Things I Remember: In the 1970s (Cont’d)
1. Wacky Packages: Topps, the trading card company which also published Star Wars trading cards and stickers in the late 1970s and early 1980s, introduced these graphic spoofs of well-known consumer products and brands, e.g. Spam = Cram. The cards and stickers – which we kids called “Wacky Packies” – were drawn by professional comic book artists and often featured violent, gross and scary images in a sardonic, almost gallows humor that, like the later Garbage Pail Kids cards, appealed to tweens’ often quirky sensibilities.
Between 1973 and 1976, I used to go to the Seven-Eleven store close to the Tamiami Trail and SW 97th Avenue every Saturday and buy five packs for a quarter, which back then seemed to be a lot of money for a kid. I was such a big fan of “Wacky Packies” that I saved up $5.00 of my allowance and bought an unopened box. Unfortunately, I lost my entire collection when we moved to our present house; apparently, the movers “lost” some of our boxes during the four-month interval that passed between the sale of our old home and our arrival in the new one.
2. My first girlfriend, circa November 1972: Her name was Cheryl Thigpen, and she was in my third grade class at Coral Park Elementary (Mrs. Turtletaub, Room E-13). At the time, I didn’t speak very much English, having returned Stateside from living in Colombia for nearly half a decade, but I did know a pretty girl when I saw one, and for the two months of my stay at Coral Park I couldn’t help but notice Cheryl, a willowy red-head with pale skin and lots of freckles. Because of the language barrier and my shyness, I had to ask one of my few friends in class how to write “I love you” in English; one day in mid-November I finally got up the nerve to jot “To Cheryl, I love you, Alex” on a piece of notebook paper and “sent” it to her surreptitiously with the help of other kids in class.
Surprisingly, Cheryl – who sat a couple of rows away from me – looked in my direction, blushed a little bit and smiled shyly. Later, I received a hand-written reply; “Alex, I love you, too. Cheryl.” And for the rest of that school day, I considered myself the happiest boy on Earth.
Unfortunately, that same afternoon I was told that I was being transferred to Tropical Elementary School, which meant that I’d not be seeing Cheryl on a daily basis again. If I’d spoken more English at the time and actually been able to speak to her and understand her replies, I’m sure she’d have told me we could hang out on weekends or after school. Sadly, though, my vocabulary was still rudimentary, so communicating was very hard to do.
The last memory I have of her is that on a cold November afternoon she and I were standing in front of the school entrance, me shivering because I had left my jacket at home, and Cheryl generously taking off her pink wool sweater so I would be warm. We never kissed or engaged in any PDAs besides hug and hold hands for a bit, but I have never forgotten her act of kindness.
Regrettably, even though she gave me her phone number – she wrote it on an envelope – I never did get a chance to call her. I somehow inadvertently misplaced the envelope and, though I looked for it all over the house, never found it.
Between 1973 and 1976, I used to go to the Seven-Eleven store close to the Tamiami Trail and SW 97th Avenue every Saturday and buy five packs for a quarter, which back then seemed to be a lot of money for a kid. I was such a big fan of “Wacky Packies” that I saved up $5.00 of my allowance and bought an unopened box. Unfortunately, I lost my entire collection when we moved to our present house; apparently, the movers “lost” some of our boxes during the four-month interval that passed between the sale of our old home and our arrival in the new one.
2. My first girlfriend, circa November 1972: Her name was Cheryl Thigpen, and she was in my third grade class at Coral Park Elementary (Mrs. Turtletaub, Room E-13). At the time, I didn’t speak very much English, having returned Stateside from living in Colombia for nearly half a decade, but I did know a pretty girl when I saw one, and for the two months of my stay at Coral Park I couldn’t help but notice Cheryl, a willowy red-head with pale skin and lots of freckles. Because of the language barrier and my shyness, I had to ask one of my few friends in class how to write “I love you” in English; one day in mid-November I finally got up the nerve to jot “To Cheryl, I love you, Alex” on a piece of notebook paper and “sent” it to her surreptitiously with the help of other kids in class.
Surprisingly, Cheryl – who sat a couple of rows away from me – looked in my direction, blushed a little bit and smiled shyly. Later, I received a hand-written reply; “Alex, I love you, too. Cheryl.” And for the rest of that school day, I considered myself the happiest boy on Earth.
Unfortunately, that same afternoon I was told that I was being transferred to Tropical Elementary School, which meant that I’d not be seeing Cheryl on a daily basis again. If I’d spoken more English at the time and actually been able to speak to her and understand her replies, I’m sure she’d have told me we could hang out on weekends or after school. Sadly, though, my vocabulary was still rudimentary, so communicating was very hard to do.
The last memory I have of her is that on a cold November afternoon she and I were standing in front of the school entrance, me shivering because I had left my jacket at home, and Cheryl generously taking off her pink wool sweater so I would be warm. We never kissed or engaged in any PDAs besides hug and hold hands for a bit, but I have never forgotten her act of kindness.
Regrettably, even though she gave me her phone number – she wrote it on an envelope – I never did get a chance to call her. I somehow inadvertently misplaced the envelope and, though I looked for it all over the house, never found it.
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