June 13, 2018

Driving home from work this morning as I was merging into traffic, there is a man trying to get my attention.

I am in no fucking mood man!  Get the fuck out of my way!  I am in no mood.  I am fucking pissed as hell.  Get out of my way.  Blue pick-up truck, I understand you want me to look at you, but I am in no mood.  I am mad as hell!

Trying to calm down, I don’t know how that is going to happen, I see a name that reminds me of one of my first boyfriends in grade school.  Greg Latimer, was his name Greg?  Latimer is correct.  Greg (Greg was Lambert’s name before I adopted him) was it?  He asked me to be his girlfriend.  I remember walking around the schoolyard holding hands.

He asked me to be his girlfriend.  He kissed me.  He held my hand.

One afternoon, I returned home and was headed back out the door to play with Latimer when my mother stopped me telling me to brush my hair.  I thought, he already likes me why should I brush my hair?

I brushed my hair.

It’s important.  Taking care of yourself, speaks volumes.  It is not a definition of a person.  It merely speaks volumes.

There was another couple, I forget the girl’s name.  However, the boy was Jeffrey Stur…something…Sturbridge?  Something like that.  He had the oddest way of rubbing his nose.  Take your hand turn it into a fist with the thumb facing you and rub your nose up and down.  That is how he rubbed his nose.  Like he wanted it to fall off.  He rubbed his nose so vigorously and hard.

I remember looking at him thinking there must be a reason why he rubs his nose that way.

Looking at it now perhaps he had allergies or something of the like.

The four of us used to walk the playground together.

What I remember about Latimer was how short the time we were together.  He soon moved with his family to Salt Lake City.

Now, I did an unusual thing that I didn’t understand at the time, still don’t entirely.

I always see this stop when I look back at that time with him.  There was a stop, I didn’t understand.  I suggested that we should switch partners.  Very unusual for me.  It is brazened and hussy-like, so I don’t understand it.  It didn’t last very long, me with Jeffrey and Latimer with her.  It was a mistake.  We went back to being boyfriend and girlfriend, then he moved.

If you are wondering of the connection, I waited on Derek Hough at The Container Store.  He asked for help with a purchase of a blue zip organizer for his electric bills.  He used the word, cool.  I also saw him as he nearly hit me when I was at EPCOT.

If you are wondering about another connection, let me share.  As the Bluetooth and other means are fully aware.

Hollydale Elementary school in Gresham, Oregon was one of my favorite schools – I got to walk to school.  Best thing ever.  Even after Mt. St. Helens erupted and ash was still on ground inches thick for several weeks, I preferred to walk to school rather than ride the bus.  Because I could do it on my own.  Freedom.

It was a brand-new school as it was a brand-new suburb with an open classroom concept that I believe is not a bad idea.  We fourth, fifth, and sixth graders shared one classroom with different teachers.  The idea that the exposure to different ages would help facilitate better social interactions and developments.

One of my favorite science experiments in that school was growing corn because mine grew taller than anyone’s.  In a little paper cup my corn grew taller because everyday after class, during class, anytime I got to get away from class I went to my plant and talked to it.  It also gave me a chance to look out the window and enjoy the view.

One afternoon, all classes were being let out early to go watch Star Wars, so it was a more relaxed school day.  I did not get to watch Star Wars, I was sent out of class to wait in the hall where the teacher forgot all about having sent me out in the hall.

I was more entertaining than the teacher.  Imagine that, me, more entertaining than a middle-aged white male with a white man’s afro in the eighties was more entertaining?  Hardly a difficult task.

There is a puzzle piece here as Mr. Folstad drove a VW.  I have a vintage art poster of San Francisco with an orange VW bus.  See other writings and postings to make the connections.

On Sunday’s the church I went to, I forget the name, used Hollydale Elementary facilities for services.

So, I wonder if Latimer knew he was going to move and that is what prompted him to ask me to be his girlfriend?  I wonder if this is the stop I saw.  Or, if I was just inexperienced or young?

I wrote and wrote him for several months after he moved.

Then, stopped.

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