Oh Henry!

High School was an emotional nightmare for me.  I went from a very small private school to a very large NYC high school where the clicks had already been formed in Junior High and there was no chance of anyone letting me in.  To add to the mix, I was extremely shy and now know that I had some kind of anxiety disorder (you know, back in he day when your parents just thought you were either over reacting, needed to get over it or didn’t even notice there was a problem), making each day utterly painful and frightening.  No one had prepared me for the dramatic change that my 13-year-old world was about to experience.  One of the greatest things about Port Richmond High School was the wide range of diversity that was there.  In 1975, I don’t think I had ever heard the word diversity and I can assure you my family did not explain what it was to me But then again, it’s not like they even know what it today.  Here are just a few statistics to remind you of how different things were.  (What did I do before “Google?)?

1975

Yearly Inflation Rate 9.2%

Year End Close Dow Jones Industrial Average 858

Interest Rates 7.25%

Average Cost of new house $39,300

Average Income per year $14,100

Average Monthly Rent $200

Cost of a gallon of Gas 44 cents

Average cost of a new car $4,250

Foster Grant Sun Glasses $5

The Top Ten Songs were:

Love Will Keep Us Together–Captain and Tennille (Still painful to hear)

Rhinestone Cowboy – Glen Cambell

Philadelphia Freedom – Elton John

Before the Next Teardrop Falls – Freddy Fender

My Eyes Adored You – Frankie Valli

Shining Star – Earth, Wind and Fire

Fame – David Bowie

Laughter in the Rain – Neil Sedaka

One of These Nights – The Eagles

Thank God I’m a Country Boy – John Denver

Ugh!  Look at the top ten songs.  I listened to Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, Yes and the Allman Brothers.  I just knew I was never going to fit in. 

I’m not sure when I met Henry or rather when Henry found me but I am so thankful that he did.  I often thought of Henry throughout the years.  I remember Henry with his big afro and his tuba (I think he carried that fucking tuba everywhere), his sweet smile, the way he would watch out for me, sitting next to him and laughing in Mr. Berman’s Social Studies class, going to the Ritz Roller Skating Ring to disco roller skate.  Well, Henry disco roller-skated and attempted to teach me.  All right, I’ll admit it, I had a crush on Henry and I knew he liked me, but I was afraid of his girlfriend.  She was this tall, amazing athlete who you just wouldn’t want to get on the wrong side of. Well, graduation day came and after that we never saw each other again.  I went off to college and Henry… well, I didn’t know where he went.  We lived in different neighborhoods, so there was very little chance that we would ever “run” in to each other. 

The years went by and in 1989 I was living in one of my past lives in Italy. One day when talking to my mom on the phone, she told me that someone named Henry called looking for me.  Henry told her that he was in the Army, living in Germany and left a number where I could reach him.  I have to admit I never called.  I wanted to, but wasn’t in a place in my life where I could connect with myself let alone anyone else.  So, life went on.  Fast forward to 2009 and I’m on the Internet doing the social networking thing when I checked classmates.com, (which by the way is a site I NEVER go on because they charge for upgraded services) and I see that Henry left me a note.  Of course, the first thing I do is immediately go to his site to see if there are any pictures and sure enough there are.  Henry was as cute as ever.  I could tell that he had a successful career in the Army, he had a picture with Obama (so I knew we probably had the same political views) and I could tell that we some other bigger things in common.  Something that surprised me, but I can’t say because it’s not my place to talk about anyone’s personal information. Somehow, I always knew we had a special connection.  So, I write back and Henry responds with his telephone #.  For some reason, I didn’t call.  I wanted to, but things were hectic at work and home so life somehow got in the way. Does it really or is that just our excuse? Anyway, I decided that I just needed to do it and this past winter we finally connected.  Henry had moved back to Staten Island from Texas to take care of his Aunt and Uncle.  His Aunt passed away in October of 2009 and Henry stayed on to continue take caring for his uncle.  So, I drove to the Mariners Harbor on Staten Island and finally got to wrap my arms around Henry after 31 years.  We talked about high school, about life and the many twists and turns it brought both of us.  He played the piano for me and I got to once again connect with someone who taught me so many things about life.  Henry taught me that color doesn’t matter.  Good people come in all shapes, sizes and colors.  Time doesn't define a friendship, what really matters is what is in your heart.  Oh, Henry…….

Scroll down for photos from 1979.