Later, I remember living in Vallejo, California, there was a little ridge in my back yard. I would climb to the top of it as if I were climbing Mt Everest. There was a large open field up there. All of my brothers and sisters and I would use our imaginations and have so much fun there. We even climbed the ridge to get to school, instead of going all the way around the big block we lived on. One time I sprained my ankle while trying to climb the ridge, it hurt so bad. My mom wrapped up and in a few days it was better.
The school there was called Beverly Hills Elementary, and when we moved to California the kids were jealous. They thought I went to Beverly Hills in California. I kinda liked it though, because in some ways it made me popular, maybe I was a showbiz kid instead of an air force brat. I remember I went to 3 different schools that year, I was in third grade.
I went to 4th and 5th grades there. I started 6th grade in Vacaville, California. I went to Willis Jepson Jr High School, I felt like a big kid there, I did not have to be in elementary anymore. I was never a very good student, barely getting by. I hated school work. I stayed up many a night trying to fathom what the teacher had said and how to do the math. I struggled with English too, the nouns, verbs, what punctuation went where.
I started 9th grade at Vacaville High School. I walked everywhere in Vacaville, went downtown, to the movies, to the shops, everywhere all by myself. It was a safe place there. No-one was stealing kids, we had fun. There were no dangerous parts of town that I recall. There was this one little store I used to go to when I had extra money. They sold these tiny animals there. I would buy a set for my mom every few weeks or so. Dogs, cats, horses, pretty little ceramic gems.
Later that same year, we moved again. This time to Riverdale, California, near Fresno. It was the first time I was exposed to bad kids, or maybe I just then noticed. I found the area ugly. I hated the town and its clickish way. I was an outsider and I could feel it. I bore with the behavior of the other students, but I was just a Freshman, 9th grader. Things began to change, slowly I gained some friends, real special friends. They called one groups nerds (bookish students), and the other the brainy kids (although some were dumber than rocks). I gained friends in each group. I did not mind being called a nerd, it was like a badge. I did not mind that the smart kids liked me either. I fit in finally.
I enjoyed school after tenth grade, I still was not good in Math, or English. I took Art, Home Ec. Geography, and several subjects I was actually good at. Riverdale is a small town, still relatively safe. I knew there were some mean kids though. It was the first time I was exposed to "black" kids. I had seen blacks in the other schools I had gone to, but maybe one or two. I was amazed at so many. Ok I realized that sounds racist, but it is true.
I became friends with kids of all races...I love them all equally. I would converse with them like we had known them forever. However, some of the younger kids, the brothers and sisters to my friends were mean. They had little respect or tolerance for other races. I did not like them so much. I fear if I had known them first, I would not be tolerant of other races either, so I sympathize with them.
I finally made it through. I finally got my diploma in 1971....Then on to Jr. College...more of that next time.
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