Tuesday September 1, 1981

FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL

Called Laura for five minutes.  Went over to her house and watched her Home Movies with her younger brother Joe and his friend named Markie, who we called Fat Boy.

I was wishing that her brother and fat boy would just put two and two together (Laura and I wanted to be alone) and just leave, but I would have no such luck.   

Wednesday September 2, 1981

Mowed grass at Hamel’s Park then went to Laura’s house.  Took dad’s truck, we sat on the edge of the tailgate in her driveway.  We talked about Chris Shaffer, who was a kid in the same grade as me but known for being a bit of a funny looking kid, who was working with us at Hamels Park.  His flirting with Laura was bugging the hell out of me.  And a plastic part on dad's truck kept falling down and scrapping the road.

Laura and I got together as often as we could.  We were happy as clams just to be around each other.

Chris was quite a character- in his younger years of high school he was a bit dorky and had odd mannerisms.  I got along with him alright, but didn’t think he was anywhere near the class that deserved to be flirting with Laura.  She was out of his league by a factor of 10.

I was having to borrow dad's truck or moms car in the Fall of 1981 because I had wrecked my car the past summer.

The original Journal was packed with my exploits with Laura, which I've decided to omit in the web vversion since she might not approve of making that level of detail public.  

Thursday September 3, 1981

PARKWAY HIGH VS. SOUTHWOOD AT CADDO STADIUM

YEARBOOK BAND PICTURES

Went to a football game, drank Southern Comfort, went to roll Laura’s house but found her broken down on the side of the road instead.  We were in Frank’s Dad’s car, the "Dragon Wagon".  Talked to Laura at her house that night.

FRANK (MASTRILLI) : As of November 8, 2001 my Dad still owns and drives this car.  He has over a quarter million miles on it.  It looks like crap, but still runs.

Amazing.  I wish my cars lasted that long.

Drinking before the football games accomplished several things.  For one, it took the nervousness away.  Second, it kept you warm in later months of the season.  Third, it made everything twice as interesting.

Frank had a Pontiac LeMans, but he trashed the front end of the car and his replacement front end he was using had no headlights, so for night driving we had to use his dad’s green 1970 station wagon, aptly named the "Dragon Wagon".  It was huge!  We would all slide around in the back and wrestle each other until we wore each other out.  

Friday September 4, 1981

Historical Fact:  Many of the nation's colleges have raised their tuition fees for the 1981-1982 year 15% to 20%, to combat higher costs.  Harvard tuition has been raised from $7,000 per year to $7,490 and Massachusetts Institute of Technology has raised it's tuition 19% to $7,400 per year.

Mark, Frank, and Laura had 1 pint of Southern Comfort and 1 six pack of beer.  Frank got sick and threw up.  We were in my mom’s car tonight.  I was feeling sick also.  Dropped Laura off at her house, didn’t stay long,  got home about 12:45 A.M. Laurie Jeter babysitted that night.  WASTED!!!  Almost ran over a mailbox after dropping someone off.

Southern Comfort is not a booze to be taken lightly- it’s 100 proof and sweet as honey, a killer combo for getting trashed.  The beer probably didn’t help Frank keep it down.  Southern Comfort and coke hangovers were the worst and I eventually came to avoid this particular booze at all costs.  To this day the smell of the stuff can make me queasy.

Saturday September 5, 2001

SCHOOL DANCE

After work, Tony Ron, Mark, (Laura) Lee and (Laurie) Jeter went to the pool by Robert’s apartment.  Ron threw Jeter in the pool.  Frank went out with Paul.  Took Laura back home and talked at her house for about 2.5 hours.

Ron was always doing the most outrageous thing he could think of.  He was a big guy and if it came down to it and I’m not sure if all of my other friends put together could take him down.  His most annoying habits were farting and burping constantly.  He took great satisfaction in these noises of the flesh, and it always gave him great joy just to see other people’s reactions.  I never saw him as pleased with himself the day he laid a stinker in the Elevator as we were about to exit.  We were dying in there.  And when he saw a group of people waiting to get on at the ground level his smile only widened.  I actually felt sorry for the people getting on and a bit embarrassed for us all.  He also loved to fart in the car- he would laugh his ass off while we choked for air.  Or he would get right in your face and let out a giant burp.

Sunday September 6, 1981

Got off of work at 7:00 P.M., Laura and I went to my house until 10:00, then I took her home.  Mom and Dad were at the farm and Tammy went to spend the night with Shannon.  Pogo bit me.

Pogo, my dog, was growing pretty old and his eye sight was going south.  He got to where you couldn’t reach down and try to pet him without hear his warning growl.  A shame because some of my best childhood moments had that dog in them.  We both shared a fondness for pecans, which were always plentiful in our backyard.

Monday September 7, 1981

LABOR DAY – NO SCHOOL

Robert Della Pietra and I went out looking at cars.  Went to Laura’s house and found Laurie Jeter there.  We sat in her front yard under her tree and talked.  Laura and I took Jeter home in my car then Laura and I came back to her house and we talked outside until dark.  Spent about 4 hours with Laura.  Went to Layna’s house for directions, she was talking to Robert, Robert and I left to go look at cars.  It’s just about the first time I had talked to him since our big fight in the middle of the summer.

FRANK : So what was the fight about?  Do you remember?  Did it have something to do with your trip to Six Flags?  Didn’t all four of you go together?

Robert, Ron, Tony and myself did go to Six Flags over Texas, in Dallas in 1981.  We had a great time there and even saw a good Beatle imitation band there.  The bassist played the bass left handed just like Paul McCartney.  It was a great trip.

Robert got a very nice car at 17 (a yellow 1977 Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme) and had to work hard to make the payments on it.  But unfortunately from then on he was spoiled in the car department; nothing less than an Olds would ever do again.  So each succeeding car after that was nicer than the one before it.  There were times when he agonized and stressed out over each monthly payment, yet a beater he never drove.

I also had a penchant for nice cars, but having so thoroughly ruined my first vehicle I certainly didn’t deserve to be driving anything my senior year. In time, Robert, Ron, and myself all had a 1977 Oldsmobile Cutlass. Mine was all white with red interior with aftermarket t-tops.  Mine was a Supreme, Roberts was a yellow Salon, and Ron’s was a Calay.  They all had 350 c.i.d. motors and were a very nice ride with a sporty look to boot.

Tuesday September 8, 1981

Mowed grass at Hamels.  Came home, showered, called Laura and talked on the phone for about 2 hours.  We argued about "perish" and "cherish" and small locked rooms.

If I had to listen to that conversation today, I’d probably throw up!

I had a "mowing crew" and the chronic chore of keeping that park looking good never ended.  Somedays we mowed for 8-10 hours straight.  Louisiana in the summertime gets pretty hot!  We used to "freak" each other out by ocassionally stripping to our underware an mowing just to see the other fella do a double take when he finally looked over.

Wednesday September 9, 1981

STUDENT COUNCIL ELECTIONS

Laura called me at 8:30, we talked about an hour, the conversation was general.  Doris called from Hamels to come work.  After school, Frank and me went up to the Barksdale Air Force Base post office and signed up for the draft.

Frank and I both had dependant military ID cards because our fathers had been career Air Force men.  My dad retired after 20 years, ending on the last day of 1976.  We used the base facilities thoughout our childhood, and Barksdale AFB was no small base.  In fact it’s one of the largest in the world.  For us they had a BX, bowling alley, an airman’s club, ice creame parolour, and thousands of acres of woods that is a Indian Reservation. Although Frank and I are now driving, we had spent years biking from one end of that base to the other.  Our houses were less than a mile from the Southern end of the runway, in a Neighborhood of Pecan trees called Shady Grove.

Thursday September 10, 1981

Mowed grass at Hamels, Laura called, we talked for 1.5 hours, about general stuff.

Because I had wrecked my car in June, I was bicycling to Hamel’s after school to mow grass.  It was great being in charge of an entire outside ride crew, a very prestigious job for an 18 year old.  But it really stung one day when I was riding my bike to Hamels and a school bus full of kids whizzed past and someone threw a crumpled up paper wad at me.  I was mad as hell but reflected on the irony of the situation.

Friday September 11 , 1981

PARKWAY HIGH AT HAUGHTON (AWAY)

Went to Bonanza, Paul and Frank ate.

We picked up Laura in Paul’s car, it was me Jeter, Lee, Frank and Paul.  Laura Lee’s parents were at a Captain Shreve football game so we stayed at her house a little while.  We went driving around, stopped at Hamels.  Laura and I went to my house from around 12:00 – 2:00 A.M. (did I fly off the couch when a noise was heard?) and then I took her home in moms car.  Laura read the note from Lisa and Patti that they left on Frank’s decorated car.  Got back home from dropping Laura off at about 2:30 A.M.

If we were ever out and about and spotted each other’s cars, we would almost always do something to it as a joke.  We lived to play jokes on one another.  Once we were driving by Eastgate and saw Ronnie’s car in the theater parking lot.  We couldn’t resist so we pulled half the spark plugs out of Ronnie Bowers car.  When he came out it ran like hell and he thought he had a major engine malfunction.  But of course when he found out half his plugs had been pulled he was quite mad.  But in time they did the same to me.

Saturday September 12, 1981

Took Patti and Chris to Jhonny’s Pizza with Laura and I. Met Daniel, Frank and Jeter and Paul there. We ate, I took Patti and Chris home and Laura and I went to Hamels at midnight and talked to Jeter, Frank, Paul, and Daniel. Frank and Paul left, and I took everyone else home. Talked in Laura’s driveway about 30 min., and got home about 2:30 A.M.

Sunday September 13, 1981

After work, I took Patti home.  Laura came over and we talked in the Den (Grandma’s old room) until about 9:30 P.M. and then she went home (Laura had driven over in her car).  We spent about 2.5 hours together that day.

I was madly in love with Laura and it definitely shows in how I kept detailed track of how much time we spent together.  The measure of a good day was how many hours we spent together.

Monday September 14, 1981

Mom’s Birthday!  Worked at Hamels until 6:30 P.M., got home called Laura and talked about 15 min., short conversation because I had to go eat because it was mom’s birthday.

Tuesday September 15, 1981

UNDERCLASSMEN YEARBOOK PICTURES

Worked at Hamels.  Talked to Laura about one hour on the phone, I called her and talked from 9:00 – 10:00 P.M.

Wednesday September 16, 1981

UNDERCLASSMEN YEARBOOK PICTURES

Laurie, Laura, and Frank picked me up from work at Hamels.  Laurie Jeter then took Frank and then me home. Talked to Beaver Lips (Laura) that night on the phone for about 40 min.  She called me, then I called her back.  Jeter’s car door bumped my head and it hurt.

I saw stars from that bump. I was really mad she was clumsy enough to slam the door on my head as I was getting out.  But I gritted my teeth and pushed on.

Thursday September 17, 1981

PARKWAY HIGH AT HUNTINGTON (HOME AT BOSSIER)

Went to Laura’s house from 7:00 – 9:00, which was nice because we were mostly alone.  The first really cool night was tonight, in the mid 40s.  At Laura’s house, we watched a TV football game.

Friday September 18, 1981

BEAVER LIPS LOOSES BEAVER TEETH!

Laura called about 7:20, sounded good for having had her wisdom teeth yanked.  Talked about 20 min, told her we might try to stop by.  Joe her brother is playing in the Captain Shreve game.  Went to the Shreve game, Laura’s house, the Square, Dance, then home.  Bumped into Paul that night.

Laura had her wisdom teeth removed in the dentist chair that day.  I had mine out almost two years before and was a baby about it and elected to go under the knife (full anthesia).  I don’t think you’re even given the choice these days.

Saturday September 19, 1981

FRANK MASTRILLI TURNS 18!

Talked to Laura about 20 min before work, also wrote her a letter.  Paul, Frank, Jeter, Daniel and I went out drinking wine and beer, in Paul’s Camero.  Told Jerry about quitting tonight, 2wks.

FRANK: Friday night, the night before I turned 18, I tried to get into each and every club in Shreve square. They all told me to come back tomorrow (when I was 18) and they would give me my first drink on the house.  I can’t remember what I did, but I didn’t make it back down to the square the night of my birthday.

It would have been nice if they could have cut you a little slack.  But it’s not like we hadn’t been drinking then entire year before, either.

I cannot explain the logic of quitting Hamels.  What was I thinking?  Looking back it was a horrible mistake since I went from being in charge of the outside rides at Hamels to starting at the sort of jobs most other 18 year olds were performing- they were all blue collar jobs that were (in retrospect) quite terrible.  All I can figure is that I was beginning to feel nervous about supervising someone I was madly in love with.  It was stressful in an odd sort of way.  Laura and Laurie were already getting special treatment and the other operators knew it, and several of the black people even complained publicly about it.  Laura and Laurie did ask for, and receive "clean up" duty more often than most anyone else.  They liked being able to walk around and to get water for the ride operators, and to B.S. with people.  But to me the complainers really had no valid point simply because they were the first to squeal most loudly if they were assigned "clean up" duty.  They felt it was beneath them to work what we called a "pooper scooper".  Even if I wasn’t entirely fair about it, I have no regrets about dishing out the special treatment to these two; they were my close friends and had more class and character than 9 out of 10 of the other people who worked there.

Sunday September 20, 1981

After work, Frank myself, Laura, and Laurie went to Bonanza and ate.  Laura’s mouth is swollen more today than it was on Friday.  She looks like a real Beaver.

Bonanza again!  We used to eat there when I was a kid as well.

Monday September 21, 1981

I applied at Wal-Mart but they had no applications.  Talked to Laura on the phone for about 1.5 hours, her mouth is infected.  Conversation was general and then moved to personal.  It was a good phone conversation.  She had to hang up and call me back once.

Well who could have known that Wal-Mart would blossom into a billion dollar empire?  Even so I have never had any real interest in retail.

The infection?  Perhaps a good reason to avoid having this done in the dentist chair.

Tuesday September 22, 1981

Historical Fact:  The price of gold on the London Bullion Market closes down $6 at $461.50.  On August 3, gold traded at $388.20.

Went to Laura’s house from about 6:45 – 8:30, her mouth is still pretty puffy.  Then I went to Robert’s house to get a guitar.

I remember sitting on her couch with her at her house.  We were both kind of bummed out about not being able to do any kissing, since it was one of our favorite past-times.

Wednesday September 23, 1981

Frank, Jeter, Laura, and myself supposedly went to the library. We bought beer at Albertson’s, and drank it at Hamels. Frank drove Jeter’s car. Laura’s mouth is still sore. Frank poured 6 quarts of oil through his motor and onto the ground. Talked to Julie Cloutier from 9:00 – 10:30. Time spent with Laura – 3 hours. Called Laura at 5:30.

Frank was pretty upset about pouring the oil through his Le Mans but even he saw how funny it was. It was funny to me because I could easily see myself making that same mistake.

FRANK: YES, I had forgotten to put the drain plug back in. If I remember right you and Laura were there when I did it. My Dad even laughed about it. A few months later he cut a cartoon out of the paper of a comic character doing the same thing and left it on the breakfast table for me to find.

Thursday September 24, 1981

PARKWAY HIGH AT BYRD (HOME AT BOSSIER)

Called Laura and talked about 10 min. Ronnie, Frank and I went driving around in my mom’s car. We went to Gibsons to visit Paul at work and then we went to the football game, drank beer only, and Ronnie drank most of it.

Paul took his Gibson’s job very seriously.  It was a department store on Airline Drive.  Was he in machinist school already?

FRANK: He did take it seriously, not sure if he was in machinist school yet or not.

Friday September 25, 1981

Called Laura after school.  Me, Frank, Paul, Jeter, and Laura went out in Paul’s camaro drinking wine.  Played football at Hamels.  Laura and I went to her house.  We talked to her mom, picked up Joe from Captain Shreve’s game, took him home to Laura’s house (we gave him our last beer), then Laura took me home to my car which was parked at Frank’s house.  Laura and I both got pretty intoxicated.

Well we were a rough bunch at times.  Some nights beer, other nights wine, some nights hard liquor.

Saturday September 26, 1981

Was supposed to call Laura before I left for work, and I forgot.  We got in a slight fight (argument) that night.  Took Bic home, went to Jhonney Pizza. Then Laura, Daniel, Frank, Jeter, myself, and Paul all went out in Paul’s car, drinking beer.  Frank got his hair cut. I got in at 3:00 A.M.

Sunday September 27, 1981

After work, played football in a field, then Laura and me went to my house.  Mom and dad were at the farm.  Was watching football with Laura when Paul and Frank dropped by.  I later took Laura home.  At Laura’s house we sat on the hood and talked about 40 min.  Got in at 9:40.

Was the field by the Hamels parking lot?

There was a time when Laura and I had the house to ourselves and Paul came by and absolutely didn’t get any of the 10,000 hints dropped to him (about leaving).  We made it so boring for him that he started dozing off. I was astounded.  By then I was getting pretty distressed that Paul was "using up" this precious time.  I almost had to lead him to the door and push him out.

Monday September 28, 1981

Laura has the stitches in her mouth removed. Frank and I went to the driver’s license bureau, then to Dana Brocet’s house. Got home at 9:00 P.M., then called Laura and we talked about 30-40 min. We talked about hickies.

Hickeys were big- the number one way to leave a mark of affection on someone.  We were always giving/getting hickeys, which drove us both crazy.  Laura could also make my brain do cartwheels when ever she stuck her tongue in my year.  She was a great kisser and we would sometimes slobber over each other for hours at a time.

Tuesday September 29, 1981

HOMECOMING COURT ELECTION

Frank and I went back to Wal-Mart to bug them.  We also went to the BX, Commissary, and Cobb’s BBQ.  I called Laura and we talked about one hour.

Cobb's BBQ kicked ass in the value department.  You could get 3 Shredded Beef BBQ sandwiches for 99 cents.  We’d eat six a piece with root beer, not just because they were delicious, but they also had the remarkable property of soothing a bad hangover or upset stomach.

FRANK: Remember going there after church a few times? Once Ricky ? gave us some free sandwiches. O

I think his name was Ricky Simmons?

Wednesday September 30, 1981

Mom and dad went to the farm at 5:10 P.M. I took Tammy to Shannon’s house and then went to Laura’s house (I had called her earlier).  Her mom, dad, and Joe all left about their ways.  We sat on her couch and watched TV.

Kind of sad that Laura's family "all left about their ways" when viewed from the perspective that in less than six months the family would be broken up due to her mother catching her father in what appeared to be a long-term affair with another woman.  She had hired a private investigator to find out what she had suspected for some time.  I felt bad for Laura, it was a horrible thing that we both had no control of.  Considering how bad things must have been for her she seemed to do a good job of keeping her chin up through it all.  I also felt bad for her mom because her mom was really nice, the kind of person that always goes out of their way to make you feel welcome.  As far as I could tell she had done nothing to deserve such a thing.  After being married for so long.  In many ways they seemed like the perfect "All-American family.  Her father was a career Air Force pilot, retired Lt. Col. James Lee, an Aircraft Commander on a KC-135 during the war in Vietnam.  He had two sons and two daughters and a loving wife and a beautiful house in a great neighborhood with a plaque full of patches and medals hanging on the wall.  But like many of the ex-military men surrounding Barksdale AFB,  his troubles were rooted in alcohol and a desire to recapture some of the excitement of the past.  He had a very serious drinking and driving problem that he seemed incapable of beating.  I don’t think many of these men adjusted well to civilian life because you just can’t go from Aircraft Commander (literally the height of achievement in the Air Force) to Joe Schmuck doing a meaningless job in society that doesn’t even begin care what you or what you used to be.  No one could do it without cracking a little, somewhere.

The man said hi to me only once, and to me he didn’t seem like he was involved at all with his kids.  But I thought a lot about him while we were dating and I wondered what he thought of me.

My good friend Todd had a father who also seemed to have a hard time adjusting after flying on KC-135s, and had one heck of a severe drinking habit that seemed to serve only to complicate his life.  It’s come to my attention that a lot of men who saw action never did complete the adjustment to the civilian life.  They had no idea how trivial and trite it was.