Nov 23, 1973

I haven’t been writing in my diary because I’ve had tonsillitis. I missed school on Friday with a temperature of 101º. On Satuday, Mom took me to the hospital because I couldn’t talk and it hurt so much that I couldn’t breathe very well.

On Monday, they took my tonsils out. I haven’t minded the diet of Jello and ice cream, but the anaesthetic made me sick. Mom said I even threw up in my sleep at the hospital. I certainly did after I woke up and again when I got home. I felt really awful, and I still do, but I go back to school on Monday. (It just figures I'd be sick during the holiday.) I’m allowed to eat soft food now, and Sandy’s brought my homework home everyday. She shouldn’t have bothered. I couldn’t even look at it. I bet I have a math quiz when I get back. Just what I need, an F to welcome me back.

I missed our practice game Tuesday, not to mention practice all week, so I’m not going to be popular when I get back. They also won’t let me play my trumpet until next Friday.

Oh yes, today is Thanksgiving. No turkey, no stuffing, just mashed potatoes, gravy, cranberry jelly (as much as I wanted – yay!) and no crust on my pumpkin pie. Grandfather arrived yesterday, so we didn’t get to watch the football game on TV. He doesn’t approve of television. We’re taking him to the Metropark tomorrow, but I’m not supposed to do very much. Mom wanted to get a babysitter for me, but I’m too old for that, and I can’t wait to get out of the house.

I learned today: old people are no fun.

Nov 16, 1973

Not one of my best days. Billy has started blowing spitwads at me in homeroom. Today, he hit me right on the cheek. That was GROSS! Robert was home sick, and Frannie came in late, because she was getting her braces adjusted. She had to wear her retainer all afternoon and was in a foul mood.

We had another pop quiz in math today, and I did really badly. Miss Ealens gave us our Civil War projects to do today. I don’t mind working with Sandy on it, but we also got Mike Gaultier. He’s a real twerp! He keeps asking Sandy to the Christmas Dance, and she doesn’t want to go with him. I’d completely forgotten about it. I’m too afraid to ask Rhonda, and I’m sure Sandy won’t go with me. Frannie? I wouldn’t dare. I’d never hear the end of it. Rhonda will probably go with Dan.

We had an inter-squad scrimmage today. I didn’t score a single point, not even a foul shot. I never miss foul shots! I don’t know how I did it, but even playing on the same team as Dan, he still knocked me over. I had to sit out for a while until my nose stopped bleeding. Eric Knorr charged into me, too, and I got the foul. I’m feeling pretty sore all around. Mom and Sandy came to watch. It was really embarrassing. I feel like quitting.

I learned today: I stink at basketball.

Nov 15, 1973

Today was AWESOME! Mr Milner asked me today if I wanted to play point guard. Jay Callen won’t be back from his broken wrist for a couple of weeks. He’s the best player on the team, but it means I’ll get to practise with the first team and maybe start a few games. And I won’t have to guard Dan Hoffa.

I aced a pop quiz in math today – Robert even missed one. I also got a 97 on my English test.

The best thing was Rhonda and I went a couple more rounds of tongue wrestling today. She says she kinda likes it. I don’t like calling it French kissing, since she will never be my girlfriend. Football cheerleaders don’t date nerdy second-team basketball players, no matter how good they tongue wrestle. I saw Dan hanging around her at lunch today. I don’t have a chance.

The real best thing was that Rhonda’s parents invited me to the Browns game on Sunday to thank me for helping her with her homework. Her sister is in the high school marching band and they are playing at half-time. Cool!

I learned today: Tutoring a cheerleader has its perks.

Nov 14, 1973

I’m so tired. Mr Milner got mad at us in practice, so we did sprint drills, laps, more sprints, more laps ...

I learned today: I’m so tired I can’t remember.

Nov. 13, 1973

I am so stupid. On the way home today, I asked Rhonda if we were going steady. She just laughed at me, but she did say she liked me. She said I was “sweet.” I hope she doesn’t tell Sandy about it. I’ll never hear the end of it.

Everyone is still mad at me. Dave won’t talk to me now either. Frannie walked with me to History again. I don’t understand her. Why would she walk with a seventh-grader? She’s really strange, but at least she’s nice to me now.

I did OK on my lesson and aced my math quiz. Yes! At least something went well. Rhonda doesn’t like Of Mice and Men at all. She’s hardly even started it, so we just sat in the family room and read together. The Grapes of Wrath is great. It’s one of the best books we’ve read so far, but I’m already two chapters ahead of the rest of the class, so I read along with Rhonda in Mom’s copy. I’ve caught up with her already. Rhonda is funny when she reads; she whispers and twists her face up when she doesn’t know a word.

Rhonda’s older sister picked her up in her dad’s car. She didn’t really have far to walk, but Mandy takes every opportunity to practise her driving. Dad took us out to dinner at MacDonalds after she left. They just re-modelled it, so we can eat inside now.

I learned today: I play better in my lesson when I practise.

Nov. 12, 1973

Billy and Hal wouldn’t talk to me today. They got in big trouble at home because of Friday’s fight. Neither was suspended, but Mr Brown phoned both their parents, and both are grounded. Robert is still mad at me, too. Frannie spoke to me for the first time to me today. All she really said was that Billy was a twerp, but I was so shocked that I almost dropped my books. I thought she hated me, but she actually walked with me to History class. Her class was across the hall.

We talked about the abolition of slavery in class. We’d spent a month on the Civil War, but that was mostly about the demands of the Confederate States and the main battles. Robert said that his ancestors fled from Alabama before the war actually started.

Most of second period was lost to a tornado drill. I didn’t mind. It was weird having it in November, since tornado season was over. Sometime in the next week we are having a Civil Defence drill, where we get to go down in the bomb shelter. I don’t know how we’d survive down there; Frannie says all the food is rotten.

I bumped into Sami Patel at lunchtime, and it made me wonder. If Robert is the first black in our school, what does that make her? Her skin is even darker than Robert’s. Sandy said it’s because she’s from India and not Africa, and Indians were never used by Americans as slaves. Sami’s the smartest person in the ninth grade, and one of the prettiest girls in the school, but she doesn’t do any sports or music.

We had another pop quiz in Math class, but I did OK on it, I think. Basketball was tough again today, and about ten kids quit. I don’t think Mr Milner is going to have a tough job making cuts. We learned figure-8 drills today. Those are kinda cool, except when Dan ran me over. I was too tired to practise my trumpet again.

I learned today: Being black has nothing to do with your skin color.

Nov. 11, 1973

Church: boring. CCD: boring. Rain: boring. Watched bowling on Wide World of Sports: boring. Studied: boring. Practiced: boring.

I learned today: Sunday is boring.