In A NutshellXXXV

In a Nutshell

A place set aside to answer 201 autobiographical questions
from a mother for her daughter. This may take awhile...join us if you like.

35. I had a childhood crush on this person.

Ah, Joey Blanco! The darling of the sixth grade, in El Paso, Texas. He had big brown eyes with long eyelashes and wavy black hair and a face like a dream. He always chose me first when he was captain of the Red Rover team. He laughed at my jokes and made a few as well. His grades were nowhere as good as mine, and that didn't seem to matter -- we both liked science fiction and baseball and that seemed to be all that counted. Maybe, when he was older, he would have found a girl who did better than he did in class and on the playground a problem, but he didn't that year.

One of the things Forrest, as a first grader, did that made me want to trounce him, was run out onto the field when Joey was pitching and kiss him! Moments when you want to sink into the ground don't come much riper than that.

And then, and then -- I found out that Joey had been riding a donkey and when it wouldn't do what he wanted, he hit it on the head with a board. That was it for Joey Blanco. Cute can't outweigh brutal.