{"id":242,"date":"2011-06-06T15:09:49","date_gmt":"2011-06-06T19:09:49","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/?page_id=242"},"modified":"2025-04-23T14:52:08","modified_gmt":"2025-04-23T18:52:08","slug":"on-to-eighth-grade","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/?page_id=242","title":{"rendered":"Chapter 12: On To Eighth Grade"},"content":{"rendered":"<h3>Another Surgery For Mom<\/h3>\n<p><strong>Mom was back in the hospital that summer\u00a0for another operation.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Steven and I stayed with relatives in Newark for two weeks.\u00a0He\u00a0stayed with Nana, and then Uncle Johnny. I spent the entire time at Aunt Marietta\u2019s.<\/p>\n<p>That\u2019s where I received quite the education with my (well into adulthood) cousins living there.<\/p>\n<p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/06\/musicnotes-tiny.gif\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\" size-full wp-image-9464 alignleft\" src=\"https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/06\/musicnotes-tiny.gif\" alt=\"musicnotes-tiny\" width=\"50\" height=\"61\" \/><\/a>Disco Nights<br \/>\n<\/strong>GQ<\/p>\n<p><a id=\"mbmaplayer_1375806412968\" class=\"{skin:'black', animate:false, width:'120', volume:0.2, autoplay:false, loop:false, showVolumeLevel:true, showTime:true, showRew:true, downloadable:false, downloadablesecurity:false, id3: false}\" href=\"https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/06\/GQ-Disco-Nights.mp3\">GQ &#8211; Disco Nights<\/a><textarea class=\"map_params\" style=\"display: block; padding: 3px; background: #444; color: #fff; text-decoration: none;\" disabled=\"disabled\">map :: {skin:&#8217;black&#8217;, animate:false, width:&#8217;120&#8242;, volume:0.2, autoplay:false, loop:false, showVolumeLevel:true, showTime:true, showRew:true, downloadable:false, downloadablesecurity:false, id3: false}<\/textarea><\/p>\n<h3>Bright Lights, Big City<\/h3>\n<figure id=\"attachment_9709\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-9709\" style=\"width: 450px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-9709\" src=\"https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/06\/aunt-mariettas1-600x569.jpg\" alt=\"Aunt Marietta's\" width=\"450\" height=\"426\" srcset=\"https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/06\/aunt-mariettas1-600x569.jpg 600w, https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/06\/aunt-mariettas1-300x284.jpg 300w, https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/06\/aunt-mariettas1.jpg 668w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 450px) 100vw, 450px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-9709\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Aunt Marietta&#8217;s. The &#8220;All In the Family&#8221; TV theme always reminded me of this house. Photo Credit: Donna LaCapra<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Donna and Johnine brought me downtown where they smoked substances of varying grades.\u00a0I called it &#8220;a new kind of cigarette&#8221;\u2014new to me, anyway.<\/p>\n<p>I tried a Marlboro, and didn\u2019t care for the taste, but learned how to roll the new kind of cigarette using special paper and a sprinkling of the &#8220;stuff.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>I felt a sense of daring and nonconformity atypical of a squeaky-clean honor-roll student like myself. However, it was way too exciting to protest, \u201cHey guys \u2026 I\u2019m <em>TWELVE!<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Aunt Marietta was on a church retreat in Atlantic City for a few days. Uncle Bobby wasn\u2019t around much as he spent much of his day at Budweiser, where he worked.<\/p>\n<p>One night, Johnine opened a bottle of Uncle Bobby\u2019s wine. We were sitting at the kitchen table while she was on the phone with her boyfriend, Dino.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_9710\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-9710\" style=\"width: 450px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-9710\" src=\"https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/06\/donna-johnine-300x281.jpg\" alt=\"Johnine and Donna\" width=\"450\" height=\"421\" srcset=\"https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/06\/donna-johnine-300x281.jpg 300w, https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/06\/donna-johnine-600x561.jpg 600w, https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/06\/donna-johnine.jpg 730w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 450px) 100vw, 450px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-9710\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Johnine and Donna. Photo Credit: Donna LaCapra<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>I ended up getting so blitzed that I was picking up Mickey, their dog and dancing around singing like a derp.<\/p>\n<p>Aunt Marietta returned from the retreat that night (a day earlier than planned) to find me on the sofa, positively green.<\/p>\n<p>She had brought me a little token from her trip, a bottle of Skinny Dip cologne. When she saw my condition, she asked me what the matter was. I said it was probably something I ate.<\/p>\n<p>I covered for my cousin, but I think my aunt smelled a rat.<\/p>\n<p>I was laid up the next day on Johnine&#8217;s bed with a bucket on the floor. Wine, meet Lori. It did not end well. Drinking lost any appeal until college (where it&#8217;s arguably a rite of passage of sorts).<\/p>\n<p>On a more wholesome note, I designed a puppet show out of paper and a manila folder and had fun playing with it in their dining room.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_573\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-573\" style=\"width: 450px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-573\" src=\"https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/06\/skinnydip_perfume-150x150.jpg\" alt=\"Skinny Dip Cologne\" width=\"450\" height=\"600\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-573\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Skinny Dip Cologne<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Some time after that, my mother found out what happened by reading my diary.<\/p>\n<p>She promptly dialed my aunt and there were due repercussions for the gross irresponsibility demonstrated on my behalf. I never stayed at Aunt Marietta\u2019s again.<\/p>\n<p>Mom was discharged from the hospital, and she and Dad came to Newark to retrieve us from our two-week stay.<\/p>\n<p>By then, Dad had traded the \u201974 red Caddy for a \u201976 blue Coupe DeVille with the square headlights. I loved the new car!<\/p>\n<p>On the drive home, I remember Mom and Dad held hands on the console in the new Caddy.\u00a0I believe they must have been feeling some sense of hope and togetherness following her latest operation.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_2390\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-2390\" style=\"width: 790px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-2390\" src=\"https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/06\/1976_Cadillac_DeVille_Coupe1.jpg\" alt=\"Our next Caddy, 1976 Coupe DeVille\" width=\"790\" height=\"282\" srcset=\"https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/06\/1976_Cadillac_DeVille_Coupe1.jpg 398w, https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/06\/1976_Cadillac_DeVille_Coupe1-300x107.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 767px) 89vw, (max-width: 1000px) 54vw, (max-width: 1071px) 543px, 580px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-2390\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Our next Caddy, 1976 Coupe DeVille<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/06\/musicnotes-tiny.gif\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\" size-full wp-image-9464 alignleft\" src=\"https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/06\/musicnotes-tiny.gif\" alt=\"musicnotes-tiny\" width=\"50\" height=\"61\" \/><\/a>Dancer<br \/>\n<\/strong>Gino Soccio<\/p>\n<p><a id=\"mbmaplayer_1375806440747\" class=\"{skin:'black', animate:false, width:'120', volume:0.2, autoplay:false, loop:false, showVolumeLevel:true, showTime:true, showRew:true, downloadable:false, downloadablesecurity:false, id3: false}\" href=\"https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/06\/Gino-Soccio-Dancer-album-version.mp3\">Gino Soccio &#8211; Dancer <\/a><textarea class=\"map_params\" style=\"display: block; padding: 3px; background: #444; color: #fff; text-decoration: none;\" disabled=\"disabled\">map :: {skin:&#8217;black&#8217;, animate:false, width:&#8217;120&#8242;, volume:0.2, autoplay:false, loop:false, showVolumeLevel:true, showTime:true, showRew:true, downloadable:false, downloadablesecurity:false, id3: false}<\/textarea><\/p>\n<p><em>Do Ya Think I\u2019m Sexy<\/em> by Rod Stewart, <em>Too Hot<\/em> by Kool and the Gang, <em>I Was Made for Lovin\u2019 You<\/em> by Kiss, <em>September<\/em> by Earth, Wind &amp; Fire, and<em> No Tell Lover<\/em> by Chicago (a goodie) were popular on the radio that summer.<\/p>\n<p>Joan, Leslie and I spent a lot of time together. Once, they went on a trip to see family in Maine. They all piled in their dad&#8217;s Datsun F-10.<\/p>\n<p>We went to the pool (Dallenbach&#8217;s) quite a bit, and visited each other&#8217;s houses.\u00a0I thought it was so cool how they had the master bedroom for themselves, with its cute dormer.\u00a0Their parents took the room downstairs, which used to be the Garfinkels&#8217; porch, but was eventually closed in.<\/p>\n<p>Blossom, their Siamese cat, had a pretty face and would whisper by as we listened to music and hung out.<\/p>\n<h3>Eighth Grade<\/h3>\n<figure id=\"attachment_9833\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-9833\" style=\"width: 335px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-9833\" src=\"https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/06\/me-eighth-grade-415x600.jpg\" alt=\"My eighth grade school portrait\" width=\"335\" height=\"484\" srcset=\"https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/06\/me-eighth-grade-415x600.jpg 415w, https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/06\/me-eighth-grade-208x300.jpg 208w, https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/06\/me-eighth-grade.jpg 581w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 335px) 100vw, 335px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-9833\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">My eighth grade school portrait<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>That school year\u00a0began uneventfully, and that was the year I read <em>Roots<\/em> and <em>Gone with the Wind<\/em>.\u00a0I finished <em>Roots<\/em> by November, and watched the mini-series after school on the ABC <em>4:30 Movie<\/em>.\u00a0Mom later took me to see <em>Gone With the Wind<\/em> at the Rutgers Student Center.\u00a0To this day I prefer to read the book before seeing the movie.<\/p>\n<p><em>Don\u2019t Stop \u2018Til You Get Enough<\/em> by Michael Jackson was big, the first of many hits from his <em>Off The Wall<\/em> album.<\/p>\n<p>I was in Mrs. Berndt\u2019s homeroom, and became friends with Pam S, Anne A, Beth J and a bunch of others. We all palled around together. It was a nice clique of good kids.<\/p>\n<p>I had an art teacher named Mr. Cerrito. I recall one assignment in which we had to design a home interior using perspective and a vanishing point. I created an ultra-modern sunken living room. Mr. Cerrito was known for saying &#8220;no rush slop jobs!&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Another teacher, Mr. Alusik, taught science had a collection of polished rocks. He gave me an onyx pendant on a necklace, which I wore in my class picture at right. I also drew some science-oriented posters for his classroom.<\/p>\n<p>My English teacher, Mr. Acito, was a sweet guy. I was gratified when he allowed me to do a written report in lieu of a speech. He also played <em>Hangman<\/em> on the board using new words, two of which were &#8220;propensity&#8221; and &#8220;procrastinate&#8221;\u00a0 and popular song titles. He also taught us the difference between <em>Its<\/em> and <em>It&#8217;s<\/em>.<\/p>\n<h3>BJ McKay and His Best Friend Bear<\/h3>\n<table border=\"0\" width=\"300\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"5\">\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td rowspan=\"2\" width=\"60\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\" size-full wp-image-9464 alignleft\" src=\"https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/06\/musicnotes-tiny.gif\" alt=\"musicnotes-tiny\" width=\"50\" height=\"auto\" \/><\/td>\n<td width=\"414\"><strong>Boogie Wonderland<br \/>\n<\/strong>Earth, Wind and Fire<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><a id=\"mbmaplayer_1375886788807\" class=\"{skin:'black', animate:false, width:'120', volume:0.2, autoplay:false, loop:false, showVolumeLevel:true, showTime:true, showRew:true, downloadable:false, downloadablesecurity:false, id3: false}\" href=\"https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/06\/Earth-Wind-and-Fire-Boogie-Wonderland.mp3\">Earth Wind and Fire &#8211; Boogie Wonderland<\/a><textarea class=\"map_params\" style=\"display: block; padding: 3px; background: #444; color: #fff; text-decoration: none;\" disabled=\"disabled\">map :: {skin:&#8217;black&#8217;, animate:false, width:&#8217;120&#8242;, volume:0.2, autoplay:false, loop:false, showVolumeLevel:true, showTime:true, showRew:true, downloadable:false, downloadablesecurity:false, id3: false}<\/textarea><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<figure id=\"attachment_575\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-575\" style=\"width: 492px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-575 \" title=\"Greg Evigan\" src=\"https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/06\/evigan-truck-237x300.jpg\" alt=\"Greg Evigan\" width=\"492\" height=\"623\" srcset=\"https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/06\/evigan-truck-237x300.jpg 237w, https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/06\/evigan-truck.jpg 474w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 492px) 100vw, 492px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-575\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Greg Evigan. Dayummmm!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>A new show, <em>BJ and the Bear<\/em>, premiered Saturdays that fall.\u00a0It took just one look at hunky Greg Evigan and I was done for.<\/p>\n<p>My \u201cCHiPs\u201d poster quickly was retired and replaced by a large glossy image of Billie Joe McKay.<\/p>\n<p>I&#8217;d walk to the Somerset Farms convenience store (now Krauszer\u2019s) to hunt for issues of\u00a0<em>Tiger Beat<\/em> and <em>Teen Beat<\/em> with his picture.<\/p>\n<p>I was a little annoyed that almost every one included Sam the chimp. This was sort of reminiscent of my earlier quests for shots of Larry Wilcox without Erik Estrada, in which I was mostly unsuccessful.<\/p>\n<p><em>*Disclaimer:<\/em> This in no way equates Mr. Estrada with a chimpanzee, but neither were my subjects of interest when searching for posters and pics.<\/p>\n<p>As with &#8220;CHiPs&#8221;, I scoured Nana&#8217;s TV Guides for anything about the show; especially photos of fiiiine Greg.\u00a0 No offense, Sam.<\/p>\n<h3>A New BFF<\/h3>\n<p>I met a new girl on the bus, a 7th grader. We would have been in the same grade had it not been for my testing in a year early. Tracy H and I became instant friends, and would hang out at each other\u2019s houses (just a few blocks apart).<\/p>\n<p>When Tracy came to visit, she was rather bold with perusing the contents of our refrigerator, which I personally didn\u2019t mind but immediately set Mom on edge. I was told that unless Tracy could behave properly in our house, she would no longer be permitted to come over.<\/p>\n<p>Naturally, my childish shortsightedness somewhat limited my judgment and we disagreed about it, but Mom rightfully had the final say on the matter.<\/p>\n<p>I spent a lot of time with Tracy at her house and on her paper route.\u00a0I would bring my boom box along and crank my latest favorites, and we would belt out Billy Joel\u2019s <em>Still Rock \u2018n Roll to Me<\/em> at the tops of our voices.<\/p>\n<p>I went swimming at her house (she had the most gorgeous pool), and we sneaked into her parents\u2019 bedroom to watch the Playboy Channel on cable.<\/p>\n<p>We also walked up to Somerset Farms and stuffed bubble gum into the deep pockets of our winter coats, slinking out sans the benefit of a receipt. I was having too much fun to feel guilty. (I certainly do now.)<\/p>\n<p>I hoarded grape Bubble Yum and strawberry Bubblelicious in my desk at home. I loved Tracy\u2019s bedroom, cozy with a color TV, despite its being smaller than mine.<\/p>\n<p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/06\/musicnotes-tiny.gif\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\" size-full wp-image-9464 alignleft\" src=\"https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/06\/musicnotes-tiny.gif\" alt=\"musicnotes-tiny\" width=\"50\" height=\"61\" \/><\/a>Love You Inside And Out<br \/>\n<\/strong>The Bee Gees<\/p>\n<p><a id=\"mbmaplayer_1375806509762\" class=\"{skin:'black', animate:false, width:'120', volume:0.2, autoplay:false, loop:false, showVolumeLevel:true, showTime:true, showRew:true, downloadable:false, downloadablesecurity:false, id3: false}\" href=\"https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/06\/Bee-Gees-Love-You-Inside-And-Out.mp3\">Bee Gees &#8211; Love You Inside and Out<\/a><textarea class=\"map_params\" style=\"display: block; padding: 3px; background: #444; color: #fff; text-decoration: none;\" disabled=\"disabled\">map :: {skin:&#8217;black&#8217;, animate:false, width:&#8217;120&#8242;, volume:0.2, autoplay:false, loop:false, showVolumeLevel:true, showTime:true, showRew:true, downloadable:false, downloadablesecurity:false, id3: false}<\/textarea><\/p>\n<p>Sleepovers were a blast; I think one time we made cookies in the middle of the night and pizza rolls or something.<\/p>\n<p>Years later, Tracy and I would hit the clubs during my college breaks to drink and pick up cute guys \u2026 never mind we were not of legal drinking age. We had such fun whenever we hung out.<\/p>\n<h3>The &#8220;Big 1-3&#8221;<\/h3>\n<p>Mom and Dad did make sure my 13th was special even though we all knew Granddaddy was getting very sick (now I was a <em>teenager!<\/em>). We went to Benihana of Tokyo in the Short Hills area, for hibachi food. I got my first camera, a Kodak 110 as a gift. That night began my pictorial chronology that has continued to the present.<\/p>\n<p><em>Rock with You<\/em> by Michael Jackson, <em>Ladies&#8217; Night<\/em> by Kool and the Gang, and <em>Enough is Enough<\/em> by Barbra Streisand and Donna Summer take me back to that time.<\/p>\n<p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/06\/musicnotes-tiny.gif\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\" size-full wp-image-9464 alignleft\" src=\"https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/06\/musicnotes-tiny.gif\" alt=\"musicnotes-tiny\" width=\"50\" height=\"61\" \/><\/a>Rock With You<br \/>\n<\/strong>Michael Jackson<\/p>\n<p><a id=\"mbmaplayer_1375806555676\" class=\"{skin:'black', animate:false, width:'120', volume:0.2, autoplay:false, loop:false, showVolumeLevel:true, showTime:true, showRew:true, downloadable:false, downloadablesecurity:false, id3: false}\" href=\"https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/06\/Michael-Jackson-Rock-With-You.mp3\">Michael Jackson &#8211; Rock With You<\/a><textarea class=\"map_params\" style=\"display: block; padding: 3px; background: #444; color: #fff; text-decoration: none;\" disabled=\"disabled\">map :: {skin:&#8217;black&#8217;, animate:false, width:&#8217;120&#8242;, volume:0.2, autoplay:false, loop:false, showVolumeLevel:true, showTime:true, showRew:true, downloadable:false, downloadablesecurity:false, id3: false}<\/textarea><\/p>\n<h3>A Sad Farewell To Granddaddy<\/h3>\n<figure id=\"attachment_9825\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-9825\" style=\"width: 421px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-9825 size-large\" src=\"https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/06\/granddaddy-memoriam-421x600.jpg\" alt=\"Newspaper clip remembering Granddaddy\" width=\"421\" height=\"600\" srcset=\"https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/06\/granddaddy-memoriam-421x600.jpg 421w, https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/06\/granddaddy-memoriam-210x300.jpg 210w, https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/06\/granddaddy-memoriam.jpg 649w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 421px) 100vw, 421px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-9825\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">This newspaper clip remembering Granddaddy was printed in the Newark Star Ledger two months later<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Granddaddy\u2019s leukemia had returned full tilt by then, and he was soon hospital-bound.<\/p>\n<p>We went up to visit him several times and saw his condition worsening.<\/p>\n<p>One evening, I wandered into the next hospital room to find Nana in the dark by the moonlit window, gazing peacefully at the city lights. She told me she was meditating.<\/p>\n<p>Granddaddy passed away one frigid night just days following my 13th birthday.<\/p>\n<p>My parents got the call well after midnight, and Dad raced up to Newark to be with the family. Mom stayed home as we slept.<\/p>\n<p>Big John, King of Colden Street, Central Ward, full of love and generosity, known and loved by many, and strong as a bull for most of his life, was gone.<\/p>\n<p>It was an emotional blow to all of us.<\/p>\n<p>He&#8217;d never call me &#8220;his little doll&#8221; again. My adolescent heart broke when we entered the viewing room at the funeral home with Nana. She cried and cried. My poor little brother was in tears and turned to hug Dad by the casket.<\/p>\n<p>It was a very stressful day and I ended up with one of my migraines. Later, as everyone gathered at Aunt Marietta&#8217;s, I lay upstairs in her bed trying to rest and hide from all the sadness.<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><a title=\"Chapter 13: My Special Mom\" href=\"https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/?page_id=322\">Chapter Thirteen: My Special Mom<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-13050\" src=\"https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/drum-avatar-thumbnail-sm.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"75\" height=\"75\" \/> <a title=\"Return to Memoirs\" href=\"https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/?page_id=13681\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">Return to Chapters<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Another Surgery For Mom Mom was back in the hospital that summer\u00a0for another operation. Steven and I stayed with relatives in Newark for two weeks.\u00a0He\u00a0stayed with Nana, and then Uncle Johnny. I spent the entire time at Aunt Marietta\u2019s. That\u2019s where I received quite the education with my (well into adulthood) cousins living there. Disco &hellip; <\/p>\n<p class=\"link-more\"><a href=\"https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/?page_id=242\" class=\"more-link\">Continue reading<span class=\"screen-reader-text\"> &#8220;Chapter 12: On To Eighth Grade&#8221;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":14230,"parent":4,"menu_order":13,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-242","page","type-page","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/242","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=242"}],"version-history":[{"count":65,"href":"https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/242\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":17797,"href":"https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/242\/revisions\/17797"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/4"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/14230"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=242"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}