Call England

At the end of the day in junior high, I felt amazed that I made it through another day and deep dread knowing that I would have to go through it all again. After school, I could go home on the bus or hang around after with Kara and or Heather and then walk to my grandparents house- my dad would stop there on his way home from work and then take me home.

Actually, I think it was Heather and I who would hang around afterschool for a little bit. There was wrestling practice in the little gym behind the bigger gym. I don't remember the goal of hanging around the wrestling practice area. I do remember the smell of what must have been the gym floor or the polish they used to clean the gym floor. There were candy and pop machines which seemed so decadent. If I had change to buy stuff it was like an orgy of cheetohs and snickers and cherry cokes.

There was a payphone there which I would use to call my mother and tell her I didnt take the bus home. The phone was also used to "Call England." There was some 1-800 number that you could call and a british woman would answer and then you would hang up feeling satisfied that you called England.

It was a terrifying time in my life, as junior high is to most kids. Girls getting periods all over white pants...there was a boy in our school that used to say "You beat off" as a casual insult. However, I really thought he had some inside information on me.