Life and Times

I told my counselor that I think Jeremy and Melinda are quite shy. She asked me where they got that from. I've always considered Carmen the more outgoing of the two of us so I had to say myself. I have to make an effort to interact with others. Over the years, various things stimulated me to be less introverted. My Grade 5 teacher made a surprising comment in my final report card about me being a leader in the classroom. Something I never considered.

In Grade 8, I decided I needed to get out of the house so I said I'd go out every Friday whether there was anything on at the school or not. I made the rounds to a number of youth drop-in centres. I played floor hockey and some billiards but I saw lots of other things, classmates getting into drugs, friends I never wanted, girls I couldn't respect, ones I could and lawless youth pranks. As I went to various spots, I'd see the same people. I had to wonder what other youth my age were doing.

I ended up having my first girlfriend in Grade 8. She was my best friend's sister. She was a year older than me and we only really went on one "real" date. Most of the time we hung around with my friend and sometimes her friend, as a foursome but they would often disappear and leave us alone. I remember one time hitchhiking. A couple surprisingly stopped, let us all pile into the back seat and took us from Ontario Place to downtown. My girlfriend's parents eventually found out and went ballistic saying I was corrupting her even though I consider that she initiated the relationship. OK on reflection maybe we were too young but it ended that way with me forbidden to see either her or my friend. It was really a young infatuation. We met many years later on the ferry from Ward's island. Glad to see each other but quickly ran out things to say. We had had some good times but never really knew each other.