dona's 365

Red haired, chubby baby body; laughing Marie was adopted by the family across the street. Not yet a year old she caught the flu. Back then, doctors prescribed aspirin to infants. Marie’s mom called my dad from the hospital and said, "Marie’s not coming home. Please take the crib away." Note : Marie is the baby with her hands in the air.

“Pop and popcorn! Pop and popcorn!” We’d scream as we jumped up and down. Visiting Kim and her brother Mark was always a treat. Things changed the year Kim advanced an extra year in school, and Mark and I were retained . We’d switched "ages" and with that, childhood pecking order.

I called him Johnny Yuma . I don’t know if he was a rebel . He was my boyfriend. We were the same age -- Three or four years old. I don’t know where he lived Did he go wandering When he quit playing with me? Apologies to Johnny Cash -- For this silliness.

When mom told me Patti’s son, Mark, was different I thought she was mistaken. She said he would not grow. I could not see it, and didn’t believe her. I don’t remember when it became apparent to me that he had achondroplasia but it never mattered. He was just Mark.

Kindergarten classmate, Greg wandered back into my life when we were seventeen. Drove me to school, bought me hot chocolate at McDonald's, blew smoke into my face. Oh, he was gorgeous. I wasn’t his type though. I pretended not to mind and told myself it was best, because he smoked.

Considered a “tom boy”, Cathy was Devin’s younger sister. She loved the color blue and riding horses. She was a lot nicer than her older sister and a heck of a lot nicer than her mom . Maybe she took after her dad, who reminded me a little of Dr. Kildare .

A kindergarten classmate who disappeared from my radar screen by second grade; short and intense Alan reappeared my promiscuous year. He resented tall men who dated short women and said short women should save themselves for short men. Our friendship didn’t last long. I wasn’t very nice to him. Sorry.

Devin lived on the corner in the red house with the ancient apple tree in the yard. She was sneaky-mean and made us play her way. Once she dared me to touch an electric line when we climbed a tree across the street. I’m lucky it was a telephone line instead.

Cathy lived in the haunted house on the corner. We were best friends the summer I turned twelve. Her older brother was in Vietnam and her younger brother rode a tricycle.Her mom looked like Bette Davis and smoked cigarettes until there was nothing left. Then Cathy moved away forever.