I stayed at Grandpa Mills’s place on 17th Street until Christmas week. On Monday the 17th of December, (the 25th was a Tuesday that year) Aunt Juanita had steamed open a letter to my parents I had written on that Friday,

In that letter, I told the old man and old lady what a bitch Aunt Juanita had become about me living there with them and how she made Grandpa miserable, and wishing I was told once and for all to ‘hit the road’.

“If you’ll send me the money, and I’ll catch the next plane out of this damned place.” Truth of the matter, I’d ‘put the moves on’ Gerta Erwin, and they’d not worked out — she’d still gone back with Joe Marx (our 1st string center, who was injured in our game against Douglasville, 37-0), and besides, I wasn’t given a locker — despite having a new and unused, complete uniform and helmet — and an assigned number.

I caught the first plane out three days later and by Friday I had re-matriculated at Maury High (it was really Colley Ave. Elementary), and the first day there I met Laddy Wintringham, sitting in a man9s leather jacket in the BOY’S ADVISOR’S CUBICLE

I had no record to fall back on, so I didn’t bother with the football team, I went out instead for Glee Club and Chorus, and I met Laddy Wintringham. To tell the truth, being ungay as I was, I would have turned right then and there. He was the most beautiful male human I had ever laid eyes on.

I had no way to know it at the time, but the glee club and chorus master, Mr. Coles, was to become my best friend and mentor. I could do no wrong in his eyes. Whether he treated others similarly — is debatable (did Coles like Laddy and me with steadfastness and enthusiasm) — it’s also debatable, I think!

I was always jealous of Laddy. He was so damned good-looking with his curly hair and all! And it wasn’t his “any girl he wanted” syndrome in spite of wanting just one gal) — (her name was Jeanne Crain and she looked like that’s what her name should be)
and he was (and forever would be — and she likewise) — devoted to each other. No wonder I was jealous of him!

Copywrite©2014by Robert A.Mills,all rights reserved,not to be published, nor re-written nor broadcast without author’s permission