Walking the Halls of My High School

I saw the job on my job list:

North Collins High School.

I didn’t think a whole lot about it, but I knew I’d be going because I wanted to stop and see Mom and drop off some essentials.

I wasn’t quite ready to walk through the doors of my high school.

I parked in a lot across from the front of the school and I immediately glanced to the sidewalk in front of the main door.

At 13 years old I had walked down that sidewalk with my first real date. Ruth Hunter. I worked up my nerve to hold her hand as we walked to the Lemon Tree for curly fries.

43 years ago!

I could feel the same nervousness. I still text back and forth with Ruth and we’ve laughed over that date, but it makes my heart stir a bit.

I headed through the front door and went straight to the construction office. It’s in Mr. Dicembre’s old room.

 

“I got thrown out of this room when I was a senior,” I told the construction manager. “I told Mr. Dicembre that I got accepted to Gannon and he told me ‘I graduated from there. If I had any friends down there I’d call them and warn them about you.’”

I said, in front of a full classroom: 

“You went there for four years and you didn’t make any friends?”

The construction manager laughed. “Yeah, that would get you tossed.”

I walked down the hall to the principal’s office just as I’d done 38 years ago after getting bounced from class.

Gary Nicholsan is no longer with us. I remembered telling him why I’d been thrown out and he laughed really hard.

“Okay, just sit quietly.”

We both laughed at that.

I walked down the hall. The bones of the school is still the same, but it’s expanded a bit. I couldn’t find my old locker because they’ve been moved, but I passed a spot by Mr. Desantis’ room.

My heart sunk because I instantly recalled a day long ago when Yvonne and Kellie and Diane had yelled at me for talking too much about something.

That was junior year.

They were mad at me for a week and that seemed like ten years back then.

I passed Mrs. Dole’s old room and thought about how she’d taught us to keep score in bowling.

Mrs. Jans’ room too and my struggle with algebra for a little while and then it just clicked in.

I considered all the people who’d walked those halls with me back then. I cherish all the old friendships but I only talk with about ten people from way back when.

I stopped dead in front of Stan Tezyk’s old room. He was a good guy, and I think of him a lot.

He once caught me passing a note to Kellie when we were in psychology class. He didn’t embarrass me in front of the class but he came up behind me and whispered in my ear.

“Stay after class.”

I clearly remembered that afternoon.

“You’re a smart kid,” he said at the start. “Don’t get distracted in life.”

Of course I was defensive. I wanted to claim that I didn’t pass a note. He waved me off.

“Own up to things. Be smart. I know your Dad and he’d tell you the same thing I’m telling you, minimize your chances to f**k up.”

What great advice!

The school felt small, but I thought about everything.

The music we loved. I could almost hear Bob Seger’s ‘Night Moves’, or .38 Special doing, ‘Hold on Loosely.”

I thought of Jeff and Al and Eddie and JC.

Friends for life.

And the heartache!

All the girls we loved like Kris and Pam and Lisa and Sue and Tammy and Yvonne and Diane and Kellie and Ruey.

“I hope they’re all so happy,” I thought, and I know that most of them are.

“I hated high school,” my wife says every now and again.

“Not me,” I answer. “I loved it because I dominated there.”

She laughs.

“You were probably a geek.”

I can’t admit it to her, but I definitely was. 

“A little too tall, could’ve used a few pounds.”

As I was leaving I passed a wall where the old class photos are posted.

“There I am.”

I stared at the class photo for a long, long time.

Smiled.

At the thought of all the friends I made, all the love I felt, all the pain since.

Walk the halls of your old high school.

It’s awesome.