I am not looking forward to this weekend. It will mark the first Mothers Day without my sainted mother. She passed away on January 20 of this year. I caught myself this morning frantically trying to get a card in the mail. Then it hit me that a card wouldnt be needed. Old habits are impossible to break. Thats as sappy as Ill get. I choose to remember my mom in my all time favorite moments with her. Although at the time, it was far from funny. One thing you must know about me. Im a mammas boy to the extreme. And I wear that mantle proudly. I was the eldest and as admitted..her favorite ( although she told my two sisters and brother the same thing). I could get away with just about anything. I wasnt a problem kid. I was just curious, hyper, and fearless. My mom could handle me. I respected her, I put up with my dad. So armed with that info, against a 38 year old story, we move on............... It was February 1976. I had just turned 16. I was legal to drive. But the excitement for me was a ski trip with my cousins. It took about six months of intense working my mom to be granted permission to go. Id always wanted to try skiing, but my first intrigue was going with my cousin Terry Harvey. The thing about Terry is he is one of the coolest guys of all time. Hes Mick Jagger cool. And my hero forever. He is 10 years older than me. Hes also the most laid-back guy on the planet. Nothing bothers him. So the idea of taking his punk cousin on the trip was a no-brainer. Of course you can go. Ive taught you everything else, I might as well teach you to ski,was his response. But mom wasnt so keen on the idea of Terry being the chaperone. She knew he was....uh...kinda wild. And he ran with a wild crowd. Like I said, hes the coolest cat ever. Besides I told her, Bruce and Randy (about 7 years my senior) are going. Those two cousins are the finest men Ive ever known. Both straight as arrow. Both very well grounded. Both extremely intelligent. They can keep an eye on me. So after many promises(almost all broken) and begging sessions, I was headed to Crested Butte. The drive was a blast. Eight tracks of the Rolling Stones and Led Zeppelin full blast. Our condo( I had never heard of this these strange dwellings known as a condo) was ski-in/ski-out. Terry said I didnt need any ski lessons. He toted me to the top ( he was an expert skier, still is) and I fell all the way down the mountain. I didnt care. I was on a grown-up road trip at 16. The first night we had just finished dinner ( I had to do dishes after EVERY meal) and we are about to play cards. Also present were another couple (Terry had his wife too). As we were arranging ourselves, this chick fumbles in her purse, pulls out a crinkled, crushed cigarette and lit it. It soon became apparent that this wasnt a Marlboro. Or an American Spirit. It was marijuana!. I had only smelled it once before at a concert, but I smelled like the burning leaves I had been warned about. She took a hit and passed it. That dude took a hit and passed. Then another. Then, staring me right in the face was a true life joint. I glanced at Terry. He didnt flinch. I looked at Bruce and Randy. They had that dont even think about it look. I looked at the others. By then I had the left-handed cigarette between my fingers. I had never taken a puff of a real cigarette. But I was conflicted now. Talk about angel/devil on the shoulder. I slowly brought it to my lips and did some sort of inhaling/sucking/coughing act. The disappointment of those two. But would they rat me out? Would they squeal on me? I didnt think so. They were pissed at me, but they werent tattle-tales. Then my paranoia kicked in and basically ruined my trip. I spent the rest of the time worried if I was gonna jump off a house cause I thought I could fly...or being arrested and going to the penitentiary. Oh my GAWD! What if mom found out????????? About two weeks after the trip I was coming home and upon opening front door I was met by mom. She had that fire-breathing look on her face. I knew Id done somethingwrong. Well come on in DOPEHEAD, she barked for neighbors to hear. I pleaded stupid. What are you talking about. Was there maryjuana(thats how she pronounced it) on your little ski trip?, she asked smarmy in tone. It was there, but I didnt dare touch it. Thats not what I was told. I told you took that marijuana like everyone else. DAMMITT!!..Bruce and Randy ratted me out. I couldnt believe it. Well, who told you that I asked. Terry. He thought it was funny. He said you were grinning like youd REALLY done something big And for the next few months. My mom would just randomly glare at me and say.....DOPEHEAD That was not good. And it started a grounding of about six months. My new car?. It would be parked for awhile. Id be spending weekends at home where my mom would keep me from taking dope . It later became funny and even hysterical when we would sit around telling stories. Thats how I want to always remember my mom. I loved her fake-tough act. I loved the awkward wording of the drug language. I loved it when she fed us spam. I loved when she would spank me with whatever was in arms length and wed both end up laughing.I loved her seeing the humor of it all. The only regret I have is how I broke her heart in the end. She never got over it. I hope everyone has a fabulous weekend. Remember mom. Do something extra special for her. I already miss mine greatly.
Posted on: Fri, 09 May 2014 20:56:19 +0000
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