- Saturday was an extremely busy day. BoyGeeding had a chess tournament in Boswell that lasted all day. Then, I drove to my 30-year high school reunion.
- I had to rent a car to make this trip happen. I may have told you the last time I did it was a fiasco that included multiple tow trucks. This time, Enterprise made up for it by upgrading me to a fun sports car at no additional cost, a Dodge Charger. It was really fun to drive, but rode a little too low to the ground often making a noise when rolling over a speedbump or parking in my garage which is on an incline.
- On my way to Mineral Wells, I made sure to stop at the Big Pantry in Weatherford. When I was growing up, Mom and Dad would always stop there to buy me some gigantic pressure-cooked seasoned potato wedges. Every time I had the opportunity to stop there, I did, but sadly, they didn’t have any available.
- It’s been forever since I’ve driven through downtown Weatherford to get to Mineral Wells. Heck, it’s been forever since I’ve been to Mineral Wells. Of course, I expected to see all sorts of changes. And I don’t think no matter how much I prepared myself; I was going to be in a state of awe, seeing all the stuff that changed and being thankful for a lot of things that haven’t. The vertical flat rock before the cemetery outside of Weatherford was still there, painted with a new message. I don’t think I noticed the underground house with a lawn for a roof. I thought that was the future of homebuilding since I reasoned as a kid they are tornado resistant. Even though I was listening to a podcast, a lot of lyrics from Bryan Adams and John Cougar Mellencamp’s songs went through my head.
- And now the times are changin’
Look at everything that’s come and gone
Sometimes when I play that old six-string
I think about you, wonder what went wrong -
- And now the times are changin’
- Man, EZMarts are still around.
- I arrived about twenty minutes after the event was scheduled, but for some reason, I couldn’t muster up the courage to go inside. It was basically a covered porch, so I just watched from the sidewalk. It was fun trying to figure out who was who. I haven’t seen most of these folks in thirty years. Eventually, I made my way to the entrance, but I still couldn’t muster up the courage and just leaned on a pipe fence in the parking lot. I could hear some familiar voices, which made me smile. Eventually, a band started to play. The music was so loud that everyone came outside where I was standing. That was neat, I didn’t have to go to the party, the party instead came to me, lol. Several old classmates instantly recognized me and asked me in bewilderment why I didn’t step inside. All I could do was shrug my shoulders.
- The closest I came to a class reunion was for my 20-year reunion. But, I only attended the football game the night before and maybe only talked to eight to ten old classmates. This event was much different, and I’d say around 30-40 people showed up. I really looked forward to that event because I was returning to my hometown with what I considered a trophy wife and two cute kids I was proud to show off. Since I never dated in high school, it felt like vindication. Things have changed in my life so much I was embarrassed to show up. Whenever I was asked about life, I’d basically say that I’ve had a lot of ups and downs.
- It was great hearing several folks say they hoped I’d come and tell me what they would think about me from time to time. One of which was Charles. The day the OJ Simpson chase happened we hung out and played tennis for most of that day. We also remember making fun of Troy Aikman in his rookie year because he didn’t finish the season due to an injury on his non-throwing hand. Oh, and we both remember being in Coach Jenning’s English class and having trouble remembering how to pronounce “epitome” correctly.” We both laughed, and when he heard that word, we both thought of each other saying it as “epi-tome-me.” We both had a vivid memory of Coach Jenning’s using the word “stoic” in a sentence for a vocabulary quiz, “Tom Landry had a stoic face on the sidelines.” Yup, I think of Coach Landry whenever I hear that word, as do Charles and Coach Jennings. To my surprise, Charles shared that he had lots of memories spending time at my house. I didn’t say anything, but I don’t remember that happening much. But what really warmed my heart was him telling me how much he loved my mom and how she would always cook and serve his food. He even remembered specific dishes. On top of that, I had two or three more classmates share the same memory.
- Several classmates talked about always coming to my house for help with math or some other subject. I don’t remember that happening that often, but it felt good to be remembered as that.
- My high school crush still looked fantastic and was as friendly and successful as ever. Her husband is a fortunate man. If there were one real-world person I’d want my daughter to model, it would be her. The girl was full of integrity, humbleness, kindness, and a strong work ethic. I asked a lot of people if I could take a selfie with them. She was one of them, but she looked at me puzzled when I asked because she said that’s not something I would ever need to ask her. Despite never being really close to her, I do remember four years after graduation, she attended my father’s funeral. That really, really meant a lot to me. I remember us going to the movies to watch Armongeddon together that same week. When I think of that film, I think about it as the first movie I saw after my dad died.
- I was surprised how many people forgot or simply didn’t know my father had a heart attack three days before graduation and was forced to stay in the hospital.
- Only one person brought up my childhood hero, my brother. The first thing this person told me was that I now 100% look like him. That’s one down part of growing up in a small town with a very popular older brother, there’s no escaping that shadow. He then asked how he was doing. I just told him we don’t talk much, with the absolute truth being I haven’t spoken to him since Mom died in 2006.
- Several people I admired but were not close to made it a point to talk to me when they heard I was there. One of which has done a lot for the city in a leadership role and I made sure to tell him I was proud of him and everything he’s done to improve our small town. He invited me to take part in a drinking game. As y’all know, I don’t drink. I declined but he wouldn’t take no for an answer. He even talked the new district attorney to join. But he made sure to work things out that if the DA lost, he was going to drink the drink for him. I only played twice, and thankfully, I never had alcohol touch my lips.
- One of the girls shared a lot of memories of us two working our very first job together at one of the local restaurants. We had fun talking about our old bosses and coworkers and the character-building that came from waiting tables.
- I was surprised how many were now grandparents. Of the many things I struggle with in life, accepting my age and this stage in life is a big one.
- A few folks tried talking me into moving back and talked about job opportunities. When I lost my family, I remember entertaining that thought, and it just might happen when my youngest graduated high school.
- A lot of us talked about how much we miss football games at Miller Stadium and were upset that there was no longer a bonfire. That was such a great community event every year for homecoming. It wasn’t until I was older that I learned that not every town does this. One classmate, now one of the area’s top dogs in law enforcement, talked about having one on his property and inviting all of us when the weather gets colder.
- There were a few classmates I was really happy to see, but I made sure to tell them I didn’t value or treat them well enough and apologized. One of them was a black girl who always sat next to me because our last names were alphabetically next to each other. And she was one of the most friendly and kind persons I’ve ever had in my life. Our lockers were next to each other, and in between each period between classes, I’d always flirt with her, but she always knew it was a bit. But, there was this one morning a lot of us were waiting in the cafeteria for the first bell to ring. One of our black friends teased me that I must like her, and several others joined in on the teasing. It wasn’t until then I realized there was some truth to it. Embarrassed, I sternly said, “I don’t like no n—-r,” and that quickly shut everyone up. I told her how bad I felt at that moment because I saw the expression on her face and how awkward it made everyone feel. I’ve regretted it ever since, and it still is something I occasionally think about. She said she has zero memory of that happening and can’t imagine me doing anything like that. She told me I was forgiven and expressed concern about how I carried that for over 30 years and told me that’s something I need to let go.
- Several old classmates asked for my number, and I gave it to them. Now, I wonder how many will actually follow through keeping in touch. Everyone seemed surprised that I’m not on Facebook.
- I totally forgot what small-town politics is like. It was interesting being reminded of it and hearing about it from the folks who never left who are doing what they can to change the city for the better.
- I had to do an Irish exit. If I didn’t, I think I’d still be there trying to say goodbye. When I hopped in my car I saw something I never saw before. The Baker Hotel was not only lit up, but lights were on in windows. For all the years I’ve lived in Mineral Wells and as much as the Baker is the identity of the city, I never saw her with her lights on. It was a bit surreal.
- There are a thousand and one things I’ve left out, but maybe I’ll mention a few throughout the week.
- On my drive back home to Lewisville, I was pleased to see that the cross on the hill was still lit at night. Man, that drive home, I was awash in memories. And I was upset that I hadn’t made anything of myself. Supposedly, there’s still time to work on that.
- And to think, I contemplated not going because of the Georgia vs Texas football game, which I really wanted to watch. I thought I’d check the score throughout the evening or pay attention to it as it was on one of the televisions under the patio. But I didn’t think about it until I arrived home. Considering the way Texas played, I made the right decision. The Longhorns needed to be humbled. And it’s great that a loss no longer means your hopes for a championship season are dashed, thanks to the expanded playoff system. Are we sure Ted Cruz wasn’t at the game jinxing another sports team in our state? I was pretty disappointed in the student section throwing stuff on the field. It doesn’t matter to me if they are college-age or not; there are certain things you just don’t do. However, it was nice seeing Coach Stark walk toward that section of the crowd and immediately shut it down. That’s a real example of leadership and integrity, and why I admire the man. I was also impressed with the number of UT staff on the sidelines immediately following him to start picking up debris without being instructed. And I liked how the university didn’t excuse the behavior or play it down. They took full ownership of it. At least, that’s how it played out with the statements the school released on social media.
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He realized that he was happy for the wrong team and immediately corrected the situation.
— The Red (@WomaninRedx) October 19, 2024
