Priceless Gems
The Henke family lived across the cove from our house and had 11 children, five of them girls. And just like mine and most families back then, they were stair stepped, one baby born a year or so immediately after the previous baby; and then another and another and another. The age differences between the girls didn’t matter all that much as everyone was bunched up pretty close. I had a crush on at least one of them a good percentage of the time.
The waitresses at the restaurant were a varied mix; a few housewives, a divorcee, and the girls from nearby Park College. They were all very pleasant to be around and treated me extremely well as I leaned over the three compartment sink and washed dishes. At closing time, the husbands, boyfriends and wanna-be suitors showed up to escort their partners – and prospective partners, out for “last call” at the Starlight Lounge. I didn’t always like seeing some of those guys; losers. I could tell.
Sitting in the front row balcony at the Civic Auditorium, I had a bird’s eye view of the spectacle going on below. The Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey circus was is town; the action was non-stop. The trapeze artists were flipping and swinging, the clowns were clowning and the jugglers juggling.
The elephants rose up high on their rear legs as the zebras ran circles around them. And then it was as if time stood still and nothing else mattered as the curtains in the corner opened wide.
The search lights zig zagged across the crowd; the Ringmaster in the tall 10 gallon hat, red velvet long tail tuxedo and shiny gold belt announced the star of the show: “Cleopatra, Queen of the Nile, lion and tiger tamer extraordinaire!” Oh, my heart melted; she was beautiful, walking in with the animals, snapping her whip. I think I cried when it was finished. I asked my mother if we could take her home.
In grade school, I discovered my father’s soldering iron wire on his workbench. It’s made from a tin and lead alloy and it was soft, able to be hammered flat and shaped into rings. Then I would discreetly pass those rings out at school; very hush hush. I also discovered that giving them to too many girls in the hall and at recess had several negative consequences. Meow.
As my birthday approached and I understood the definition of monogamy, I asked for an I.D. bracelet with my name on it. I had a special girl in mind and had heard through the playground grapevine that she was “sweet’ on me. She was gorgeous; freckles, long brown hair with pony tails and a gap between her front teeth.
I approached her as she was hanging upside down on the monkey bars, my arm out-stretched and palm turned upward, the cheap silver aluminum bracelet with my name etched on it, barely deep enough to be seen, and I said “Here, this is for you.” She took it from my hand and held it in hers and after a brief examination said “Okay” before dropping to the ground and running off toward the swings.
The habit of observation undoubtedly stems from having three sisters and a father who poked his finger in my chest and said, "Look after the girls."
I played the part of chaperone, diplomat and the devil, depending on the circumstance. One idiot who had temper issues threatened to kill me when I told him to get lost. An Italian friend of mine had a few words with this moron and he never came close to her or me again.
And it's a jumble of thoughts and emotion when I read the stories and hear the tales of woe about population implosion and a lack of faith for a brighter world tomorrow when I know deep down inside it isn’t true. It isn’t easy; never was, never will be. But, God is out there, he’s calling, and he’s waiting, always has been and always will be. Happiness is out there, believe it and go get it. The next generation and laugh and tear drop, triumph and failure is out there, and it all goes by so damn quick. Don’t be afraid. No guts, no glory.
