If I have written about this, please forgive me . . .

If I have written about this before, please forgive me.   

So much of memory is filtered over time & when the memories are clear & concise, one should tell the story.

Before I moved to Dorrance Lane & Fort Bend County, I dreamt about my future high school.

A high school named after a man I personally held responsible for the Vietnam war – John Foster Dulles,

I dreamt about my first day at my new school.  

I was sitting in a strange room, with tables instead of desks.  

Lots of sinks & faucets – not unlike a chem lab.  I only learned later that my home room assignment was in the Home Ec Lab.

In my dream, a boy with a great face & voice came up & said hello.  Next, a girl dressed in red, white & blue (JFD colors) in what I found a sad replica of a cheerleader uniform, joined the boy with a great face & voice & said hello.

She was unlike any cheerleader we ever knew at CHS.  Wonderful hair, horrible nose, great energy.  She would have never made the squad at CHS.

Funny dream, I thought.

How did I know that John Foster Dulles’ namesake’s colors were red, white & blue?

When at last we moved, & I breathed water & feared the encroachment of mildew, I went with Jean to drop off my sister & brother at Dulles Middle School & Dulles High School sent a student office worker to walk me across the campus.

Becky Lubojosky – the first person I met in my new high school.  Who talked about how my Coronado Ring was so similar to the Dulles ring & how great it was that girls were allowed to wear pant suits & what great timing for me to arrive for the day off devoted to the Fort Bend County Rodeo.

And I thought, beam me up, Scotty. 

 Then I went to my homeroom.

With tables & sinks & faucets & stoves & ovens & sewing machines.

And I thought, beam me up, Scotty.

And then a guy with a great face & a wonderful voice came into the room & introduced himself.  And then a girl with a really bad cheerleader outfit came to the table & introduced herself.

And I thought, beam me up Scotty.

That guy with a wonderful face & voice & that cheerleader were the epicenter of Dulles High School & they took me under their wings & filled a void.

Becky Lubojosky & her friends pushed my name forward in every election – Jaki Jean as Wittiest, Jaki Jean as Most Talented, Jaki Jean as Most Unforgettable.

 In the end, I only got Wittiest. 

But more than that, I learned to listen to my dreams & my inner voice.  

Now I just want Jean Luc to beam me up . . . ;-)  Forget Scotty.