So, I did it. I am officially in a writing course as of today. I have one week to do my assignment. I'm to pick a memorable experience and write about it. As of now nothings knocking on my muses door. I find it fascinating that for 65 straight days I've had no problem picking a topic and now when I need to I'm in an A.D.D. trance spacing as if I was just shot up with thorazine. I would like to give a shout out to one of my characters who found their name after reading my blog. I haven't talked to this person in over 30 years. Unless I get his permission I will leave his name private. I guess when you shout out to the past occasionally it shouts back. If your reading this I will answer your E-mail this week. Thanks for contacting me your life sounds very exciting and fulfilling. I've decided. I'm going to continue on with the series until something feels right. Loredana Zaccardi didn't return for at least 10 minutes and when she did she looked happy. She walks by me slowly dragging her fingers tips and nails gently and slowly across my shoulders. She stops on the top of my right shoulder and leaves one finger there. I turn to look and she flicks me hard on the nose saying softly so just I can hear " Sucker, will you ever learn?" All of a sudden I'm not feeling like myself and shake my head for a quick return trip back from fantasyville. I work on what I've learned so far. Miss Fleming comes next to me and says "Very good your technique is improving . Now for the next step who wants to demonstate? Loredana how about you?" Loredana walks to the center and the teach gives her a few minute to prepare the clay for the lesson. Miss Fleming talks as Loredana is performing the task. She says " The next step is to center the clay so that its outer edges spin perfectly smooth with no bumps or wobbles. This is the hard part. Different people use different techniques. The softer the clay the easier to center, for practice. The method Loredana is using here uses the arms in conjunction with the legs. Press forearms onto thighs. Hands and clay slick with water and good spin. Place the thumbs together across the center of the spinning clay with hands cupped around the sides, and index fingers pressed together in front, or furthest away from the body. Pull wrists back slightly pressing down and hold them rigid. Dig fingers into the clay beginning toward the bottom. This is like a lathe. Do not allow fingers to move, and feel perfect smooth spin of the clay. Excellent Loredana, slowly raise fingers keeping thumbs and palms pressing on the top, in a hinged trap door like fashion, feeling perfect steadiness, and slowly raise off the top with no sudden moves. Clay should be spinning perfectly centered. Repeat until satisfactory. When you learn this you'll be able to do it in one pass like Loredana here. For practice the softer the clay the easier.Thank you Loredana you can return to your seat." I watch as she spins pot after pot as if it was easy. It actually is easy for her. I finally get to the step Miss Fleming says and I ask "So now what?" Miss Fleming says " Loredana would you be so kind as to guide Jody through the next steps?" She says " Sure I'll do it." She walks ehind me agan and leans her body into me as she explains what to do and guides my hands with hers. She says "O.k. Jody to make your hole in the center, brace the forearms on the legs. Place the first hand against the top spinning clay cylinder, so that the indent of the thumb is directly on the center. Press the forefinger of the second hand against the indent of the thumb tightly, with the thumb of the second hand braced against the top of the back of the first hand. Do you feel that?" I answer " Uh huh" She continues explaining "Slowly push and guide the forefinger straight down into the center of the spinning cylinder to about an inch from the bottom and then slowly remove." I do this, with her help of course. I'm liking what I see on the wheel and say "Cool come on. Now what?" She removes her hands and walks to sit next to me saying " Good now To enlarge hole place the elbow of the first hand into the stomach or hip. That's it Jody awesome, keep it going. Put the palm of this same first hand against the side or wall of the spinning cylinder. This will hold the wall of cylinder in place while the index or two fingers are placed in the center hole with the thumb braced on the back of the first hand. This part's a bit tricky let me help." She walks back around and puts her arms around me guiding my hands. "The fingers are then pulled outward into the heel of the first hand, like this, until the hole is enlarged to the size of the desired pot, or large enough to get four fingers in. Do you feel that?" I say " Holy shit I'm actually making a pot. I mean with your help , but I 'm doing it too" Loredana continues " Easy stud we're not done just yet. So this newly created wall should generally be about an inch to two inches thick. With the wall created, the cylinder should spin perfectly symmetrical. Just like that. In all these steps always remove hands and fingers and take the pressure off slowly. No sudden moves." She ever so gently removes hers and my hands leaving my first pot spinning like a new born child. She goes back to her seat and Miss Fleming coms over and says " Class look at Jody's pot. That's what we're striving for. This one is good enough for he kiln congratulations Jody" I look over at Loredana, but she's busy creating another masterpiece. Miss Fleming says " O.k. that's it for today let's clean up for the next class." Loredana leans over to me and says " Look will you clean up for me? If I'm gong to your meet I have to have someone drop off my things for me." I say Sure you got it. Thanks I really enjoyed that it was fun." She makes a face at me and says " Duh, you think I do boring things like gymnastics?" I start to get upset and she punches me hard in the arm saying "Gotcha Loser, I'm outta here. Later much." She goes to tell Miss Fleming and then is gone in a flash. After class I wash up and put my suit on. The rest of the day goes smoothly. I meet up with John and a few other guys in the commons to walk over to the gym and set up. John says on the way over. " Remember when these assholes humiliated us and gave Mergardt a hard time?" I did remember how rude their coach was. John says "I got a little pay back planned for these losers." I say " I got enough to worry about without starting unnecessary bullshit Semenetz. You can count me out." John shrugs and says "Whatever, coaches pet." I feel John is up to mind games again, so I walk away. We set up the equipment and warm up for the meet. Both teams in uniform march in and line up. Ted announces " I would like to welcome Lakeland high school. Our judges for this evening will be Mr. Tom Van Gorder and Mr. Paul Ackron. Will everyone please rise for the playing of the national anthem. " It isn't until this moment that I actually get scared. I'm running through my routines in my mind. Even to this day whenever I hear the national anthem my stomach goes into knots and I feel nauseas. It's like some Pavlovean response that's deeply ingrained and won't be deprogrammed. It reminds me of the scene from "A Clockwork Orange " where the guy is in agony listening to Mozart, because of the conditioning he was put through. Everyone goes to there side of the bleachers. I quickly pull crash mats for the first guy on high bar. The meet flies by as we easily dipense with the first of this years adversaries. We set a new school record in the very first meet. Ted is pleased and tells us so. We put the equipment back to where it belongs and go visit our friends and family in the stands. I bound up the bleachers to Loredana and grab her hand saying "Come with me there is someone I want to introduce you to." Pulling her she gets up and looks very nice in her black dress and pumps. I'm in shock and say " Wow, Loredana you sure clean up well. " I bring her over to meet Unc and my mother who come to every meet . It doesn't matter in the least how I do. They are there for love and support. It's exactly what I feel when I see them in the stands. Still holding her hand I introduce her saying " Mama, Unc this is a friend of mine I would like you to meet. Her name is Loredana. " Both exchange hellos. Loredana sees my mothers' book and says "You like Joseph Campbell? I read 'A Hero with A Thousand Faces' and have been a fan ever since. " My mothers' face lights up and I can tell she is impressed. She replies " So you and Jody found each other through Joseph Campbell. That's rather poetic I think." Loredana quickly says " Jody? No I didn't even know if he could read or not from talking to him. No offense" Mama says " None taken my dear. Yes it can be rather aggravating to be on the receiving end of his dumb jock routine. I honestly think he gets it from his father, playing dumb I mean." They both laugh and hit it off right away. I leave them to each other while I go hug Unc and we discuss the highlights of the meet. I can hear them talking up a storm, so I sit with Unc and tell him a little bit about Loredana. As usual he listens and offers no opinion. Unc did say " You turn around and I slap your head. The couple directly behind me were talking about why you're so strong on the rings. According to them it's because you're half black. You know how athletic us peoples can be." I snort covering my face as Unc slaps my arm to be quiet. Then we both start laughing. My mother turns to us and says "Now what mischief are you two up to?" I answer " Nothing you would understand mother it's man talk really." My mother mock smiles and says to Unc " Is this your position on this as well?" Unc answers "Oh Miss Ruth why do you always make such a fuss and put me right in the middle?" She answers "Because the fuss wouldn't be nearly as interesting without you at the center of course." I ask "Can we invite Loredana to come out to dinner with us?" My mother says " As long as it's alright with her parents, sure it would give me someone to talk to." Loredana says "I would love to and my mother works until midinght so I don't think it's a problem at all. One thing though." Mama asks " What's that dear?" she says "I've been testing Jody here on whether or not he would make the fatal mistake of shortening my name without asking permission. I'm glad to report he's been nothing but a gentlemen. I would like all of you, if you want to call me Lori." She smiles and mama says " Why thank you Lori, I feel privileged." Unc and Mama walk out, with Lori and I following . Before we get to the door John jumps out in front of us and says "Yo Shultz you know you beat me by .15 of a point in the all around?" He looks at Lori and says "Who's the hooker?" Lori starts to say and do something, but I interrupt by grabbing John and pulling him out of ear shot. I say " What the F__ is wrong with you ? You've been a dick all day. Cut it out ir we're going at it right here right now. You feeling me now?" John smiles and says " Yeah I guess that was a bit harsh. Hold on I got it covered. Is Shultzypoo getting all soft over some chick? I'd have though you learned your lesson." I push him and he goes over to Lori and says "Look whatever your name is. I 'm sure you're nice and all but the last girl Jody was with left him about as useful as a bowl of oatmeal. Like Jack Nicholson at the end of one flew over the cuckoos nest. Get what I'm saying?" Pulling away she says " Jody you might want to have his medication checked. He's definitely a few fries short of a happy meal." She turns to John and waves saying "2nd place, sounds like a loser to me. Later, misguided friend of Jody." I see John gearing up for a comeback and put my hand up to him and say " Save it you'll get your chance." Walking away he turns and says "That bitch just used up about all the latitude I have left. See ya star."I think to myself threes definitely don't work. We climb in the 1968 white Mustang and I drive us to an Italian restaurant near to the school called Johns' Best. We share pizza and salad. For dessert they have Spumoni which is one of my favorites. Unc has a Cannoli. Mama has Chocolate Mousse, while Lori has the Italian Cheesecake. We all take a taste of the others dessert and get ready to go home. Lori hits me under the table and I think I have an idea of what it's about. I say " Mama may I borrow money so I can treat Lori ?" Mama says " Don't be silly child. It's our treat." Gesturing to Unc He says "I'm starting to get that thin feeling in my rear end again" Lori says " Thank you so much I had a wonderful time. I hope to see you all again." Lori gets up and starts to leave . I chase her. Catching up to her at the door I say " Where are you going?" she says " Look I'm embarrassed about where live. Just let me walk home from here." I answer " If you really want to walk go ahead, but I have a lot of friends living in Bedford Hills Projects, if that's what you're worried about. We go there every weekend to drop of people from the bowling alley." Lori grabs my cheeks and pulls me down to her and kisses me hard. I just stand there in shock. She lightly slaps me and says in a Mae West voice "You ain't seen nothing yet Mister." She quickly walks back to the table and starts talking with my mother about Joseph Campbell, comparative mythologies and religions. I leave them to talk and go outside with Unc so he can smoke his cigar in peace. We don't say a word and just enjoy the coolness of the night and the full moon that's crystal clear. Lori and Mama finally emerge from the restaurant and I drive her to the projects to drop her off. I park and get out to walk her to the door. She comes running around and pins me to the car and says " Look I think we've gone far enough tonight. Let me go so I can process all this. I don't let many people in and now I feel like it's new years eve in time square inside me." Before I can answer she goes up on her toes and kisses me lightly on the lips and runs up the winding steps into the maze that is the projects. I get back in the car and exhale saying "Just what the hell did I get myself into?" Both Unc and Mama don't say a word on the way home. When I get home I tell my Dad how the meet went and say goodnight to everyone, including you. Good night. Thanks, Jody
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