I Had No Idea!

I loved the sports. Studying and learning? Not so much! Issue #4

ifOnlyi… had known back then that Howard was going to change my future forever, it would of meant so much more if I had taken my studies seriously and stayed focused on learning. Only love I had was for sports. Focusing in class, doing homework, and studying was tough for me and this affected my life going forward.

I’m now checking into my new school and off to find my room, shared with another boarder. It’s not like there were hundreds of kids, no, but for me, I was sucking back the tears of fear since I promised my Dad I would not cry and he had promised he would stop smoking forever.

Here we were, unpacking and getting ready for our first Dinner together called the meet and greet. We all sat at a table with the Headmaster and his wife, the boys were dressed in suits and ties and the girls wearing pretty dresses. Yes indeed we had to dress impeccably each night we came down to dinner and I don’t know if that is considered manners or discipline training or both.

Each school week was all laid out and organized for me, I loved it. I would wake up, got dressed, and off we went downstairs for breakfast together, then off to assembly where we pledged allegiance to the flag of the USA, all students around 70 or so together then afterward we all went to our classroom for the day. Only 10 students max per class year, a massive difference from the 1,000 plus kids in my high school graduating class. We had special attention for sure.

The things I learned studying French and even doing a play in French were incredible and today I can only say a few words in French. Sad how it’s all been forgotten. We studied at such a higher level than other public or private schools and I certainly realized that later in life. I have no idea what my favorite subjects were at all. I think I really didn’t like any at this point.

We had many different sports that I took part in during my three years there. I enjoyed playing left wing and left full back for the soccer team, and when it came to fast-pitch hard softball, now that I enjoyed a lot, and as a left-hander I was offered Right Field and First base. Hitting was what I truly enjoyed the most. I could not wait to go to the plate and hit. Being team leader for all 3 years I was there had a lot to do with my hitting and strong arm throwing from right field. Fun times were going off to the many different schools for matches. This was something I looked forward to every day there was a sporting event.

Tennis was played every Monday after school when just the boarders went to Montecito Country Club where we took lessons for 2 hours. We loved the drive back to school as we would always stop at 31 flavors, ice-cream shop to enjoy a double scoop cone, yummy and motivational for sure, sometimes I had a third scoop added certainly had a sweet tooth back then. In the school campus we had one old court and used it among us borders during the weekends. I used to love playing tennis so much over the years I even went to sleep with my racket beside me. More on that later…..

Lunch was served to all students daily inside the halls everyone got to enjoy a meal, how awesome. Dinner was another story as it was just for the boarders. After our afternoon sport, we would take a bath, then dress up in our suits ready for dinner, Once served, see how fast we could eat our meal just for the mere chance the might be some extras and we might get blessed with some more food. Speed was the game, it had to be to get seconds, sad! Today I enjoy taking my sweet time eating to make up for all the years of gulping it down, I’m not sure i even chewed as their were 6 boys who were all trying to get the tiny bit of extra food to eat.

After dinner, off to the school classrooms again for 2-3 hours to do our homework and study Mon-Friday. On Saturday the boarders would go to a double feature movie, go bowling, go to a museum, or something educational for sure. Sunday was a day for going to Church, then lunch and afterwards each one of us had to sit down and write a letter to our parents telling them of events that happened throughout the week

Letters were checked for spelling, grammar, and handwriting. Cheating just wasn’t possible as they checked each letter and if it was sloppy or had any negative chatter we would have to start fresh, tough, so we had to take it slow and easy to avoid redoes.

Back then life was all about conversation and learning, there we no cell phones, no tablets, no laptops no iPods to hide and listen to music or podcasts or play online games. It was about life and how to live it to the fullest. We never watched TV unless there was a major event like a NASA Space rocket launch, it definitely had to be a massive event for the Headmaster to turn on the TV for us. Hahahahaha, true.

Going into my second year at Howard things were a little different for me. I had the pleasure of taking a Greyhound bus to and from school on weekends when I went to go visit my home and family. I would be dropped off at the bus station from school, the money I had I bought as many comic books and candies as I could afford for the 3.5, hour bus ride. I think I was the last to be dropped off at the bus depot in Redondo Beach, California. This was not an every weekend event for sure, but I had the blessing of making new friends at school, being able to stay with them some weekends or they would stay with me and my family. How awesome to get some free time away from the school campus.

I was learning how to be free-spirited and perhaps that’s when it all started, perhaps?

It seemed that I had some kind of learning difficulties in school, so much so that my Mother during the summer of 72’ would drive me and my eldest sister back to Santa Barbara for a two-night stay in a lodge so that during the day 2 doctors could work on strengthening my brain.

I know it sounds completely absurd but from what I recall both my sister and I had to do exercises with our eyes that somehow related to the brain and using some part of it that perhaps was not functioning on all cylinders. We did this for around 8 weeks 2 days a week, and yet today I still don’t know how it helped me or where or even if, these two brothers that were the doctors, maybe used us as test lab rats for the good of A.I. in the future, hehehehehe.  

I’m here today, able to write to you sharing my life’s journey so I guess something worked.

Now I’m starting my 3rd and final year at Howard, my mother and sisters have moved away to live in Portugal in time for my younger sister to start school, the youngest was only just 4 years of age. My Mom was there opening up a suede and leather factory and I was told that Portugal was a perfect place for it.

So I thought by them out of the country 1000’s of miles away I might not have to write my weekly letters anymore but my understanding and the Headmaster’s were different for sure. “As long as they are alive you must write every week,” he told me. “Oh, Okay then” I replied. Below is a picture of the beach in Estoril, Portugal that we walked to during the summer of 73’

This was the year that everything was at its best for me at Howard, winning awards for best in sports, my baseball season was awesome, I believe I had the most home runs out of Howard and all the schools we competed against and we were certainly in first place, yea! As shared before, baseball was truly my favorite sport and I would watch baseball on Saturdays when I was spending the weekend at home and I had the chance to.

I was truly blessed to have been able to watch the 1971, 72’, 73’ and 1974 World Series champions 3 out of the 4 years they played in the World Series. The Oakland A’s were considered by most as the best team ever assembled, although many will say it was the New York Yankees and that would be hard to beat, but those 3 years I was in Howard and the A’s were the top of their game, I felt in someway I was part of their team. It made me feel like I too was part of history in the making.  Did I think I was going to go professional, nope, it never entered my mind, I didn’t even know that could be a possibility, I was too isolated I guess LOL

Later that term when I learned that there was a possibility of becoming a professional in sport I worked really hard on my baseball and tennis games and was told I had the talent in tennis to possibly become professional later in life. That became something I lived for. More on that later…….

ifOnlyi…. short stories are published chronologically, and follow my life growing up in California from 4 years old. If you’ve just found me the stories will come together when you start reading from….Issue #1