I suppose we will be a family who musicals. Well, maybe not all of us. But some of us. Suessical the Musical was coming to my alma mater and I figured what better musical to expose David to the wonderful world of theater!? My mother's Greek friend's daughter was in the pit and they of course came to support her. Thank you Nonna for the musical treat! And a combination of Matt and my sister watched Dom and tried to get him to take a bottle (spoiler alert: he didn't really eat).
I feel like my high school is in some kind of weird time continuum thing. When I left those doors in June of 2001 I was 17. I haven't been back since, at least not that I remember and we all know about my memory, but still. There are these huge windows facing the football field and they have a built-in bench running the length of them. We sat on those benches every single morning before the bell would ring and we would congregate there at the end of every day as well. High school is weird. And then my sister and I were talking about ranks and popularity and how that may have contributed to the location one landed in in the lobby? High school is weird. But on that day in June I turned my back and walked away from that building and have not been back. To the grounds sure, but inside? Nope. And then this past weekend I waltzed in with my mother and two eldest children by my side, decked out in backpacks. It was a time warp. I felt the pull towards the girl's locker room where I would drop off my field hockey bag every day. Or when I walked by the locker I "rented" from a friend (payment was a pack of gushers a week, totally steep, but the locker was in a prime location) and wanted to stuff my brown paper bag lunch inside. Not a single thing had changed to my eyes and yet it has been almost 14 years! How?
But, the reason for going! The play itself was loud and colorful and peppy and full of wordly gibberish. I think it's an obvious point, but Letty loved it, she even brought her Thing One hat that they made in preschool. David climbed instantly up on my lap and clutched the program tightly till I could finally coax it from his hands some thirty minutes later. He ate his entire bag of CTC in silence. By the end of the first act he figured out the whole clap at the end of a number bit. We all hit the bathroom during intermission without event.... And Act two began with David climbing off my lap and wanting to drive dump trucks on the seats and then a fecal incident. High school bathrooms don't have baby changing stations, obviously. Which I mean, thank God. But what does one do? Well, he was changed on the hallway floor directly across from The Office. Breaking all sorts of rules I am sure. Nudity in the hallway!? Gasp!
And! Nonna wore the hat!
I wasn't in any rush to head back in after that diaper change, lest he forget the volume control on his voice. So we took a walk. We admired the shiny squeaky gymnasium floors (from a distance mind you, I know the rules, walk around not cut through). We found my brother's state champion picture (number 56 in the picture below) and the glowing awards and assorted plaques. I sat down on the very same benches where I spent countless mornings and afternoons and watched David push dump trucks up and down them. I tried to mentally walk through the halls to see if I could remember what was down what direction (I can't). I remembered who last sat next to me on that very bench, in fact I even know what I was wearing because I have a picture of it and certain things stick in my head like super glue, go figure. And my my my how things have changed. I like to maintain that I haven't aged a day since high school... But when I passed within a foot of one of my favorite teachers and he didn't even pause to second guess if I was a stranger or not? Well then. I guess those 14 years and three babies show after all.
I wasn't in any rush to head back in after that diaper change, lest he forget the volume control on his voice. So we took a walk. We admired the shiny squeaky gymnasium floors (from a distance mind you, I know the rules, walk around not cut through). We found my brother's state champion picture (number 56 in the picture below) and the glowing awards and assorted plaques. I sat down on the very same benches where I spent countless mornings and afternoons and watched David push dump trucks up and down them. I tried to mentally walk through the halls to see if I could remember what was down what direction (I can't). I remembered who last sat next to me on that very bench, in fact I even know what I was wearing because I have a picture of it and certain things stick in my head like super glue, go figure. And my my my how things have changed. I like to maintain that I haven't aged a day since high school... But when I passed within a foot of one of my favorite teachers and he didn't even pause to second guess if I was a stranger or not? Well then. I guess those 14 years and three babies show after all.
So this high school!! Time continuum right!? How is that possible? The world is such a different place now (2001 being all pre 9/11 and the only school shooting being Columbine, among a zillion other things). I am such a different person now. And yet this building is just the same. And one day my three will be walking down those very same halls in an equally very different world. All vying for the best spot in the lobby.
Weirdos.
