“Her Smile So Lit” written by Frandriguez Chapter. 20
Have you ever heard a song come on the radio that brings back memories of a cheerful time? I have, I actually even made a playlist for it on Apple Music under user ID @_Frandriguez.
One song in particular is really reminiscent for me. I went to an elementary school Franklin D. Roosevelt located on 12th St and Ave. D right across the street from the projects in New York City. Also know as P.S 34, my school was number 1 in academics in it’s district. When the city wide test results were received a few of my classmates were in the top 1 percent citywide in reading and math including myself. We were smart!
We had great teachers, including my fifth grade teacher Mr. Fryer, a hip unorthodox Jewish man with dark curly hair that was semi long down close to his shoulders who would punish our class for misbehaving by assigning us the task of completing multiplication tables. The repetition would mean we would retain what we were taught.
Ms. Kling was my 6th grade teacher who always had her long greying hair in a bun and also wore glasses. She was an excellent teacher. Ms. Kling even took my entire class to a camp formerly named Lenox Hill in Conneticut for a week. The camp is now renamed Camp Hope, I believe. We had so much fun my mother sent my sister and myself there the following summer for 2 weeks.
During the week my class and I were at the camp two of my classmates Yolinda and Sheryn proposition me. Yolinda said “We’ll pay you $1.00 if you’ll be our boyfriend!” I said “yes!, ” and then Sheryn said “and you have to hold our hands and kiss me!” I agreed but it would have to wait until later on as the camp counselers and Ms. Kling had watchful eyes.
Just like that someone told on us and one of the camp counselers asked to speak to Yolinda, Sheryn, and I. The camp counselor was a woman with light brown hair and a beefy body with the appearance of a traveler in the Australian outback. I was so nervous, if my mom found out I would be in big trouble. The counselor asked Yolinda and Sheryn “did you girls give him money to be your boyfriend?” Sheryn said “yes, but I didn’t pay him to kiss me!” My face felt flush as the camp counselor gave me a shrewd look and said “do you want to grow up to be a pimp and go to jail!?”
Great, I just wanted some money to buy a soda can and a twix candy bar and now I was going to jail for pimping and I didn’t even kiss Sheryn or Yolinda, or even hold their hands, I thought to myself. With watery eyes and in a soft tone I replied “no, I don’t want to be a pimp and go to jail.”
The counselor gave me a warm smile and said “and you won’t as long as you respect women.” I agreed and I gave the girls the money back and all was good again. My class went on to put out some of the best test scores in the city following that class trip. My friends and I decided we should apply to attend Corlears Junior High School which was the farthest school in the district from where we lived located on Henry St., but it was the #1 Junior High school in the district. We were all accepted.
The neighborhood where the school was located was nick named “The Hill” on account you had to walk up a long hill past the Williamsburg bridge to get to it. The neighborhood where my friends and I lived was nick named “The Ave, ” which was a busy low income neighborhood known for crime located on Avenue D. The two neighborhoods were rivals and that first year I would say more than half the kids from my elementary school transferred to their local zoned school due to drama and fighting with some of the more local kids in the area.
Luckily I made friends with the kids from school quickly and no one really picked on me. I and one of my oldest friends Carlos who I’ve known since the first grade were in the same class together in elementary school and for all three years in Junior high school, graduating together. A short curly haired white latino kid from Rutgers projects named George and a cool kid named Fabian from Laguardia houses were some of the first to befriend us. George was so funny and Fabian was a good guy who liked to laugh.
There were two female students that I met in the 7th grade that I would never forget. One in particular was a Puerto Rican girl named Laurie who left quite the impression on me. She was a pretty blonde and I had only French kissed one girl before her named Carmen who I wrote about in a previous chapter. I remember being so shy around Laurie at that time, but she was the complete opposite.
Laurie took one look at me and gave me the biggest smile. She would flirt with me everyday and although I was bashful I loved the attention she gave me. Laurie commented on my cologne I wore one day to school named Hero. She said “I really like your cologne, it smells so good on you, ” as she leaned in close to take in the scent then backed away, smiled, and looked at me with those ravenous eyes. She turned back towards her friends who were with her and and they all looked excited for her and some of them were giggling. Her display of confidence gave me such a feeling of enthusiasm. I wore that cologne to school just about every day after that.
Honestly while all my friends from elementary school were transferring out of my Junior High School it was Laurie that made me want to stay in that school. While all the other boys in my class joined band to play instruments I chose to join chorus class because Laurie enrolled in it. My good friend Carlos of course joined chorus class with me. There was less than 10 boys in that chorus class that I can remember and the rest were girls from all the 7th grade classes combined. The first day of chorus class Carlos and I looked at each other and smiled. The girls outnumbered the boys about 3 – 1, like I said we were smart!
One morning before class I was walking past the yard toward the entrance of the school and I heard singing. It was Laurie and some her friends from chorus class who were serenading me in front of the entire school. Laurie was front and center. The song that they were singing was called “The Wind Beneath My Wings, ” I first heard sang by BETTE MIDLER. “Did you ever know that you’re my hero?” they sang. I must admit I was very embarrassed as all the guys started laughing from the schoolyard but I was also all so impressed by Laurie who was one of the prettiest and most popular girls in school.
Another one of my crushes was this Italian girl with long dark wavy hair named Kelly. I had eyes for Kelly and she caught me looking a few times and would smile but look away. Kelly was very nice to me but she didn’t display the same confidence that Laurie did at least not until after Junior high school.
When I moved back to New York City in 2018, I went to the old Essex market before it closed which was located on Essex street north of Delancey street. The new Essex Market is now south on the corner of Delancey and Essex street which is also where I had a brief close encounter with “Pretty Fine Thing” or a look-alike that I discussed in a previous chapter. I hadn’t been to the old Essex Market in a long time and it was pretty empty compared to when I went there as a kid. The market was always so busy with customers buying fresh seafood on ice among other products.
I was on line to buy a drink from one of the merchants and this woman brushed by me and said something that I couldn’t quite make-out. I looked her over and found her extremely attractive. She was dressed in stylish clothes with gold jewelry on. She had an incredible smile and looked to be in great shape. I didn’t recognize her at first but the attraction was intense.
I tried leading her upstairs so we could speak in a more private setting but it appeared she wanted me to follow her. I rushed to the restroom to quickly freshen up as I wasn’t sure where we were heading. I had only been back in New York City a few weeks and she was the first woman to catch my eye. Of course she did, just like she caught my eye back in Junior High School, it was Kelly. When I came back downstairs maybe two minutes later she was gone. I have not seen Kelly since. I must say what a beautiful woman Kelly turned out to be.
Maybe a year later while I was living in Staten Island I visited my old Junior High School and I saw this woman a blonde in a workers uniform by Laguardia houses. She got into a city pick up truck with another worker a male who got into the drivers seat. She was gorgeous, even in her blue collar uniform. She also looked like she was in great shape. I took one look and I knew it was her, it was Laurie. They sat in the pick up truck and I could see them watching me. Maybe she recognized me and was trying to make out who I was, I thought?
After maybe two minutes or so the truck began to drive away. After that I made efforts to get in touch with her. I tried contacting who I thought might be her employer but to no avail as the worker who answered the phone could not confirm she was an employee. It would be so fulfilling to take her out on a date sometime and catch up, be friends again or maybe even something more.
Everytime I pass through “The Hill” area I think of these two beautiful woman I went to school with and I get a lump in my throat and my mouth begins to feel dry. The song is in my head now “did you ever know that your my hero and everything I would like to be?” I feel such benevolence for those women who made me feel so self-assured. Although it has been year’s I hold them in great regard.
