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  Return to Forever

  ©2014 Jim Frishkey

  All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or used in any form or by any means, graphic, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping, or information and retrieval systems without written permission of the publisher.

  eBook design: Michael Campbell at MCWriting.com

  Cover design: Casey Cronan

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  Forever

  JIM FRISHKEY

  To Gladys L. Masuch, for tolerating my mediocrity as a student and inspiring my long dormant potential as a creative writer.

  To the Franklin High Class of 1964. We were the first of the baby boomers that sailed the unchartered waters of a new clarity of thought, questioning the wrongs and exalting the rights of a changing society. Sometimes we even got it right in spite of ourselves. I love you all.

  PROLOGUE

  Some day you will find me.

  I haven’t gone too far.

  I miss the way we were back then…

  How we laughed.

  I can feel you in my heart.

  There’s a world in your eyes,

  I can see it getting brighter,

  All the hours that we turned into days.

  We were young,

  Seemed like life would go on,

  Last forever.

  All I had was you by my side.

  MOSTAR DIVING CLUB

  CHAPTER 1

  Summer – 1963

  Joey Fedorsio’s father walked a fine line between major prick and stalwart male role model. Joey was an only child but his father, an orphan, made sure Joey would know the merits of hard labor…even at 15 which was when he started work in the local Food Giant for $.75 an hour.

  Joey was a bright, almost brilliant student when he chose to be. He was a natural artist and draftsman and was offered scholarships to the Art Institute and later the prestigious Wilson Academy. Both of these opportunities had to take a back seat to the family’s penchant for moving every two years until they finally had enough money for a down payment on their first home in 1962. At last Joey would be able to develop friendships that would take root.

  The township where their home was being built had a modest tax base and, as a result, kids ready for Junior High and High School had to migrate to nearby Lansdale, a growing community with a new high school due to open in the fall. Joey would be a member of its first graduating class.

  Joey was also a natural athlete, playing organized baseball every summer and pickup football and hockey games in the fall and winter. One of his goals was to try out for the varsity baseball team but juggling work and study time made this virtually impossible. His baseball future would be relegated to sandlot games after school when he wasn’t working.

  The Food Giant was very close to where the new high school was being built but far enough from home that Joey’s mom had to drive him and pick him up…until he got his permit! Mom’s 1957 Chevy 210 was his to use for work when allowed and eventually became his project to convert from 4 door sedan to street rod of distinction. Every spare dime went into the J.C. Whitney catalog…seat covers, baby moons, cut outs and whatever else he could find that would release the “beast” hiding in that 283 Power Glide grandma car.

  By summers end the red and white Chevy looked and sounded like a rocket ship…but ran like the slow tortoise it really was. The transformation was dramatic and his persona changed the minute he got behind the wheel. The nerdy grocery store bag boy became Brando in the “Wild One”. Joey would back the Chevy into the street and, at the end of the block, climb under the car with a monkey wrench to remove the cap from his cut-out. The roar was almost deafening and gave Joey an instant hard-on.

  Rumbling to and from work with the occasional detour through the local drive-in burger joint, Joey was often the target for a drag race with an opponent who was driving a car with real speed…not the faux muscle Joey was driving. These confrontations usually ended with Joey watching the other guy pull away or simply declining the challenge with a laugh, feigning disinterest.

  The Food Giant became Joey’s home away from home. As time went on his hours increased as did his job responsibility. From bagger to stock boy to stock boy/cashier, he earned a reputation of reliability and budding leadership among his co-workers, one of whom was Johnny Vincent in the produce department.

  Johnny was also a classmate and lived within a long walk from Joey’s house. His mom was the prototypical Italian home maker who could whip up a delicious meal from scratch in minutes. His family and Joey’s became good friends and the boys and their fathers often played golf together at the local public nine hole course. As is often the case, good friends can become intense competitors and the two boys were always trying to get a leg up be it sports, work, cars or girls.

  Johnny was clearly the better athlete and his long and lanky looks appealed to the girls more than Joey’s glasses and exploding acne. Joey, on the other hand, was a superior student and his years in Catholic school put him ahead of his sophomore classmates in almost every subject. As a result, he had friends on every side of the spectrum…nerds, jocks, and greasers.

  Phil Sherman was the all-American nice guy. He was enrolled in Advance Placement English, Math, and Science and destined to receive an appointment to Annapolis if he could excel at just one varsity sport…wrestling. His father was a Navy vet with contacts at the academy and he leaned hard on Phil to get the grades necessary to be selected. To do so also required the sponsorship of a political big shit, like Congressman, Senator, Mayor or the like and when that time came, Phil was confident he could attract just such a heavyweight.

  Joey first met Phil in Latin class and an immediate friendship was formed. They both had skills in creative writing that served them well in the legendary Gladys Mason’s A.P. English class. She was an aging spinster who inspired her students to tackle the loftiest literature with zeal and creativity. She knew Joey had the ability but lacked the work ethic but she liked him and cut him more slack than he deserved. Late assignments were the norm but she gave the content more weight than meeting the deadline and the C minus became the bedrock of Joey’s scholastic achievements.

  Larry Knoblauch was the total opposite of Phil and the fuse that detonated the bad boy in Joey. He was a co-op student, earning credit towards graduation by working full-time and attending only those classes required to meet the minimum for graduation. He also worked at Food Giant but at a different store in the meat department. He had a different circle of friends outside of high school and Joey was welcomed into that group of shit-stirrers.

  And so Joey entered his junior year at the newly named Lansdale Senior High School with a small but loyal circle of friends… Johnny, Phil and Larry plus others that he would meet along the way.

  CHAPTER 2

  The Donaldson’s were as conservative and straight-laced as they came. Father Clarence looked like a 20th century Abe Lincoln. He was an accomplished pianist and was the organist at the Catholic Church in Lansdale. The salary was modest but he was able to supplement the household income by teaching voice and piano. Mary, his petite wife, was right out of “Father Knows Best”. House dresses were bright and cheerful and she maintained a spotless home while looking like she was heading to the opera.

  They had two daughters…Mary Lou who would turn 16 in November and Allison who had just turned 10. In spite of the age difference the girls were close but firmly under the thumb of their strict father. They also were musically gifted. Mary Lou had the voice of an angel and Allison was a budding concert violinist. Why they named their eldest daughter with the same name as the mother was anybody’s guess but it never really was a problem in the day to day running of the household.
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  While Mary Lou was the poster child for “prim and proper”, there was a spark deep inside that was longing to get out, a rebellious spark that, if ignited, could destroy all the plans her family had laid out for her future. They knew that joining the Junior Class at the new high school would place her among kids eager to explore new freedoms and budding sexuality but they were confident she was fortified to resist all temptations.

  Everyone liked Mary Lou. Although small in stature, she had a bubbly personality and a voice to match. She was not the cheerleader type but was just as popular and explored every social option she could…French Club, Choir, Future Teachers, etc., etc. She maintained straight A’s while attending all of the most difficult Advanced Placement classes, including Ms. Mason’s AP English class.

  Joe, as he preferred to be called these days, was the class clown in many of his classes. He was able to balance a sense of humor that his classmates found to be very funny, without pissing off the teacher who also often laughed at his outbursts. This is how he caught the eye of Mary Lou.

  Joe had to take at least two years of a language to be considered for college. His two years of Latin in Junior High were almost futile and he passed with D’s only because of his wit and personality. He chose to take French in his junior and senior years and walked into French 101 finding himself surrounded by sophomores with two years of French study already under their belts. Searching for a face he recognized, he saw Mary Lou from AP English smiling at him from across the room.

  —

  A typical work week for Joe was working 5PM to 10PM two or three days a week and then all day on Saturday. White shirt and black bow tie was the required uniform with a long white apron secured around the waist. Stock boys were issued a Garvin stamper to price canned goods and stickers and this was carried hanging from the apron strings like a six-gun.

  After work on week nights the guys headed to the nearest drive-in restaurant for a coke and fries summoned on the speaker. Of course you had to back into your spot and it wasn’t uncommon for someone to tear off a speaker in the process. Once you settled in, the rest of the evening was spent watching the hot cars roll through… 409 Impalas, Dodge and Plymouth Hemis, and, best of all, Corvettes!

  Johnny and Larry had old Fords that they tricked out but Phil had to beg to use the family VW Bug which was rarely allowed. Of course he wasn’t working like the others so gas money was in short supply. Having some money also opened the door to another important symbol of Joe’s manhood…smoking. Joe was late coming to this party among his friends but before long he could actually finish a Pall Mall without hacking his lungs out.

  As Winter turned to Spring in 1963, Joe had settled into a routine: school, work, and cruising the drive-ins. Obviously what was missing and probably most important was study time. He would come home after work and head to the desk his dad had built into the basement wall. Within a few minutes he would nod off with a text book open in front of him, a study discipline that clearly was doomed to failure.

  Phil and others on his nerd friend roster were excelling academically. Joe just couldn’t keep up and occasionally he and Larry would skip school and head to the small bowling alley at the public golf and country club. The place was usually empty and they could spend a leisurely day working on their averages over pizza and coke. Larry was a co-op student so there was no pressure on him to get good grades in the tough college-prep curriculum. Joe, on the other hand, knew a day of reckoning was on the horizon. Something had to change.

  CHAPTER 3

  Joe had a late study hall, after all of his classes, and it was almost pointless to crack the books that late in the day. He flirted with the girls seated near him and teased the study hall teacher who had a good sense of humor and really didn’t give a shit as long as no fights broke out. The only other viable option was the library.

  At the newly named Lansdale High, they designed the school with the library right in the middle with glass panels serving as a visible wall. Joe had several gaps in his schedule that would allow him to head to the library to study.

  The library was staffed with mostly students who would help with locating and checking out books. Joe paid little attention to them and would sit alone or with Phil cramming for a Chemistry or Algebra 2 test in the hour available between classes. Progress was minimal but at least he was moving forward in his studies.

  After a couple of weeks of regularly hitting the library he noticed a girl from French and English class was working the checkout desk. He couldn’t remember her name but her smile and good nature were infectious and he looked forward to saying hi when they saw each other. She became his best audience when he cut up in French class where his assigned name was Jacque.

  One day in the library, Phil leaned over and whispered to Joe that he had an admirer and motioned to Mary Lou. “She told someone that she kinda likes you. You should ask her out.” Joe was stunned by the news.

  “No shit? How did you find out?”

  “She said it to Pam in Future Teachers.” Phil confessed. “She knew Pam and I were friends and guessed it would get back to you.”

  Joe stewed on this for over a week, trying to get up the courage to ask her for a date. Finally the perfect opportunity presented itself. Phil was able, through his Dad, to obtain four tickets to the U of M football game the following Saturday. He was going to ask a girl he had his eye on and suggested a double date…in his Dad’s VW no less.

  Monday morning Joe was in the library as usual but his focus was not on books or studying. He was watching Mary Lou bounce around the shelves helping students and putting away returned books. The head librarian was a shrew and watched her flock’s every move. Joe knew he would have one shot and grabbed a book and sprinted to the front desk where Mary was now stationed. “Hi, remember me from French class…Jacques?” he said timidly.

  “Of course”, she replied with a huge smile. “Did you want to check out that book?”

  The moment of truth had arrived. “No, I was wondering if you wanted to go with me to the U of M game this Saturday. We would go with Phil Sherman and his date.”

  In a nanosecond she answered. “Yes, that sounds like fun.” This was something she had hoped would happen before the Christmas break and she could not hide her excitement from Joe who almost fell over in shock.

  “OK…great!” he answered. “If you could write down your address and phone number I’ll let you know what time we’ll pick you up.” She said she would give him this information when she saw him in French class later in the day.

  —

  During the first few weeks of class the students of the first graduating class of Lansdale High were asked to select many things that would become the ongoing traditions of the school. Nominations were made for team name and mascot; school colors; alma mater; fight song etc. Another important task was designing the class ring for the Class of ’64. Once the final design was approved, each student was measured and placed his order. Joe selected a simple black onyx and gold design and was eager to see it on his finger later that winter.

  As September was winding down Joe’s circle of friends expanded to include a group of co-workers at Food Giant. A few attended Lansdale and some were from other nearby high schools. They became a band of brothers and transformed the store into their own personal playground. They teased the customers and the young cashiers and turned lifting beer and wine into an art form. Larry, the store manager, had the focus of a gulag commandant and getting something past him was incredibly difficult…but not impossible if they worked as a team. If Johnny was working the late shift, he would simply leave the back receiving door in the produce department unlocked. Joe and the others would leave the beer by the door and the first one to punch out would drive is car around to the back and slide the goods into his trunk. A well-oiled evening would thus begin.

  By now Joe had pretty much taken over the use of his Mom’s ’57 Chevy. He was paying for all the gas and pitching in on the cost of adding a teenage boy to the
insurance policy. He also was starting to drive to school which put him among the student aristocracy. Johnny, Larry and Joe would all caravan to school in the morning, sometimes offering rides to the cute girls waiting for the bus and they were never turned down.

  At night, if they weren’t working, the three would pile into one of their cars and cruise Telegraph Road with beer cans wedged between their legs, looking for a car full of girls or a car to drag race. Joe was slow to develop a taste for beer and threw many a half-full Pabst out the window with the other guy’s emptys. Sometimes the clunk of his half full can would be heard by the others who would tease him mercilessly for being a pussy.

  Hanging with Phil was a totally different experience. They would team up to work on school projects, one of which was an audio depiction of the key events of World War II in Europe. Phil had a classic ability to mimic dialects and Joe got off on developing the script. They also created a fictional character and began co-writing a spy novel in the Ian Fleming tradition.

  Phil had a German Shepard named Murphy who was the smartest dog Joe had ever seen. He was so smart that he recognized words when spoken and when the family tried spelling them he picked up on that as well. Joe enjoyed that family very much and also developed a friendship with Phil’s younger brother, Chip, who shared Joe’s interest in the guitar. Joe had tried taking lessons at a very young age but could not discipline himself to practice and his Dad saw that as an excuse to end the costly lessons. Still the attraction to the instrument remained.

  CHAPTER 4

  The “Landsdale Lions”, in uniforms of black and gold, launched into their first season of varsity football with no seniors and systematically lost every game until the final showdown against their arch rival Bentley. They played the senior team to a draw which was the high-water mark of 1963 and a basis to build future championships. Johnny was the second or third string quarterback but missed too many practices due to work to showcase his incredible arm.