Latest news from the girls’ room
After some brief kissing in the back, Allie has a news flash.
“Some girls were smoking cigs in the second floor girls room.”
I’m intrigued. I always thought boys would be the first despicable juvenile delinquents to smoke butts. “Who?”
“Some local girls. One’s named Roxanne, the other’s Carolann. I thought I saw them this summer hitting butts under a tree near the b-ball hoop.”
I didn’t know these disreputable characters. “Are they badasses?”
A shrug. “Kinda. I saw Roxanne get in some rich girl’s face in the locker room. Carolann almost beat up some girl who stole her little brother’s bike. Two punches and that fight was over.”
“You didn’t take a hit off the smoke?”
“Ewww. Cigs are disgusting. Your old man is a creep for smoking in front of you. Doug gave it up last year. He said “It’s not worth the money and I don’t care if people think I’m cool or not.”
“Well, Allie, it won’t be long til the Foon makes a proclamation. Cigs stink and the next time an adult walks in, the stink will throw them into the wall.”
True dat. Two days later, booming voice over the intercom. “All cigarettes are forbidden in the lavatories.” [Heh-the teacher’s lounge smelled like a 1955 pool hall.] “Teachers will make regular inspections and anyone found smoking will have 3 days detention and a call to home.”
Of course, women teachers shunned the upstairs bathroom–they went on the first floor or the one off the teacher’s lounge. By February, any time the girl’s door opened you saw smoke lazily drifting out. I called it ‘the morning fog.’
Every 2 months on a Wednesday, there’d be announcements or assemblies about the smoking ban with all the solemnity of a Louis XIV edict. By then, boys did it and eighth graders lead the way. For some reason, the threat to lock the bathroom doors never happened. Yea, I’d love to see those rich moms and dads hearing THAT.