I remember when

We grew up thinking about nuclear war.

I remember when President Ronald Reagan was shot by John Hinckley because supposedly he was in love with Jodi Foster and wanted to impress her.

I remember the teacher announcing it though I don’t remember her name. She was a large woman with horn rimmed glasses, which I believed even then were out of place in the eighties. Then again it was only 1981.

We were outside on the playground preparing for our Physical Education period.

The teacher came out from the classroom visibly upset. I think her last name started with a B. She was wearing a light blue shirt.

She said the president had been shot.

Richard, a kid with long wavy hippy styled hair with big eyes and lips, which today remind me in some way of a fish, jumped up, clapped his hands together, and screamed “Yeah!”

It might have been Baumgarter or –garten. Her hair was gray, straight, and short.

She screamed at him to stop this instant and pointed a beefy finger at him. I think she started to cry. She told Richard to never say that again.

I think that was the last class where we actually said the Pledge of allegiance.

Fifth grade at Luther Burbank Elementary school.

Luther Burbank was a botanical scientist that lived in Santa Rosa. He is credited with hundred’s of variations of fruits and vegetables. He developed the Burbank potato, which was later re-named the Russet Burbank. The Russet is the most widely cultivated potato in the United States.

Richard was one of those people that felt that Reagan was going to get into office (meaning The Presidency) and start a nuclear war.

Richard was wrong.