First Day Of Grade Eight...

     First day school clothes...

    We moved from Burnaby to Port Moody when I was 12 and I had to start grade 8 at a completely new school with no friends (stings). Some kids a year younger than me that lived in my new neighborhood  informed me that the first couple of days or so are devoted to "initiating" the grade 8's. I was told this could involve anything from having 8's (and eyebrows, moustaches, beards etc.) drawn on your face with a felt pen, a possible beating, face washed with shoe polish or your head flushed in the toilet. (I had also saw kids having the misfortune of being locked in their lockers upside down and eggs broken over their heads). I was terrified all summer long of the dreaded first day of school. Port Moody Jr. Sec. went to grade 11 and I was pretty small, so that made the prospect of this day even more horrifying.

    On opening day I kind of hung outside the fence surrounding the school waiting for my chance to enter, while trying to go unnoticed (which was pretty much what I did throughout school anyway). I was witness to all manner of horrors but somehow managed to make it in unscathed other than one brief but scary incident. This "teenager" came up to me and I noticed he was carrying a small grey kitten. He proceeded to hand it to me and said, "Carry my cat, kid." I was scared shitless (for lack of a better term... actually there is no better term) and did exactly what was requested of me, feeling that complete compliance might reduce my chances of a beating. We walked about a half of a block (with him behind me) and then he abruptly told me to stop. He took the cat back, cuffed me across the back of the head and said, " You're a good grade 8, kid." I was so relieved because as scary as this was it seemed a damn sight better than having a tin of black shoe polish pressed right up your nose.

     I made into the school and took my seat in homeroom. There were a variety of kids with egg in their hair, felt pen and shoe polish on their faces and a couple of wet heads from the dreaded flush (I always wondered if they peed in the toilet first) but now comes the real point of this story, the rest was just filler. Right beside me was the most beautiful creature I had ever laid eyes upon. Her name was be Patricia Heison. I was completely taken by her beauty, long strawberry blond hair, deep brown eyes and a sprinkling of freckles across the bridge of her nose and cheeks. Even though I had only been on the planet a mere twelve years I couldn't believe anybody could be that pretty. There was even something about the way she walked, clutching her books to her chest. She had certain grace about her and to this day I don't think I've seen anybody with better posture (might have been a dancer). It turned out later she was a straight A honor student as well. Patricia sat right beside me for the next year and I don't remember saying more than two words to her but every day I saw her I felt exactly like Charlie Brown and  the little red haired girl...