It's amazing the things that's stay with you over the years. There are things you remember and things you forget. Today I was remembering one particular day in my life. It wasn't anything drastic or dramatic. It was something that I did a bunch of times, but for some reason this day always resonated with me.
I never understood why skipping school seemed like a good idea. Before I was in high school, all I could do was stay home or wander around until school was out. I would have much better gone to school, occupied my time and gotten something to eat. Instead one day I had an adventure that basically was what I had coming to me for ditching.
Instead of skipping school as a kid, I would find ways to be sent home or I would purposely miss my bus and knock on the neighbor's door, who ran a day care, so I could chill there all day. My wife told me once she would go to the building's laundry room and stand in the space between the dryer and the wall until it was time to go home. I knew that the morning kindergartners were dismissed at noon everyday. I also knew that the bus they rode went through my neighborhood, so I would get "sick" around 11. Then I would go to the nurse, fake throwing up in the bathroom, and be sent home on the 12 o'clock bus.
This was while I was at Calverton Elementary in Beltsville Maryland. Before that I attended Langley Park Mc Cormick for Kindergarten and second grade. In the first grade I went to Catholic school at Our Lady of Sorrows, from where I was kicked out. In 87 we moved from the hood to the suburbs. I was entering the 3rd grade. My 4 years there seemed like an eternity. I had 5 different teachers in 4 years. In the 3rd grade I had Mrs. Mentall. Then the following year I had a teacher that I can't recall her name because she mysteriously disappeared midway through the year and was replaced by Ms. Warner. I later learned that the teacher that was replaced had gone to a mental institution. My mother even received a letter from the school because it seems that I was the reason she ended up there. In the 5th grade I was taught by Ms. Howe. One of my greatest influences. She was an English teacher, who had published book. She could tell stories out of nothing and you would think it actually happened. I think she inspired me to write and story tell in some way, even though back then I didn't like her much. One day someone told her I called her (Ms. Howe) a bitch, so she asked me if I said it, I told her I didn't say it but I was thinking it.
It was in the 6 grade, while in Mrs. Suite's class, when I had my first adventure in skipping. I had it all planned I was gonna wait for the bus to leave. I was gonna walk downstairs, to Ms. Brenda's, and give her a sob story on how I missed my bus. Instead this time she called my bluff. She informed me that her brother in law was there and he would give me a ride to the school. She told him the school was by the Giant grocery store in Calverton. Instead he drops me off by the Safeway in Hillandale. I said nothing, when he stopped I jumped out. I figured it beat going to school. This is exactly what happened that day in it's entirety, I'm not sure why I remember every detail, but here it is.
It was roughly 8 a.m. I cross the street and go into the Ames, that is now a huge Unique/Value Village thrift store. While I was in the store I wandered around and ended up in the greeting card isle. As I stood there reading random birthday cards, a song I had never heard, suddenly comes on the speakers. It was a rendition of Come On Baby Light My Fire by Jose Feliciano. I had heard the Doors' version before, but this one was much more soulful and became engraved in my mind from that moment on. I then left the store and walked around the shopping center from store to store. I went to the Hallmark, then around to the shipping store. I had a few dollars so for some reason I bought 3 rubber key covers. At about 10 a.m. when it started to warm up, I decided it was a good time to start walking home. I started walking down Powder Mill Rd with a back pack and coat on. As it got warmer I ended up taking my coat off. I walk past people's driveways looking at their mailboxes.
As I reached the intersection of Riggs Rd. I noticed the last house had a mailbox with gold letters which spelled Escalante. My mind wandered and I really believed that Jaime Escalante, the teacher from Stand and Deliver, played by Edward James Olmos, live in that house. I continued down Powder Mill past the U.S. Army Research Laboratory. As you walk down Powder Mill there is a big dip. It's a steep decline then all up hill from there. The problem is that after some point there is no side walk, so I'm walking on asphalt while cars are speeding past me. It was nerve racking. I finally made it up the hill past Hillhaven senior citizen facility (which was where I had my first job washing dishes in high school) When I reach Cherry Hill Rd the angels sang. I was practically there.
I walked up Cherry Hill toward the Maryland Farms Condominiums, where we lived. I went up my steps and into our condo. I figure I had won. I didn't expect anyone to be home. I was mistaken when I see my drunk brother come out of his room. He starts to interrogate me on why I was home so early. I lie and tell him it's a half day. He asks me why Juan, my cousin (who went to the same school) wasn't home yet. I lie and tell him that Juan went to play with his friends. He calls me a liar, takes his belt off and beats me. Then he makes me take the empty case of beers out he drank and the trash. He never told on me.
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