SEVEN AND COUNTING or HAWAIIAN PUNCH

In my day, the school was divided in 2 sections: Grammar School and High School. The grammar school (Grades 1-7) were on one hall and the other side of the complex was high school, beginning with the 8th grade. In the middle were offices and auditorium. The auditorium was my favorite place because there was a stage there - the magic kingdom for me.

Entering the 7th grade, there was Lyn and I in the same room. They had never let us be in the same room for 6 years. Why? We were hellions, best friends and so sophisticated we didn't stink (or so we thought at the time).

We didn't like our teacher very much, I must admit. It wasn't her fault - she was just clueless in the sophistication department. She didn't understand us - for sure.

Lyn and I were both children of 'sink drinkers' and we stayed up late at night watching Jack Parr and shows way beyond our years. One morning we came to school (Lyn was always driven to school by Lovett, their cook and helper. Mind you, school was only one block from her house, but Lovett drove her anyway.) This particular morning Lyn motioned for me to come to the cloakroom in the back of the class, and I went.

She proceeded to tell me the commercial she had seen for the first time the night before. You know it, I am sure. It was a cartoon and in it this funny character sauntered by another character and said, "Would you like a nice Hawaiian Punch?" and the guy says, "Yes". And the first guy just knocks the crap out of him BLAM!.

When Lyn told me this, we both screamed so loudly, the teacher came back and threatened to send us to Mr. Cates, the principal. We sat down immediately, but could not stop laughing. Since we each only lived a block from the school, she finally sent us home. True story.

Later, devious as we were even for the 7th grade, Lyn and I decided that we needed to either have the teacher fired or get transferred to the other section of the 7th grade. So we took a poll of the class, "Do you want the teacher fired?"

Everyone voted yes. I'm not kidding. And we presented the poll to the teacher and, naturally, she cried. Oh well....

But all I remember is that damn Hawaiian Punch - - BLAM!