Hide and Seek

Hide and seek, another great game. Tag.. we got a purebred Irish Setter, proven by his 3 names, Kerry Kilkenny McBride.. he used to play hide and seek too, but, he always, always won. He cheated, I know it. One day, Mom  saw him eat his own poop, so, she gave him to the mailman. Irony?

Junior High.. started in 6th grade that year.. I began the first day, and then developed Whooping Cough the following day. I was out of school about a month from that. Nope, we had no vaccine for that yet,either. I got the mumps, the next yr, you guessed it. S

Then , I fell in love. 7th grade, Gary R. I thought he was it.. I wrote him a note.. professed my love... he passed it around amongst his friends. So, I hated him, lol. Next! Sometime in between, I had the measles and German Measles, nope, we did not have vaccines for this yet We did have and get Small Pox vaccines.  I had to have it 3 times, as my body kept rejecting it. They decided I was already immune. Whew!

Now, for the really fun part. I became a woman. yep, my friend came to visit while I was using the bathroom, and I screamed at my mother.. "MOOOOOMMMMMMYYYYYYYY hurry, I am dying!!!!!!!" I guess I should tell you, that when they had " that movie" at school, my parents did not think I should go. When I found the douche bag in the bathroom, I was told it was an ear syringe. I found the sanitary napkins... my mother explained those were bandages, and I said." Mommy, that would be for a really big boo boo!" She agreed they were for big boo boos, lol. Now, I am dying on the toilet, and she is crying. I am not sure. is she crying because I am dying, or because she did not have THE CHAT with me, or let me see that movie, or because she lied to me about the bandages I was about to get introduced to. Hmmm.

Diana on right, Juliette on left, myself in the middle.

One of my favorite pictures ever. Diana, Juliette, and I standing in backgrund

Juliette ( right) and I with my rag curlers

So, I did not die. So, OK, good, and now... here comes DA boobs, here comes DA boobs. I went from the training bra to a 34 DD like instantly.. ouch. My mother, very well endowed herself, took me to the Dr and asked.." Can you make it stop?" He smiled, and shook his head, and asked her" Was anyone able to stop you:?" hahahahahahah  Now, at the age of 13, boys either went just plain stupid, to really stupid. I think my smart father did too. He would say, " If you get any bigger, we will have to buy 2 Boller hats, and tie them together to make your bra. If you get any bigger, we will have to go to the sports store, buy some tents and tie them together" . Yay, Dad... Wondering why I went to the baggy sweaters?

Mommy, mother of 6, and her Bosom

When I turned 14, I wanted this bathing suit I saw so badly. It was a monokini. My father warned me, " You won't wear it, baby girl." I insisted I would too, and I did. Once. The boys would stand around the edge of the pool as I climbed out, and the Life Guards kept making me sit under the life guard chairs.. No more.

I covered up. I wore some baggy sweaters a lot. I did join the mini skirt revolution, but, the rest of me would be a mystery. My high school history teacher, was Mr Baldwin. He asked me one day, " Durkin, why do you cover up that great body of yours?" Now , remember, this was the good ole days, we did not concern ourselves with perverts, or pedophiles... I did reply, however " because, I do  not care to have dirty old men looking at me. " He grinned. Mr Baldwin, I fund out many years later is the father of Alec, Daniel, William, and Stephen. Yep, them. 

He was also the football coach. One time I took my sister Juliette to a dance at the school gym. Mr. Baldwin was one of the chaperones. He questioned why Juliette was there, since she was a year younger and there were rules... Juliette took off and ran, out the door, and out into the parking lot. Mr Baldwin took off after her. 30 mins later, he came back.. huffing and puffing... and said...gasping voice.. " I could not catch her! She ran so fast, and leaped over hedges, and garbage cans like a gazelle! I need her on the track team!" Maybe I should have told you, Juliette is about 6 ft tall. I am 5 ft 5".  Mr. Baldwin was a bit stocky and not very tall. He was a good man, though. He passed away in the early 1980's.

I was a good student, excelled in English, disliked Math. Algebra? You gotta be kidding me.. I failed the first semester, totally. My father was a mathematical genius. He took me under his wing, and taught me how to do the equations " his way", I aced the next test. Then the unexpected, I failed the next, even with all the correct answers. My father called to speak with the teacher, and was told, she needs to do it " my way". My father asked for a consult. The teacher did not see the error of " his ways", until my father picked him up by the collar. I got the A.  I still can't do algebra.  I just thank God that I did not have the New Math children have to do today, and that my Daddy loved me.



Next, was my second love of my life, aka Howie G. The feeling must have been mutual, as when I would pass by his house, he and his brother would throw eggs at my friends and I. 10th grade. He showed up at a party I was at one night, and he played the guitar for me. He then leaned in and said. " Take off your shirt." He nearly wore the guitar, as I left the room.


I dated a few guys, once or twice, and never felt the " zing".  During a dance at school one night, I was stopped by a very tall, blond haired guy named Tom, who said he loved watching me dance, and could he please buy me a soda.  Yes.. yes you may... I was 16, he was 18 and we fell in love. 


He was already enrolled in college in Syracuse, NY, so before long we had to say a " temporary " farewell, through all the tears that go with the parting. He called me, and I called him, and he came home for a visit, and then asked if we should date others, since the distance was so far. We had just bought a hot, fresh  pizza from Dick and Dora's, and I smiled as I got out of the car, opened the pizza box, and slapped him in the face with the entire pie. He flew back to college the next day, sent me a dozen roses, apologized and asked me to marry him. I told him I would think about it, when he came back home next time.  


 I celebrated my 17th birthday, and accepted Tom's proposal. Tom's parents loved me, and suggested we wait until he had graduated, but, that strong " teen" love won them over.  I promised my parents we would wait to get married, until he graduated college. He was a good guy, they liked him a lot, and the fact that he was studying to be an architect, did impress them, somewhat.. I was still their baby though. 

Surprisingly, my parents actually let me fly up to visit with him at college. Tom's parents, were driving up, and there was to be a " regatta", rowing competition, and Tom was on the school's crew.The plan was they would drive home and bring me back to my parents, safe and sound.  I had never flown before, and I was afraid the entire time.  The look on Tom's face when he saw me come through the door of his dorm room in my faux fur white coat and matching hat, made it worth while. He proudly showed me off to his college buddies. We had an awesome time, and while we did become intimate, I stopped him short of " going ALL the way." He made me feel beautiful, and more comfortable with my body image. I did not feel I had to ' bag it all up".  While he was in classes, I strolled through the campus, and enjoyed the glances and howls I received from the guys. 

My friends and I were what at that time were the "collegiates", the college bound 'good" girls. We were the friendly outgoing type, but, considered more reserved, and yes, maybe more " refined", some would even say " snobs", although, most of us were not in the " affluent" segment of our area. This was the late 60's, the beginning of the " hippie", " flower child" segment of our time. This was the first time girls tried to go braless, and were removed from class until they returned with a bra. We had our " nerd" group, which consisted of techies,  the guys that ran the camera departments, and were on the " math" competitions, etc.  Then there were " the hoods", bad ass types, more in fashion that the acts. They wore the leather jackets, and jeans, pointy boots. Somewhere along the line, Juliette became a hood. She was the " wild child" of our family.  We did not hang out in the same circles any longer.

I applied for college in my senior year, my daddy applied for the loan to help pay for it. I was accepted and the loan was approved. I was planning to go to Farmingdale College, as it was close to home, and I did not have a need to live on campus. My daddy was proud, as he was always attending classes, and my older sister did not choose to go to college. She married Joey S, a nice Italian " boy", who was a gifted carpenter, and seemed to be doing well.

My " collegiate" friends and I  decided to start our own sorority,  as we did not fit in with the " stuck up " rich girls", the cheerleaders, and the high school group known as the  " Chiefettes" in our school. The Chiefettes were " cheerleaders" who did the dance routines, like the famous Rockettes from NY Radio City Music Hall, and I actually had the " audacity" to try out for this group. I nearly fell out when I succeeded, and I did get my uniform made, and participated for the junior year. I quit before my senior year when they told us, that even though we bought the material, and paid to have it made, they wanted us to do a fund raiser to pay for them by going door to door selling candy. Daddy was furious over the " principle " , and let me know I was not going to do that. I didn't, and I had to quit the team.

We had to apply for a sorority charter, and I do not know the path we took to get that done, but, we got a sorority started , Kappa Beta Pi.  I was a member of the Pen Pal Club, and we wrote letters to our GI's overseas. My Pen Pal came to visit me, when he got out of service. It was awesome, and made us feel really good about our mission when he told us how much our letters meant to the soldiers. This was during the Viet Nam War, and we all know how awful it was for these brave guys fighting in this unpopular war, especially when they returned home.  



Tom and I were going strong, talking on the phone, him coming home for visits whenever he had a break. Then, along came Al, and here came trouble.

For now, let me say, Arty had just moved into my neighborhood from a local town, and we became friends.  I was still the " inhibited' type, when a guy would look at me I would walk by with my head up and never look back. Some thought I was " stuck up", while the opposite was true. I had no idea at that time that I was beautiful, or had a good body. I sometimes thought later in life, it was God's way of stopping me from being a "slut", LOL. ( If I knew then what I know now! Well, I might have dressed differently, but, I still would not have been ''easy", that is not my way.)  Other times he tried to talk to me, and eventually we talked. He wanted to go out with me, but, I was " engaged", and not interested in him that way, but we became friends, and I introduced him to my friend Joanne M, and later on Lorraine, who dated him for a while.

One evening I was passing by Arty's home, when " this guy" stepped out of his house, and Arty called to me to introduce me to  Al, a long time friend of his from his former town of Roosevelt, NY. I looked up and saw the bluest eyes I had ever seen, and just before I took my hands out of my pockets, I slipped off my engagement ring!!! Trouble!!!! 

More another day.