"I think she's a bad influence," my mother said to 15 year old me about my friend Amy C.
This memory popped into my head over the weekend as I was cruising on my motorcycle and went by Clark's Trading Post, where Amy and I worked together that summer of my 15th year, and then by a campground where we had an adventure.
I was a bit of a wild child in my youth, and somewhat of an obnoxious extrovert. To accuse Amy C of being a bad influence was actually quite naive. She was an influence in my life for sure. She was pretty and confident and outspoken. I wanted to be just like her. I had my hair cut to model hers. She influenced my style with clothes as well, and I was fortunate that she gave me some of her clothes that I absolutely loved.
When Amy first moved to town, she lived down the hill from me. I spent countless hours hanging out with her down there. Her baby sister had a cleft palette and I adored that little girl, so much so that Amy had to tell me that her mom didn't want me carrying her around so much. That adoration was a significant influence in my chosen career path when I applied to college: speech therapy (which I did not pursue, but did finish my degree, as well as English as a second major).
Amy and I spent hour upon hour together, even after she moved to the other end of town (ok, it was still less than a mile away, but I couldn't see her house from my bedroom window anymore). We loved to go for walks, especially in the spring. Dancing was a favorite activity, so school dances found us cutting up the gym floor. She even taught me how to use a tampon. When Clark's held a job fair one spring, it was a no-brainer that we would apply together (with my friend Michele, too).
Amy worked in the Dairy Bar at Clark's and we affectionately referred to her as the Dairy Queen. Michele worked in the gift shop, and I was a tour guide. I broke the record that summer for most tours given of the Tuttle's Haunted House. I even electrocuted myself on the "knife switch" during one tour. We rode the bus every day from Littleton to Lincoln, about 30 minutes. Our driver was named Ed and we called him Mr. Ed, the Talking Bus Driver (if you don't get the reference, you are very young. LOL). One of our parents was responsible to get us to Littleton every morning and pick us up every evening. One time, we didn't have a ride and started hitchhiking. A parent came along and rescued us.
A year older than me, Amy had a lot more freedom than I did. I think this is why my mom believed Amy was a bad influence. The truth is, I'm a Capricorn. And, as I mentioned, I was an obnoxious extrovert. I was going to do what I wanted to do whether I was doing it with Amy or someone else. And...the craziest things I did in my teen years were not actually in the company of Amy, but with other friends who were not a year older than I was (and I truly was the bad influence - I led them to many a nefarious activities).
One memory, though, which hit me while on my motorcycle over the weekend, was the night we went to a campground to hang out with a group of boys who had been at Clark's that day. Amy wasn't shy and her pretty smile and confidence attracted all the boys. She wasn't afraid to talk to them and that's how we ended up at their campsite that night.
I undoubtedly got in trouble for coming home late that night. I knew I was going to get in trouble, yet, I went anyway. That was what I did in my teen years. If I wasn't grounded, I was doing something to get grounded...mostly, breaking curfew. I was a pro at that. My dad implemented a rule that for every 5 minutes I was late, I had to be home an hour earlier the next time I went out. That rule did not stop me from staying out past curfew. I could tell time, I just chose not to respect it.
That night at the campground, the whole time I was worried about how much trouble I was going to get into, so I didn't even have a good time. It was dumb. I should have just gone home, but I never wanted to miss a thing. I never even missed a day of school from 7th grade through 11th grade. The first time I missed school in my senior year was because I had my wisdom teeth out. Once my perfect attendance streak was broken, I had no issues skipping school when spring fever and senioritis kicked in. And guess what, Amy C had already graduated and was off at college, so she wasn't the one influencing those "bad" decisions. Amy M on the other hand....LOL, just kidding (or am I???).
I don't recall what my punishment was. I got into trouble a lot for coming home late, so it is difficult to pinpoint this instance. What I do remember is being in awe of Amy and how she wasn't shy talking to boys. I could barely utter a word to a boy, but Amy could flirt like the queen she was.
We remain friends to this day. She was one of my trusted tribe when my ex-husband cheated and she provided the emotional support I needed. She's always there with an encouraging word. I love her dearly, which is why I wanted to stray from my typical blog story and celebrate our 40ish year friendship after that campground memory hit me.
Oh, and if you're wondering what my response was to my mom when she accused Amy of being a bad influence...I responded, "No she's not." But I also didn't own up to being the Bad Influence Leader. Now she knows (if she reads this LOL - at 51, I'm not worried about getting in trouble.).
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