus tables, wash dishes, wash pots and pans, sweep and mop, and put away stock. Every chance I get I learn how to do new things. I work very hard and everyone likes me.

Andy gets invited to a party and I go too. There are older kids there from school. I really don't know them. They offer me a beer and I accept. After the third one I start feeling really good. Now I know why people drink. I really don't like the taste but I feel so good. I'm glad Andy invited me to this party.

It's my 16th birthday and I go to the driver's license office to take my tests. I get a 95 out of 100 on my written test and pass my driving test. I have my driver's license. I'm really happy. My dad decides to take me to a car dealer and buy me a car for my birthday. It's a 1968 Mustang. It's a nice car.

During my lunch at school I have been hanging out at this cheese and wine shop across from our high school. I tell the owner that it is my 18th birthday. The legal drinking age has been changed to 18. I ask my mom to buy me a gift to celebrate my 16th birthday. The owner asks my mom about me being 18 and it goes over my mom's head. Now the owner thinks I'm 18 and I can buy beer anytime I like.

It's three days after my 16th birthday. I pick up Matt, Don, and Danny and we go cruising in my car. I have a six-pack of beer and we each have a couple cans. I'm showing off and driving really fast. I'm driving down this road near school about 60 miles an hour when I notice that the road is coming to an end. It's too late. I slam on my brakes and the car skids sideways. I hit the curb hard sideways and the car goes vertical. Then it slams back down hard. I try to drive away but the car will not go. I get out of the car and I see that the back tire is all busted up and the front wheel is bent at an angle.

The guys get rid of the beer cans and take off. I go to a nearby house and call my dad. I tell him that I swerved to miss a cat and hit a curb. I also tell him where I'm at and he says he'll be right there. I go outside, back to my car. There is a policeman there. My heart was beating really fast before but now it's pounding out of my chest. I approach the police officer.

"What happened here, son?"

"I swerved to miss a cat and I hit this curb."

"Don't give me that, son. You have 90-foot skids. You had to be going at least 50 miles an hour before you went into that skid. We got a call that some kid was joy-riding and ended up piling it up on a curb. Now, what really happened?"

"I was going too fast and I tried to stop when I saw the road coming to an end but I could not."

"Are you alone?"

"Yes."

"Have you been drinking?"

"No."

"Well I'm going to write you a ticket for careless driving. I should write you a ticket for reckless driving but based on the looks of your car you won't be driving for a while. What do you plan on doing with it?"

"My dad is coming."

When my dad got there the policeman told my dad what happened. He had my car towed away and told me it was no longer my car. He is going to get it fixed up and give it to my sister.

I go to court and end up paying a fine and get my driver's license taken away for 6 months - what a drag! At least I didn't get a ticket for drinking and driving. They never knew I was drinking. I tell Dad about my friends leaving me and get another lecture. Dad says that really good friends never do that.

Every Friday night our church has a youth party. I ask Andy to go with me. I go over to the 7-11 near our house because my beer store is closed. I ask this man if he'll buy me a six-pack of beer. He says okay but warns me not to tell anyone where I got it. I get the beer and Andy and I go to the party. We drink the beer in the parking lot before anyone else gets there. We go inside and I get a little goofy. Pastor Doug takes me in his office and says he knows I have been drinking. He tells me he's not going to tell my parents but it better not happen again. The whole point of having these Friday night parties is to keep us from going out drinking and stuff.

I go to church with dad. We go home and dad wants to talk to me. Pastor Doug told him about Andy and me drinking in the parking lot. He grounds me for a month except for school and work. I can't go anywhere. I can't believe that Pastor Doug lied to me. He could have told me he was going to tell my dad. I'm not going back to that church, or any church for that matter.

I buy my first rock album. It is Arrowsmith's 'Toys in the Attic'. I really like it. I listen to it all the time.

Once or twice a week I go to the wine and cheese store and get a six-pack of beer at lunchtime. I drink it all in about a half-hour and then go back to school. I'm not getting caught.

I get called into Mr. Allington's office. (The Worm) Last year my friend Tom brought some wine into school. I put it in a thermos. We only drank a little and then we hid it. I saw the thermos sitting on his desk.

"Bill, I called you into my office because of this thermos. It has wine in it and has your name on it."

"That's not my name, Mr. Allington. That is my sister's name."

"Now, Bill, we both know that your sister would NOT bring wine into school!"

"Well, I don't know where it came from. Maybe she lost it or someone stole it."

He isn't convinced but he has no real proof that I brought the wine into school so he lets me go.

Andy has made friends with some other foreign exchange students. One of them is from Colombia and he is having all kinds of problems with his host family. He speaks very little English and they don't speak any Spanish. My dad intervenes and gets the Silva family across the street to take him. Andy starts going over there and I go along. I make peace with Martin but we're not great friends. They have a ping-pong table in their basement and we spend hours playing.

We finally get some decent snow and Andy and I go skiing. I'm already good at falling from my years of riding bikes and mini-bikes. I really enjoy skiing. I wish I had learned to ski years ago.

1975 has come to an end. I have my whole life ahead of me, if I don't end up killing myself.

1976

I passed all my classes last semester. I even got a B- in Miss. Busaid's class. This semester has only one change. I'm a library assistant in the afternoon.

I go to the wine shop for lunch and by the time I get to the library I'm really tired. I crash out on some shelves in the back for a while. The librarian tells me if I ever drink my lunch again she is going to turn me in.

My boss at work promotes me to cook. He gives me a raise to $2.25 on hour. I'm doing really good at work.

I go and pick up a six-pack of beer. I ride my bike home and drink the six-pack in about 30 minutes. I get back on my bike and ride back to school. I go to band class and my band teacher turns me in. I go to Mr. Allington's office.

"Mr. Bellon tells me you have been drinking."

"No, I haven't."

He sticks his nose right under my mouth and smells.

"You smell like a brewery. Now tell the truth. Have you been drinking?"

"I rode my bike home and I drank a six-pack of beer and rode back to school."

"I couldn't ride a bike after drinking a six-pack of beer. I'm surprised that you can even stand up."

"A six-pack of beer is no big deal."

"It is at school. I'm going to have to call your parents and suspend you for 3 days. Now go sit outside while I call your parents."

Next, my dad searches the house, finds a 12-pack of beer and pours it down the drain.

"This drinking has gotten totally out of hand, it's got to stop," dad says. "You're grounded for a month except for school and work."

"Why don't you make it two months?"

"Okay, you're grounded for two months!"

"What difference does it make? I'll come and go as I please and there's not a thing you can do about it!" I shout.

I storm out of the room and go to my room. There really is not anything my parents can do. I know that they won't throw me out.

After my three days off I drop out of band class. Who needs it anyway? I do decide not to drink at school any more.

Several weeks later I feel like drinking again. I decide to take some money from my mother to make up for the beer my dad dumped out. After my mom goes to bed I sneak into her room and look in her purse. She wakes up - yet another family meeting. Dad is more rational this time and I tell him the truth as to why I was trying to get some money. I have money in the bank from my job but I wanted to make up for what he dumped.

We decide that I need to talk to a professional head shrink about my problems. I don't have a problem with that. I go talk to this psychiatrist once a week for 4 weeks. I don't get much insight as to any of my problems. We both agree my parents are the problem. He tells them to read a book explaining how to deal with teenagers, and that is that.

I get tickets to my first rock concert. I ask Charlotte to go with me - She agrees. The concert is 'Queen' and 'Bob Seger.' I decide I need some pot to take with me. I approach this kid at school that I know gets high. He says he can get it for me but I have to give him $20.00 up front. He has to go to another high school to get it. I give him the money and he never comes back to school.

I see him later and he says that he got busted after he got my pot. Now he doesn't have the money or my pot. I know he ripped me off but I'm not going to worry about it. I'll just need to remember not to give money up front again.

I go to the concert and it's great fun. I get to smoke some pot but once again it does nothing for me. I like beer much better. 'Queen' is a new band. They're real good.

Andy and I have never gotten close. He hangs around with older boys. He's going home soon.

Dad just came by work. He tells me that my grandfather died of a stroke. He was 72 years old. We go to Otsego, MI for the funeral. All my aunts, uncles, and cousins are there. I play 'taps' at the gravesite. I feel sorry for my grandmother. I'll miss my grandfather.

I finish school and I pass all my classes except band. I did much better in my morning classes than I did in my afternoon classes. I even got a C+ in Miss Busaid's class.

I work full time now. If I work full time all summer I'll have enough money to buy a car. Only two years of high school left to go.

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