What Could Have Been?

In grammar school had I payed closer

attention in class, had I done my home-

work consistently, had I studied for

tests more diligently, perhaps I could

have grown up to be what I wanted to be.

Heaven knows what I may have become

had I taken more responsibility for my

own destiny. I suppose I considered day

dreaming about Annette Funicello,

baseball and drawing cartoons instead

of applying myself to the lessons at hand

fit me most appropriately. I remember

the day in eighth grade when Sister Anne

Vincetta scolded Bobby Tilley for standing

up in class and answering her question

as to what “italics” might be?” “Why,”

Bobby answered confidently, “They are

people who live in Italy.” Everyone in

class had a good laugh over that. Bobby

grew up and went on to become an attorney,

I found out years later. I once got to see

Annette Funicello live and in person, and

was heart-broken to see that she had a trace

of facial hair above her upper lip, and she

was about 6-inches taller than I which ruined

the romance for me. Baseball no longer thrills

me like it used to. And occasionally these days,

I still piddle around with pen and paper drawing

cartoons.

Fortunately for me I suppose, because they say

typically attorneys get a bad name.

Chris Hanch 12-19-19