Glory Days

Photo from Wikipedia

I don't know about you, but for me nothing brings on a flashback like a song.  Today while travelling to Elliot Lake- 92.1 "The Moose" played "Glory Days" by Bruce Springsteen.  Instantly I was back in the family trailer.  It was a hot prairie day and my brother had pester me into submission.

I had agreed to play table hockey, as long as he spotted me two points and we could listen to "Born in the USA" on his ghetto blaster.  I was intent on winning,  mainly because my brother had a tendency to gloat when he won and I did not want to endure a week of " I won, I won, I won" taunts.  I let the music guide my playing.    The players slide down their track and twirled around in-sync the beats of "Born to Run" and "Dancing in the Dark".  Bruce helped me win that day and his album became my go to back-ground music for any and all board hockey games for the rest of the summer.

Picture from www.discogs.com

For the rest of the trip "The Moose" acted as my time-machine.  Every song they played brought me back in time and set off a memory chain reaction in my head.  My favourite recall of the drive was this particular memory from my pre-teen years.

Picture from www.amazon.com

Picture it, a small prairie town where imagination is your best friend, as there is little for a pre-teen to do to occupy the long months of summer.  I was rocking the dreaded Nana Mouskouri hairdo;  as much a one can rock the "Mouskouri".  Every night I would pray to the divine powers that be, that Mom would finally relent her stance on feathering + bangs and would let me get the TJ Hooker-  Heather Locklear hair-cut of my dreams.  All would be right with the world if my hair looked like Heather Locklear's.  I could forget about the fact that I now needed to wear glasses and that there was an ever present gap between my front teeth.

If I had "the Locklear" people would not notice my glasses or  the gap because they would be entranced... neigh... mesmerized by my glorious, glorious, hair.  Alas, my mother's stance did not change.  The Mouskouri was to continue to be my fated hair-style for a least one more year.

As I mentioned there seemed to be little to do in those pre-teen years.  I was getting too old to ride my bike up and down the dirt hills and although I still enjoyed tips to the playground, it felt blasé.  The Mall was pretty limited even back then and the fact that it was on the outskirts of town made it impossible to visit without assistance from parental transportation.

The Pool was what turned out to be the hottest ticket in town that year.   I became addicted and a self-appointed pool rat.  I and my BFF could be found at the pool rain or shine.  Sure my best friend and I loved to swim, but what was more important that summer was our love for the lifeguards.

We were    L     O      V      E...... in love.

Many a night was spent on the phone planning on how we would win the hearts of our hero's in little red shorts.  Her love interest was David Wildepants..... mine Peter Enigma (names have been changed to protect the identity of objects of our affections).

The "Plan" usually ended up being a variation of the following:

BFF and I would head down extra early to wait in line for the pool to open. We would bring entertainment in the form of the most recent issue of Teen Beat, a tape player and  taped copies of The Smothers Brothers or Bill Cosby albums to listen to while we waited.  We felt that this would demonstrate our grasp of current pop culture and our sophisticated sense of humour.

Who doesn't love an informed funny girl?

The other reason why we wanted to be first in line, was it gave us close proximity to the office where the Lifeguards hung-out and talked.  Each day we had a mission to learn something new about the objects of our affection.  It may have looked like we were absorbed in leafing through the glossy pages of magazines, but really we were engrossed in the Lifeguard's idle chit-chat.

What they like Duran Duran...... Cory Hart!!!!!!

Photo from www.papermag.com

The next day our musical selection would reflect this new bit of intel.   We didn't mind this type of variation in our routine.  It gave us a chance to dedicate some quality time to another one of our obsessions that summer- fantasizing about our "celebrity" crushes..... (it was important to have a back-up boyfriend choice.... you know, just in case we were unsuccessful in winning over our lifeguards).

Every now and then David and Peter would comment on our music choices or reading material and we would be on top of the world for the rest of day.... okay truthfully the rest of the week.  This little bit of attention seemed to solidify the fact that it was possible that the predictions scribbled in our journal would one day become true...... yes I would be Mrs. Peter Enigma and my friend Mrs. David Wildepants.  How I wanted it to be true.  How I prayed for it to be true.

One fateful day BFF, another classmate and I showed up to take our post by the pool doors,  only to read the pool was closed.

WHAT????

How can you woo Lifeguards when you can't get close to them and you cannot show off your swimming and diving skills?

Solution:  Spend the day at the wading pool.

 Lifeguard adjacent.

Awesome.

Initially it appeared our plan was doomed to fail.  The Lifeguards did what they were paid to do.  They cleaned the deck, checked on the pool, etc.  How sad.  All our scheming and we would have nothing to show for it.  Luckily for us our classmate was more vocal and out-going than us.  Her constant laughing and hamming it up got the attention of the Lifeguards and low and behold they invited us to join them in the big pool area.

(Insert teenage girl shrieking and giddiness here)

Photo from www.elvispresleymusic.com.au

What ensued was fun and frolicking on the deck of the big pool.  A private pool party with the Lifeguards of our dreams.  My BFF and classmate were skilled flirters and they put their talents to good use.  They orchestrated water fights and being tossed into the pool.  It was awesome fun to watch.

Where was I?

Initially I participated in the hi-jinx, but eventually I found myself retreating and sitting on the diving board.  See I was and still tend to be on the shy side.  I have a clear awareness of my strengths and limitations and my flirting skills are definitely not up to par.  It was safer to sit on the side-lines and watch vs. crashing and burning while attempting to flirt.  I did not want to be the reason my BFF did not get her man.

While I was sitting there wishing that I had been blessed with the ability to flirt and hoping that by some stroke of genius I would be able to tap into my inner extrovert, Peter Enigma snuck up behind me and flipped me off the board into the pool.

EEEEEEEEeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!

He noticed me!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Well if that moment was my last moment on the earth I would have been guaranteed to pass-on with a perm-a-grin on my face.  Thinking back on this particular memory- the perm-a-grin returns and I get all tingly and giddy.

Peter Enigma did the impossible. With that simple action he managed to make me feel like I had been transformed from my Nana Mouskouri gapped-tooth self into someone to take notice of, someone to be revered.   I was Heather Locklear in that moment.  I was memorable!!!!!!!!

I am forever thankful to Peter Enigma for making that summer one of the best summers so far and for being the perfect first crush.

For all the Peter Enigma's of the world, from all the girls that feel or have felt invisible

THANK-YOU!