So many people talk about how they would never want to go back to their high school years. That is most definitely not the way that I feel. Now, I can't say that every moment was the best ever, yet on the other hand, it would not be such a bad deal. I know for a fact that the word boring would not be used for the time that I was in high school. Alright, I will give you a point for the hour that was spent in Geometry, day after day. That was just an hour. From there we went back out in the hallways with friends. Most of the time, we had great teachers and lots of fun. At least, for me, it was anything but boring.
There were parades that the R.O.T.C. sponsors marched in that led us off in my mom's cool convertible with one of the best English teachers ever (and the coordinator of the sponsors) driving it! We had great fan spirit for the basketball team and the football team. There was the much anticipation about the Homecoming Game where the Homecoming Queen was announced. Even if you did not win the Queen, it was a proud moment to be nominated at school and then to be escorted down the field on game night. I still have the picture that my mother took of me in my blue velvet dress. I loved that dress!
Which leads me to my love of fashion which did start early. By the time I became a senior, I was named the Teen Representative for Modeling on a local television show with a very popular disc jockey, George Klein. When this portion of the show came on the school was announced for that Saturday and the representative (me) got to come out modeling and then sat down by Mr. Klein for a brief chat before announcing the models and what they were wearing. I totally got into that part. We all had a lot of fun.
The show was live, but not the kind of show with an audience. My friends and I went to the back to change out of the clothes and hand over to the store clerk who guarded them like a hawk. We all got our own clothes back on and were headed out when I was pulled over to the side and asked if I knew how to play the keyboard. I replied that I played the guitar and all I knew about the keyboard was where the note C was.
He explained that his group was about to go on live and they would not be playing instruments live, just pretending to be playing. This is how the show always worked because it was live and no room for mistakes. He asked again if they kept the camera off my hands could I pretend to be playing the keyboard? I asked what song? When he said to my amazement, Green Onions, yes, I had heard of that song but not into that many names of bands I had forgotten that it was Booker T. and the MG's who I was just asked to pretend to play keyboard for.
It seems that the keyboard player had not made it to the studio yet. Little did I know that it was Booker T. himself that I was standing in for. I heard the announcement that a substitute was playing the keyboards and to welcome Booker T. and the MGs.
Well, that apparently was my few minutes of fame. I was hoping that the cameraman was not showing my hands because I knew not what I was doing. Just trying to move with the beat and have my hands where they should be. I still have trouble believing that I pulled it off.
By the time that I got home my mother was having a conniption. She could not believe that I agreed to such an arrangement. I am glad that I had a nice sweater on and basically that is all that showed because unlike my friends, I could not wear jeans. It would have been the perfect thing to wear while pretending to be in a band. (I did sneak out to a store the first month of my freshman year at Ole Miss to buy me a pair of jeans.)
The other claim to fame that I look back on and smile is when I came home from college during a holiday, I went out with a police officer. He asked me if I had ever seen or met Elvis. The answer was a quick, "No!" He then said that he had heard he was at The Memphian Theater, which he was known for renting out for his own private movie. His usual posse was always with him and he allowed police officers to come and go also. They just were not to disturb him. I was told that we could go over and sit in the back and I could see Elvis.
Part of me did not believe this. I had to see it for myself. So off we went. We were let in by his body guards once he showed his badge. Elvis and his possee were up toward the third to fifth rows, so we went midway down. I wanted to see more than the back of his head. No one was seated in there with us which I found amazing. I moved my seat all the way to the far side so that I could at least catch a glimpse of his profile. OH WOW! It really was Elvis.
So to go back to my original train of thought, I do remember the days of the old schoolyard with very fond memories. More fond than not. Would I have done things differently? Probably not unless I could know then what I know now. Living in optimism and happiness, with a chunk of naivete is what made it so much fun!
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