3. The Molding Of The Nomad

I wanna hold your hand...

Somehow I got wrangled into going door to door in the neighborhood selling a couple of tickets to the Beatles concert. To lighten the mood my mom was taking a sibling and a bunch of her friends to the concert and there were a couple of tickets left over they told me to try and go sell.

I must have asked every house that ringed the park but don't believe I found a taker. It didn't matter, the excitement created just by the thought of seeing the Beatles had everyone in a good mood as vocal decibels notched up to 10.

There must have been a dozen girls plastering on the makeup just in case any one of them could get within 10 feet of any Beatle. They shared who they had a crush on and squealed at the idea of making whichever Beatle their boyfriend.

It took several cars to deliver the gang of girls to where the concert was being held and the tailgate parties slide into the parking lot. The girls tumbled out of the cars and myself and the chaperones made our way to the entrance.

We took our seats, although few were sitting. The Kingsmen started with The Jolly Green Giant, followed by Hermit Hermits, Henry The Eighth. Neither was a match for the reception afforded the Beatles.

There was so much screaming, crying and fainting going on, I couldn't hear a word. I took a look at the girls around me and decided right there and then, I would never become like any of them no matter how much I loved Paul.

Girls were literally dropping like flies around me as the anguish of their cries grew louder. Then silence as their makeup slid off their faces, limp from exhaustion, their pouted lips parted but no sound came out. The euphoria gone, replaced by discontent from a night they believed would change their lives forever came to an uneventful end and nothing to show for it.

Alas this didn't last long as they swore on their pinkies, the next time they'd win.

Much of my impression of the world and the genders that inhabit it were defined during this time. Unconventional wisdom sprang forth in me. Even at that tender age, I'd experienced what some take a lifetime to achieve. I was very cognizant of the world around me yet knew my path wouldn't replicate any of those in my world.

I didn't know exactly what but none of what I saw thus far.