Coming Of Age

 My “coming of age” started in the 8^th grade when I was introduced to Pinkie, a junior and the sister of one of my friends. She had a crush on me, so she invited me to go with her to the drive-in movie theater – she had her license. That was my introduction to sex other than make-out sessions with girls who believed anything else was a sin against God. I  don’t remember much about the movie playing that night, but I remember parking in the back row, hopping in the back seat, and taking most of our clothes off. It blew my mind. I was now a “real man”. Ha!

For the next several months, we cavorted anywhere and anytime we could. My friends usually spent most of their time laughing and snickering at us. I could never figure it out until one night Chi Chi, a good friend,  asked me if I knew why she was called Pinky. I told him I didn’t. He told me, and the next time I had the chance, I looked at her left hand and discovered what Chi Chi had told me was true – her pinky finger was missing. Ha, ha, jokes on Deano. They sure got a kick out of that! Pinky was also my first dump, as she announced one day she was in love with this older guy and no longer wanted to see me. 

My many “adventures” with my friends during this period did not sit well with my parents. I was always in trouble, mostly from doing some prankish things but a few that were a bit more serious – usually around fights with the Worcester guys who would come into Shrewsbury to cause trouble. I got to know the Police Chief quite well and spent many afternoons cleaning and polishing the cruisers, which was his type of punishment since he didn’t want to arrest someone and bring them to court unless it warranted. I never did anything illegal; it was just stupid stuff.

After my sophomore year, my father and mother had had enough of my shenanigans and announced that I was being shipped off to a private school – Wilbraham Academy. To make matters worse, I had to repeat my Sophomore year because my grades were not great, as the school’s academics exceeded what was taught in the local public school. This also did not go well with my girlfriend. Claudia was her name, by the way. Although we considered our relationship exclusive, she was the biggest flirt in the world and would often cancel a date because she wanted to go out with her friends. I didn’t think it was cool at all and would usually end up in an argument.

To make matters worse, the school was just boys. My “coming of age” came to a screaming halt.