The Interesting Girl Who Lived on Garfield Street

I have an uncanny memory of a lot of childhood detail.  I can actually recall an event, possibly as young as 3 or 4, a birthday party, the dress I had on, it’s color, how it felt on my body, and most of all (for you to remain at all interested) I have the lovely and blessed recall of my feelings and observations at the time.  

In reflection, as an adult, I look back at those details and do sometimes add my adult perspective to it…and then, there you have it--a collection of the memories of the interesting girl who lived on Garfield Street.

Here's my first chapter:

I can’t quite figure out if we were just a wee bit lazy after lunch from the seriously scrumptious food fare served up in the Jefferson cafeteria or whether we just wanted to dance under the skylight and pretend we were the coolest girls in school. We felt so daring!

After lunch on most days, Darla and I would start walking outside to the playground, and then quickly dart into the gymnasium double doors, giggling quietly about our clandestine mission to go in observed and by ourselves. 

The darkened gym held all the band musical equipment, sitting quietly in the shadows towards the front left exit and the stage was draped in a closed heavy velvet curtain with gold long tassels at each ends.

In the middle of the gym was a huge skylight that cast a round circle of pretty light onto the shadowy gym floor.   We would twirl and dance and pretend to hold a microphone, and for a few moments in time we were a cool act auditioning for the Ed Sullivan show.  It was such fun.  I can’t even begin to share the joy I felt.

Our favorite prank was for one of us to throw a carrot high and wide hidden away from lunch and then try to find it in the dark. I swear.  We did this.  I’m pretty sure once the carrot landed in the tuba, because Darla, who was in band, a pretty good clarinet player, heard a funny sound later coming from the tuba later in that day.  That was a giggle.

My question to my teachers: did no one see us sneak into the gym?  Did you allow it?  Did you ever peek in and see me throw the carrot or twirl under the light?  If you did, thank you for not being mad, thank you for letting two little quirky a bit chubby girls, not too inclined to play playground stuff, twirl and dance and play make believe rather than be hit by a dodgeball on the playground. Thank you for allowing a budding rule breaker to break a few rules. If you did that, you helped shape me.  You sure as heck did.