L.A. ‘71

Politically incorrect to the max - - -not in # The Book

#PineapplePrincess song by #AnnetteFunicello 1960 – one year after our 50th state. I suppose this song is politically incorrect on several levels, but it was in a YouTube music mix and immediately reminded me of #NancyNakoa, a Hawaiian girl I hung out with in the summer of ’71 in L.A. My Spanish was still good after studying four years of it prior to college and my two semesters at LSUNO with #BeatrizCuellar and Senora Patron. The Chicanos hit on Nancy every few blocks and I answered in Spanish, because she didn’t speak that language. They just stared at me. Eventually, she got comfortable enough to laugh with me about it.

FUN(NY) PROJECT

not in # The Book

20th century Louisiana, the #BayouState. #New Orleans in movies and on TV. Leave #CityPark or #AudubonPark, enter a #FrenchQuarter front door and exit through the back onto a bayou. Pirogue waiting at the veranda. And Voodoo, of course.

Fun project for the two of us - I worked with a photographer for a short while. As we tramped around NOLA on a lazy Saturday morning, he lay down on the street to get the perfect shot. I did a bit of writing before I realized, he was still laying there. I told him several times that he needed to get up. We had places to go and things to do. He ignored me as friends are wont to do. As I walked over to him, he suddenly jumped up yelling at me to make it stop. “Make it stop!” he repeated, hopping from leg to leg ang batting his clothes. I was flabbergasted and wondered why he was shouting at me.

When I got close, I saw thousands of agitated ants scattering away from my dancing friend. He’d obviously not felt them as they crawled on his shoes, pants, and jacket, but once they got under the pants legs, he was alerted. I burst into laughter as I realized he’d fallen for the myth that everyone in New Orleans practiced Voodoo.

MALL ‘85

Steve Perry             Oh Sherrie              not in # The Book

Mall security guard Steve was doing his rounds. It was a slow day in the small mall, so I stood outside where he could see me. Most people rarely walked our way unless they were actually headed to Radio Shack, but word had gotten around that we had a desktop computer in the store. We were beginning to attract curiosity seekers and our on call computer expert Mike was contacted more frequently.

“Have you seen that girl in here before?” Steve asked.

“She’s here almost every day.”

“Do you know what she’s here for?”

“Sure, I asked her one day. She was so exasperated, I felt sorry for her.”

“Well, you’re the only one that knows.”

“Nobody asked me. I would have told them. But, you know, I’m the outsider.”

“Once they get used to you, you’ll be the hit of the mall.”

“If we were staying, I would have gotten to know everybody by now. As it is, I gave David my notice today.”

“I thought you were here for another year.”

“We are. I got a job at the factory. It’s practically across the street from our apartment.”

“That’s good,” Steve said patting my shoulder. He grinned, “I saw you pedaling your ass on the highway the other evening. Riding your bike home at ten o’clock at night is not safe.”

“That’s what David said. He wouldn’t let me ride the night we closed together. He grabbed my bike up and put it in the trunk of his car when he found out. He said if he’d known, he wouldn’t have hired me. Fact is, when I got hired, my husband was on a different shift. I had the car.”

A customer walked in the store. “Gotta go,” I said softly.

“See you.” Steve turned and asked, “Why does she come here every day?”

I giggled, “She’s looking for you.”

“Me? I passed her, she didn’t say anything.”

“Someone told her Steve Perry comes here every day. She’s his number one fan.”

“Journey?”

I shook my head.

Steve Perry, mall security, rolled his eyes heavenward and walked away.