Gordon did a mean impression of Flip Wilson’s Geraldine. He did. I was always a sucker for a guy that could make me laugh. We were in sixth grade together and he was, of course he was, the class clown. He was a bit pudgy, had dark almost black hair, and big brown eyes. He was taller than me – another trait I like in a romantic partner. In sixth grade, it was hard come to find a boy my age that was taller than me.

We were stationed at Camp Lejeune but living in town. I was at a civilian school made up, primarily, of military brats. Jacksonville was a very small town with absolutely nothing but 40,000 Marines. My dad referred to it as the armpit of the world.
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