If Pete Makes Her Cry ... No School For Us

Pete, Nancy, Michelle and I went to the same Catholic school at the same time: Our Lady Of Refuge school on Ocean Parkway. The school bus would pick up Pete's and Nan's friends from East 15th Street before reaching our bus stop on the corner of East 18th and Avenue L. Pete and Nan were responsible for me while we waited for the bus together.

Since Nettie was a push-over for snow days, if there was a couple of inches on the ground, she'd make the decision to let us stay home ... and most of the time we did. Then, it was a day of building snow forts and having snow ball fights until we were too cold to play.

I was in 3rd grade when we had this fantastic snow storm. We stayed home one day because there was no school bus to pick us up. The next day, Pete developed a game called, "Hide From The Bus." Pete stood in the middle of the street and waited till the bus was a block away. Then, at his command, we all ran and hid behind cars, gates, trees until the bus left the corner. Then we went back to Nettie's house and Peter told her the bus never came. That was a Thursday. We stayed home and played all day.

When Friday came, Pete decided that he wanted the day off and a longer snow weekend. He didn't think we could say the bus never showed again, because it was unlikely and we would probably get caught. So, he decided that I needed a lesson in crying. He figured if I cried to Nettie that I was too cold or that I was hurt, we all could miss the bus and get to stay home one last day.

He spent about 5 minutes teaching me to fake a crying fit, but I couldn't do it. So, he and Nancy pulled off my mittens, and Pete held my hands in the snow until I started to cry from the pain in my fingers. He pulled my hand out of the snow, checked to see if it was red and cold enough, and put them back into the snow until I was hysterical.

Then, we all ran down the block to Nettie's (while I was instructed to swear not to rat them out) and cry until Nettie announced that we could stay home once again because poor little Darcie had frostbite. I can still remember Pete smiling and doing a silent high five with Nan because his plan worked and we got to stay home once again. I was sworn to secrecy or warned that the boogie man was going to get me if I ratted them out.

Eventually that day I was able to go outside with my cousins when my hands warmed up and stopped paining me. But it's been 36 years since that cold day and every time the breeze blows and I get pains in my fingers - I remember Peter's gleeful decision that "If We Make Her Cry ... We'd Get To Stay Home From School !"

Thanks a lot Pete !

: - ))

I love this Headbangers Ball interview with Pete and Josh. I always wondered if Josh was awake during this interview. I'm sure you have seen this, but it's a fun reminder of TON's past:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JO-gNdDLS-g&feature=related