Class pictures...

Ya, that’s me. That’s me in the back row, third from the left. They said I was much too tall to be in the front or even in the middle so they stuck me in the back row next to Marsha Wilkes and Dallas Johnson … the two kids who everyone in our class could simply not stomach no matter how good their cupcakes or cookies were when they brought them in for the entire class on their birthdays.

It was late May and school was just about to be over with for the summer. All us kids had June 16th on our minds as we narrowed down the last couple weeks of the second grade. Our goals were easy; trade as many matchbox cars as we could so as to keep a healthy reserve over the summer and to establish ‘steady’ relationships with girls in the neighborhood - relationships that would last throughout the entire summer.

I had my focus on an extraordinary gal. Her name was Lisa.

Lisa. The name just made me flush with heat to my face and made my belly tickle with nervousness. She was in my class and she sat two seats behind me to the left. (It pays to make note that I almost certainly missed a great deal of significant lessons in school while turning constantly to glance Lisa behind me).

She was much shorter than I and had long, thin blond hair that swung freely down to her belt. She never tied it back and when at recess in the California sun her hair would stick to the sides of her face and mouth. She’d reach up elegantly with a hand and slide her pinky finger underneath her hair removing it from her face and mouth. Her eyes were stunning blue and had a constant squint to them even indoors. Her nose and cheeks showed signs of attractive sunspots, freckles would be an insult.

Near the root system of a large tree my best friend Joey and I were playing service station with a number of cars we had collectively accumulated. He was the service station attendant at the side of the nearby racetrack that I happen to be exhibiting my veteran driving skills on. I pushed a small hot rod along the dirt road constructed by the dragging of two fingers through the dust in the pathways of our imagination.

“Beep, beep! Hey lemme get some gas.”

“C’mon in pal and I’ll be right with ya” Said Joey in a comical almost New York accent.

“Okay” I said “But I gotta get back to the races….”

“Ah, Hiya Jacob!”

I froze. I was familiar with that voice all to well as I heard it answer questions and talk chit-chat behind my desk since school started in September. I leaped up and made every attempt to look as if I may be supervising the goings-on around here as opposed to actually partaking it this toy-car-nonsense.

“Hiya Lisa!” I said, my voice cracked. “Whatcha doing?”

“Nothing. We were playing dodge ball but Marsha got hit in the face and Mrs. Stare said we had to put the balls away for a while.”

She smiled out of the right corner or her mouth when mentioning Marsha’s misfortune. I warmed inside and laughed at the thought.

“What’re you guys doing?”

“Uh,” I paused “We, uh, we were just playing – er, I mean, we were just sitting around, uh, over here.” I scratched nervously at my arm with my opposite hand.

“Oh” She said. Looking interested over at Joey kneeling down in the dirt making ‘vroom, vroom’ and ‘squeeel’ noises as he negotiated the race track with one of MY CARS!

“What are you doing this summer?” She was now looking right into my eyes as if waiting for me to tell her I was going to take her away to Sea World or even Lake Tahoe, just the two of us! The sun caught the left of her face and her hair glowed. She blinked her eyes slowly waiting for my answer.

“Oh, I’m gonna, you know, build a fort, uh, hang out with Joey, and maybe go roller skating a few times.”

“I love roller skaing! Does you family go to Sunrise or somewhere else?”

“No, Sunrise. I’m there… I mean … I’m there sometimes … ah, with Joey, not just my Mom and Dad”

“Oh.” She smiled again. That smile. I squeezed down apprehensively on the car that I was cupping in my hand. My hands were starting to sweat and the dust from the hand-made racetrack was turning to mud on my fingers.

“K, Ima go find the girls then.”

“Uh, ya. Okay. Umm, it was really, I mean, thanks for coming by … maybe I’ll see you at the roller rink?”

“Actually, I’m going with my older sister and some friends on Saturday, think your folks would let you go?”

“Oh ya. I’ll sure ask.”

“K”

“K, bye.”

She walked away looking off to the left. There was no one there really; she just wanted me to see the side of her face as she exited on idea that she might see me on Saturday.

Lisa. I loved her name. I must’ve gone over that conversation a thousand times in my head for the next few days. I’d think about her when my mom was talking to me at dinner or when I was lying in bed making attempts at sleep. I’d wonder if she thought about me as much as I thought about her. No. No way.

Ya, that’s me in the back row and in front of me is Lisa. Before the picture was taken she turned around and said I looked ‘very handsome.’ The smile on my face is more of a glow than a smile isn’t it?