Mischief With Friends

Today my companion and I were watching a Woody Allen movie that had a musical theme and it brought back a memory of mine when I was 12 years old and still friends with my best friend forever from elementary school. This was the same friend who my Mom had asked me why my friends who I hang out with seemed to have money. I told her I wasn't searching for rich friends. I just wanted a friend. Soon after that conversation, our lives drifted apart for a couple years and I found out through a mutual friend of ours that she had died in a car accident in Big Bear. I can still see my beautiful friend's blue eyes and blonde hair with her sweet smile when I recall her memory.

Anyways, sometime in 1972, she and I got this brilliant idea to go see a movie together at our walk in theatre behind our neighborhood. We had a shopping center that had all kinds of fun shops and a J.J. Newberry's (remember that store?). We would quite often go spend hours on any given day just window shopping. There was one store there that was Hawaiian themed and smelled like a tropical oasis of coconut and incense. We used to love to go in there just to smell the store. So before we went to the theatre we did our normal window shopping. Then we got to the theatre. She said let's watch Cabaret with Liza Minelli. My parents had strict rules as to what movies I could watch and anything above a G rating was not permissible, but my friend was adamant that we needed to see the movie. So watch the movie we did. That was the best musical movie I had ever witnessed in my life. I was consumed by the music rather than the plot. The costumes were beautiful. Somewhere in the middle of the movie, we decided we needed to get our snacks. So it was a warm day and we decided to get root beer popsicles. So back in the theatre, we unwrapped our popsicles and I went to lick mine and my tongue got completely stuck to the popsicle and I couldn't move my tongue or remove it from the popsicle. I tried to pull it off and it started ripping my taste buds off. My BFF saw my conundrum and did not even try to lick hers. We got up and ran to the restroom to put my tongue and popsicle under water to remove it and remove it we did. Then my BFF put her's underwater so she would not have the same unpleasant experience as myself. Then we resumed watching our delightful movie. When it ended, I started getting nervous, because I knew my Mom would ask me what movie we watched. I told my friend that I can't lie to my Mom about it. She told me, if she asks I'll tell her what movie we watched outside of Cabaret, so you won't be lying. To think I'd get away with it was ridiculous. When my Mom asked my best friend answered. She asked if it was a good movie and my friend answered yes, She said, I'm glad you girls had a good time.

Over the next couple days, being the musical genius that I was, I kept singing the songs from the movie Cabaret. My Mom asked me how I knew those songs. So I had to fess up and of course, I got in trouble. I'm not sure if I got beat that day, but I know I couldn't hang out with my BFF for a couple days. I have to say that was one of the times I took my punishment and it was worth it, because that movie is what really solidified my love for broadway musicals.

When the two of us were younger, we also included her sister who was one year older than us. The three of us used to just love to spend hours playing at each other's houses. I remember one time her father who lived in Brentwood near Hollywood had invited me, along with his daughters to go spend the weekend with him and his new wife (my BFF parents were divorced, much like my family's dynamics). My Mom agreed. Her father was a very wealthy attorney. He even had a maid who dressed in one of those French maid costumes. Her father traveled the world and would buy both girls dolls from every place he visited. They had dolls lined up in their rooms from every country. They were beautifully displayed. One evening when we were there, he asked if we would like to go to a drive in theatre. Of course all three of excitedly said yes. So we all got ready for our adventure. I thought we would be going in a regular car, but my BFF told me we would be going in a Limo that belonged to her father. So we all loaded up in a Limo and went to the movies. I remember how spacious and fun the adventure was. Of course, he bought all of us girls all kinds of treats as we watched the movie. That was one of my fondest childhood memories I experienced.

When we were at my BFF's house, we really got ourselves into mischief. I remember listening to music I probably shouldn't have been listening to. Then one day the oldest of us three (her sister)  had nabbed some cigarettes from her Mom's purse and suggested we try smoking them. I was hesitant at first, but peer pressure gave in. The first time we tried smoking the cigarettes, we crawled out their bedroom window onto the top of their patio roof on the second floor. We all practically choked to death, but her older sister really got the hang of it. I would presume, she had probably smoked before peer pressuring us to smoke with her. This mischief happened a couple times after. One time, their Mom wasn't home so we went into their Mom's restroom and lit up. They heard their Mom drive up and they just started spraying a ton of hairspray around in the bathroom. The Mom opened the door and asked what we were doing. She knew. She asked for the cigarettes and told us girls to not ever do that again or we wouldn't be able to play with each other again. So that was the end of our cigarette smoking days.

My BFF and her sister always had the trendiest clothes. My BFF would see me at school and would encourage and show me how to roll up my down to over my knees skirts up into a Mini Skirt. I used to make sure I returned them to full length as I walked home. One of the things I loved about summer was being able to live in shorts and not have to wear those awful longer skirts. Sometimes, she would bring me an over sweater that was cuter than the one I had to wear while I was at school.

I was always invited by my BFF's family to go camping at a place called Manzanita Hills Campground. There came a time when during the summer, my BFF and I would trade off homes and spend days at each other's houses. We shared a lot of memories together. However, from the ages of 11-12 when things were happening at my house to me at night, I never shared that with her. I knew when she was over my house or me at her's during that time, I wouldn't be molested. She was my safe place. And like I shared before, we grew apart, it probably was during or before the time I attended a private school during 8th grade. So I guess we were actually not part of each other's lives for maybe a little over two years.

As I think back, the time we drifted apart was during the time I was showing an interest in church and had gotten baptized at 12 years old. I know she attended another church -- I believe they were probably Catholic because they were of Italian descent. How funny, I don't remember asking her. In fact, the 8th grade school I attended was part of the Seventh Day Adventist Church that had baptized me.

Now as an adult, I can see how God led me down a different path that was more inclusive of Him in my life. As I grew older, I often thought about had I still been her best friend at the time of the accident, I more than likely would have been with her that day in that car. The thought of her dying so tragically makes me very sad, even to this day.

Psalm 16:11 "You make known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand."

Proverbs 3:5-6 "Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight."

Hebrews 2:18: "For because he himself has suffered when tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted."