I liked to play games or just talk with himI...
I liked to play games or just talk with himI still doweve stayed close over the years

My main academic interest in junior high was mathI was lucky enough to be among the first group in our town to take algebra in the eighth, not the ninth, grade, which meant Id have a chance to take geometry, alge-bra II, trigonometry, and calculus by the time I finished high schoolI loved math because it was problem-solving, which always got my juices flowingAlthough I never took a math class in college, I always thought I was good at it until I had to give up helping Chelsea with her homework when she was in ninth gradeAnother illusion bites the dust

Mary Matassarin taught me algebra and geometryHer sister, Verna Dokey, taught history, and Vernas husband, Vernon, a retired coach, taught eighth-grade scienceI liked them all, but even though I was not particularly good at science, it was one of MrDokeys lessons that stayed with meThough his wife and her sister were attractive women, Vernon chanel cambon bag Dokey, to put it charitably, was not a handsome manHe was burly, a bit heavy around the waist, wore thick glasses, and smoked cheap cigars in a cigar holder with a small mouthpiece, which gave his face a peculiar pinched look when he sucked on itHe generally affected a brusque manner, but he had a great smile, a good sense of humor, and a keen understanding of human natureOne day he looked out at us and said, Kids, years from now you may not remember anything you learned about science in this class, so Im going to teach you something about human nature you should rememberEvery morning when I wake up, I go into my bathroom, splash water on my face, shave, wipe the shaving cream off, then look in the mirror and say, Vernon, youre beautifulYou remember that, kidsEverybody wants to feel like theyre beautifulAnd I have remembered, for more than forty yearsIts helped me understand things I would have missed if Vernon Dokey hadnt told me he was beautiful, and I hadnt come to see that, men's omega watch in fact, he was

I needed all the help I could get in understanding people in junior high schoolIt was there that I had to face the fact that I was not destined to be liked by everyone, usually for reasons I couldnt figure outOnce when I was walking to school and was about a block away, an older student, one of the town hoods, who was standing in the gap between two buildings smoking a cigarette, flicked the burning weed at me, hitting the bridge of my nose and nearly burning my eyeI never did figure out why he did it, but after all, I was a fat band boy who didnt wear cool jeans (Levis, preferably with the stitching on the back pockets removed)

Around that same time, I got into an argument about something or other with Clifton Bryant, a boy who was a year or so older, but smaller than I wasOne day my friends and I decided to walk home from school, about three milesClifton lived in the same end of town, and he followed us home, taunting me and hitting me on the back and rolex chain shoulders over and overWe walked like that all the way up Central Avenue to the fountain and the right turn to Park AvenueFor more than a mile I tried to ignore himFinally I couldnt take it anymoreI turned, took a big swing, and hit himIt was a good blow, but by the time it landed he had already turned to run away, so it caught him only in the backAs I said, I was slowWhen Clifton ran away home, I yelled at him to come back and fight like a manBy the time I got home, I had calmed down and the atta boys I got from my buddies had worn offI was afraid I might have hurt him, so I made Mother call his house to make sure he was okayWe never had any trouble after thatI had learned I could defend myself, but I hadnt enjoyed hurting him and I was a little disturbed by my anger, the currents of which would prove deeper and stronger in the years aheadI now know that my anger on that day was a normal and healthy response to the way Id been treatedBut because of the way Daddy behaved when he was buy miu miu angry and drunk, I associated anger with being out of control and I was determined not to lose controlDoing so could unleash the deeper, constant anger I kept locked away because I didnt know where it came from

Even when I was mad I had sense enough not to take on every challengeTwice in those years, I took a pass, or, if youre inclined to be critical, a diveOnce I went swimming with the Crane kids in the Caddo River, west of Hot Springs, near a little town called Caddo GapOne of the local country boys came up to the riverbank near where I was swimming and shouted some insult at meSo I mouthed off back at himThen he picked up a rock and threw it at meHe was twenty yards or so away, but he hit me right in the head, near the temple, and drew bloodI wanted to get out and fight, but I could see he was bigger, stronger, and tougher than I, so I swam awayGiven my experiences with the ram, Tavia Perrys BB gun, and similar mistakes I still had ahead of me, I guess I did the right chanel shopping bag thing