About Magoo

So I sign on to Magoo’s blog this evening and now I almost feel like a celebrity. She suggested a little “she said/she said” on the topic of our meeting. Her version is almost entirely accurate, as far as I can recollect.

The boy Magoo refers to, that I’d known since my sandbox days, was exactly that. He and I lived about a mile apart and had spent many, many of our days growing up playing in the sandbox, or at least in the dirt in the field between our houses. My take on the “protective” part is a little different, however. My friend was dating Magoo and I was happy for him. It is also true, that as things went south between the two of them, I spent some time being his shoulder to cry on. It was cool. I cried on his shoulder a lot in those days, too.

One of my first real memories of Magoo, however, is when a couple of her friends accosted me at my locker one day after school and accused me of being the cause of the breakup. I was surprised, and it certainly wasn’t true! I was relieved later to find out that Magoo never really looked at it that way either.

We did associate most often, after that, through mutual friends. I nursed a little crush on her brother for a while, so I found quite a few excuses to hang with those mutual friends. I was thrilled when Magoo joined the yearbook staff because it was awesome to work with another dedicated and intelligent person who took the job as seriously as I did.

Yearbook Staff Photo - Me and Magoo - front right

And then… Honors Senior English Class… that was definitely early cement (like Gorilla Glue!) of our long-term friendship. Magoo and I sat at the back of the class with Bill (another sandbox friend) and Walter (Adina’s cousin). Our poor sub was given the hardest of hard jobs. Working as a long-term sub for such a popular teacher has to be the worst job ever. I’ll take full credit for the hostile comment Magoo refers to. My memory is that it had something to do with making seniors (in an honors English class, no less) diagram sentences for six long weeks when we were supposed to be doing all kinds of truly cool projects. Maybe I’m exaggerating about the six weeks… but it felt like a long, long time. Anyway, I was the one who got the note from the office during sixth hour and was told to leave my class to go “discuss” the situation with the substitute. My line of defense was totally deflated as the woman broke down and sobbed in front of me. I even ended up hugging her and patting her on the back, saying something like, “everything is going to be okay.”

I want to make clear here that Magoo and I weren’t trouble makers. The entire class had been on the edge of revolt for many weeks and things in that class were just getting tense, tense, tense. I think the fact that we – the nice girls – finally went over to the dark side was more than the poor woman could take. However, I pledged that day to do my part to make life easier for that poor sub. I then recruited Magooo, Walter, and Bill to help me out.

Magoo and I had more opportunities to bond, however. For the big “senior English” project, after our regular teacher had returned, we paired off and selected books to read and present to the class. Magoo and I read Catcher in the Rye, by J.D. Salinger. My memory is that we had to get permission slips from our parents to read it! Of course, the theme of hypocrisy and so much ugliness in the world was particularly meaningful, I believe to both of us, at that time in our lives. Holden Caulfield kind of became a lens through which we examined the world together. Phonies, phonies, everywhere! I’ve honestly not had any warm, fuzzy feelings for that “very popular” English teacher since.

Magoo went to KU for college and I went to Pittsburg. It seems like we met up fairly often. When I transferred to KU, she had moved on elsewhere. It always was/is important to me to keep in touch with all my friends, however. When Magoo got married, I went home for the weekend for the wedding. I drove, and Magoo’s brother and his girlfriend rode with me.


From Left: Magoo, Hubby's Brother Derek, Me, Adina, Cyp, AnnMarie.

It seems like Magoo and I became fairly regular pen pals after that. Rand and I eventually moved to Houston and Magoo and Tator made their way through Wichita and Joplin. It was great when we were all back in Kansas and could see each other regularly, again. I think it helped that Magoo and I timed our kiddos so closely. Her third was born just a couple of weeks before my second. I was actually due first, but she beat me to the birthing room!


36 weeks and counting!!!

And we have built lots of great memories in the years that have passed. And I’m looking forward to all those we still have to build.

Thanks for the trip down memory lane, Magoo. It’s been fun.