We can't wait for June

It was the summer of the turtle. 1986. My siblings and I were staying at our Mimi and Papa’s because there wasn’t enough room for all of us at Daddy’s house.  My sister had just gotten her license. Daddy would sometimes let us borrow his truck – which was really just a conveyance for fish, fishing supplies, and newspaper crossword puzzles – to go cruising. We’d hit all the hot spots – Pecanland Mall. Forsythe Park, the Cracker Barrell at the corner of 18^th and Forsythe to replenish our Diet Cokes. We had one cassette for the tape deck which we blasted with windows down (Daddy was still too cheap to get AC in a vehicle at this point – I think he finally caved in 2002.)

I turned Sweet 16 that summer at Mimi and Papa’s – it was a beautiful beginning to one of the best years of my life. Every time I hear the Beach Boys, I remember cruising in that Mazda truck with Emily, watching out for the kooks, and enjoying being young and free.