THE FOOTNOTES

STILL  NOT WITH  THE PROGRAM

World  War  Two  had  started  while    I   had another  year  in  High  School,  and  most   able bodied  men were in the  armed forces.  Many jobs  had to be filled by  high school   students,  including   delivering  the laundry.   That’s  the  job  I  had.   I  got the  job  one afternoon  when  an  elderly  gentleman,  the owner of  the  laundry, brought  our  laundry to  the  house.   He   said his sons were  in  the  army  and he had nobody  to  make  deliveries.   I  asked him how he  would like  to  have a  personable  high  school  student,  me,  on the payroll.  I  told him  I  knew how to  drive, but  did not have driver’s   license.  He  must have been  desperate for help, so he told me  he  would  help me get  my  license  and hire  me to  make  deliveries.   He  did    that,. And I  went to  work   afternoons.   I  got out of  school  at  11:30 A. M.   and  had all afternoon  to  work.   I  loved  the  job.  I   turned  out to  be the owner’s  personal  chauffeur,  sometimes  driving   a   luxurious  LaSalle  limousine.   

I  was   a   celebrity  in  my  own mind.   I  had the  use of a  laundry truck,  often  driving it   home  after work,   driving it  to school and  then  to  work   when  I  got out of school.  Some mornings  I  would pick every  kid in the  neighborhood  and  drive them all to  school  I  would have  put the  laundry out of  business if  I  had had an  accident.   It  took  five  minutes  to  dump off my  passengers  at   the  front  door of  New  Britain  High  School.

So, I  had  plenty   of things   to  think   about, and  English  wasn’t  one of   them.  I  had a  window  seat in  the  English  class which   overlooked  South  Main  Street.  I  could  see kids  sneaking out of school   going   over to the  Smoke  Shop  across the  street,   and  could  monitor  everything  going on  outside.   It   was  a  pleasant location    for my   reverie.

Miss  Odin,  another   favorite  teacher,  had   different   objectives  for  her  class and  had  some  objection  to mine.   I  was  a regular   in the  Assistant  Principal’s office,  but   still unfazed.   Finally,  one  morning  here  came  Miss  Odin   stomping up  the  aisle to my  desk,  “Robert!  Do  you  think you  are  going  to  pass this  course?”   I  assured  her there  was  no  problem,  but  I   guess  she disagreed by  flunking  me.  I  wound  up  having to  take  double  English  classes,  and a general  Biology    class  to  graduate.  I  think  you   could  say  that  In  addition to  whatever  English I  learned,  I  got     a  lesson in  setting  priorities/

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