The first time I felt like a man

It was September , 1981. I just started the third grade. The third grade was the first odd year for me. Yes i had many odd years but this was the first. One of the reasons why it was odd. for the only time during my grade and jr. high years , the bus route changed. for some odd reason , and I only lived a mile and a half from the grade school , the route went from the grade school down the hill to the jr.high. Then instead of turning left at the stop sign in beautiful downtown Hockinson , it took a right. and went a good 3-5 miles to davis road up davis road to 212th , took a left then went another 3-5 miles to my home. Along the way the bus would drop off (use nice word) kids at their home or maybe it was a better home and they were embarrassed by their home. who knows. So in all I lived 1.5 miles from the school. Class got out 3:10 , I was home 4:30. Good times.
But the best time was in September 1981. I went to the movies for the first time by MY self at eight years old and I felt like a man.


I read in the paper that there was a double feature of Clash of the titans and Dragonslayer playing at the Hazel Dell Tri-cinemas. I had to go. I missed them that summer because the only thing on my mind that summer was Superman 2. Not even Raiders of the Lost Ark , my all time favorite movie , was not on my mind. ( That could be another post. Seeing Raiders was a great time too).

So I went. By myself. I had 5$ on me. my mother and my sister dropped me off. This is how I remembered it was September. The movie playing in the big theater was Mommie Dearest. I remember cause the poster creeped me out. It was just Faye dunnaway in a black and white poster but it creeped me out and I looked on the Internet when that film came out and it came out in September. now it was a double feature but I could only see Clash because the other started later and I had school the next day.

So I walk in. Paid for my ticket. Matinee was a dollar for children at that time so I had 4$ left , went to the snack bar. I bought a snickers bar and a kids popcorn. I ate those together for the first time that day. It was like heaven. It was so cool. I'm by myself , back row , and it wasn't the biggest theater around. It was 200 seats if that. It was a three screen cinema , the biggest screen had maybe 750 seats. The other two were small and about half the size of the big theater.

But I'm by myself. I'm eight years old. Having the time of my life , by myself. I didn't have to wait for anyone to go to the bathroom. Ddidn't have to hold a seat. Nothing. So i'm sitting there waiting for the movie to come on. The lights go down. A preview came on. It was for the movie looker. This lady goes through glass out the balcony. I freak out. I don't say anything but I'm like freaked out. Watched that movie years later , bad movie. Then the movie comes on , I'm watching , loving it. Then about an hour in , the scene where harry Hamlin and Andromeda are about to get married and the head falls off the statue and its Maggie smith , the film stars going haywire. I freak out again. I'm by myself there are a couple other people in the theater but I'm by myself , it was kinda cool. The lights come back on and we wait. Every time i watch clash of the titans and that scene comes on , I remember the film freaking out. Then the movie was done and I got up and left. I felt like a man because I saw a movie by myself. I really felt like a man after when I saw boobies in the movie and I'm by myself. Really good times.