Smuggling Video Game Equipment and Childhood Stories
10:22 PM CST
How we Met:
I used to ride my tricycle down the sidewalk in first grade (yeah, yeah I didn't learn how to ride a two wheeler till third, but damn after that watch out ...I could spin circles around others!). it was part of a routine of some sort just so I wouldn't be cooped up inside after school. one day, I was riding the same route I usually take; to the end of the street and back. I saw this little freckle faced girl sitting in a chair next to her garage. I looked up and she sorta looked but looked away when I took a closer look. then she snarled snootily like I wasn't smart enough since she was studying or reading while sitting in that chair. always with her nose in a book. now, I don't condemn book reading in first grade; that's fine..I've read since I was four, so it's not a bad thing! it's just that she never did get really good grades and I thinks she was just showing off.
Well, the next day, I was playing with my Barbies in the driveway (I nevah evah played Barbies regularly..that was a first. I had them but never right out took them outside or did anything with 'em. I was all about little rubber figures with which to put in the Barbie mansion and drive mini collectible porches; yes I bought those collectible cars for the rubber figures; they were livin' large) and saw this girl walk past, still with her nose in one of her books; it looked like a textbook, but I can't be sure. without thinking about it, I quietly asked, "w..would you like to play barbies with me?" and I had pushed the Barbie corvette and held up one of the barbies and smiled. she looked up, dropped her book and that silly façade and sat down to join me. since then we were inseparable.
second grade
I think this was the year we became naughty children. prank calls, teasing a crippled girl who wanted to be our friend, breaking into an abandoned house to give tours of the toilet where a pair of chopsticks lay to other kids, picking roses out of people's yards, stealing newspapers to play the 'toss the newspaper' game on our bikes (this might've been third grade before she moved though since I didn't ride a bike till then...I get mixed up on when certain things happened; just general pondering), getting lost in the ditch (this might've been fifth or sixth grade when she returned though; I don't remember the first time we went to the ditch; the ditch is this area behind the neighbourhood that people would go to practice shooting; yeah; that's real safe and just to hang out at times if they were kids our age).
tenth grade
Really, the most fun we had out of all that naughtiness as kids and playing house and jumprope killer (played at night; one person hides with the jumprope and another rides a bike back and forth; person hiding jumps out of nowhere and whips it out to touch the bike where that person becomes 'it') in sixth grade, was when she returned for the final time in tenth. since we were in high school, there was more we ended up doing outside of the neighbourhood (besides, she didn't live in my neighbourhood when she moved back this time or back in sixth; back then we'd just get driven back and forth). she got her license in the spring of that year, but we still had fun before then also. she helped me trick Carlos into games where I'd get to touch him, we had fun with mini tape recorders, we stayed at her apartment alot and the other house once they moved in there. I helped her move, in fact, that summer after Carlos moved, at 8am one day. it started to rain and we were soaked and dirty once that job was done. never woke up that early again during a summer afterwards. anyway, I'm getting out of order here. we've done so many things that I can't even count it all. she's moved back and forth so many times that I can't remember what we did during which time period. it's crazy.
I just know that we got accused of shoplifting in the summer of 96 when we went to Dicken's on the Strande cause the owner of the store didn't see me put the wolf box down. Teri just wanted me to leave with her, but that would've made us look more suspicious. the one time we didn't actually do what we were accused of for once. he was really pissy and was all, "you! youuuu! show me box. I know you had box. show me. you in line. disappear!" I just nodded and he followed me to where I put it down and I just pointed and left. he didn't even apologise. Teri was going to tell her mom so he could be sued for accusing us just cause we're teenagers. eh, I let it go. I guess when you're a small store, you can't be lenient with these things; especially during an event where more people show up than usual.
When Teri got her license, I recall mom or dad not allowing me to go off with the group. I cried in my room until I was allowed to go. that's the one time I was restricted from doing something, but at least it worked out for the best. I mean, she had driven before and now she had an official license and it would be perfectly okay. I think they were just afraid I'd get into some accident since it was her first time and she might not be used to so many in the car. well, if so, she should've told the other guys not to go either to protect everyone! hah! anyway, we ended up going and Teri was the perfect driver though Carlos' friend Greg wanted out at the U-turn by Burger King. he thought we were about to crash into the curb and kept pulling on the locked door. what a wuss he is (hee!).
Since that day, we never ever got rides from anyone else until her evil friend Jocelyn drove us to the mall that night before we stopped being friends. I mean, I got rides from my parents to downtown since Teri wasn't allowed and all that, but I mean rides from other kids or parents. We mostly went to Kemah, Clear Lake, my area, and sometimes League City. once we broke the rules and drove to Almeda Mall on the highway though. I'm not sure if her mom ever found out or not. We had went there to pick out a dress; I'm not sure if it was for me or her. it might've been for me, but then I decided not to go to the dance that I had tickets for just cause I'm an antisocial twit. I'd consider doing things, buy the ticket or whatnot, correspond with friends who were going and then decide I'd rather be home watching tv. that's just the way I was. sometimes I'd invite Teri over to be antisocial along with me. yeaaah.. she was the one I always called on to do things or she called me or wrote me a letter. mostly she'd drive the car over without hardly a word of, "I'll be there in ten!" and we'd be off to do whatever. sometimes we'd drive around Webster where my old intermediate school is or was; go down the street with the hospital too where there's other offices for therapists and such. we once drove Carlos there in May 97. uhh yeah.
There were many good moments driving and having a good time. just thinking of it now makes me want to cry again and forget why I was mad and that I'm over it now since it's been four years. I just miss the past basically. not what happened since then. I miss having a friend who calls me with one sentence and rushes over and I know will always be there even if abit demanding. I do admit I'm used to spending my days alone without a good friend, but I just miss it is all....I know there's no way of going back though I'll always remember and have that moment where she makes the 'run, run, run' fingers during the Notorious B.I.G. song in my head.
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Now, as for today, there was talk of wholesaling japanese import game converters that I'm not sure are legal and dad stopped by cause his phone was turned off. will he ever learn? last week, it was his gas, but now he got that turned back on. each time he forgets to pay a bill, he gets charged more and gets it turned off as a warning. he should learn. that's actually why he stopped by and didn't call. his only reason. he never comes over unless he has to pay past checks or someone's visiting he wants to see. I don't know. I haven't seen him since May until this afternoon. he yelled alot too (he never knows when he's doing it) since I could hear him from upstairs with the door ajar. he was telling some story I presume and kept saying "MOTHERFUCKERS! SHIT! GET YOUR ASS OUT OF THERE! HAH HAH HAH!" and so on and so forth. so. damn. loud. he has always been loud. it's just a jolt to hear it again for long periods of time. and ya know what the kicker is? he left his friend sitting in the car while this was all going on. hah.
As for those converters, if I buy 5 of them, I get a great deal. I'm talkin' $9.50 regular and $2.97 wholesale here. that means around $14 for 5! that's like paying for barely two of them at regular price! I sooo want to do this. I could make back all the money I spent on the whole order and be like I'm getting game equipment for free. such a swindler I am. at least lately it seems...before I hardly thought about this stuff. Lindsey said she'd buy one cause she's going to get a playstation and wants to play her Slayers game. at least I know I'm good for two of em. now, to sell the other three. anyone up for buying it for $9? save 50 cents for a good thing. I'll even provide a picture if ya want; if I have some takers here. anyone play japanese import games and don't already have a converter? I'm lookin' at you! I'm soooo the car salesman of the game world. well, think about it since I might order them soon and it takes 7 days to a month to deliver...yeaah. a long spectrum we're lookin' at.
So, enough nostalgia and sniffling, time to show me the money!
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