Manzano High School - Scepter Yearbook (Albuquerque, NM)

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THE TRUCK STDP The nrght was crrsp lrke the leaves of an Autumn Octo ber compost The atmosphere was clean ahve and purr fled for thrs was the Nevada plarns desert The sky dust ed wrth srlver studded sequrns bedecked the velvet blue lrke the costume of a Saturday nrght lady of the Evenrng rn Abelrne The drrve over the asphalt smooth strll up set the rnsrdes of the man to an extent of mrld nausea The hero of the nrght would be not a knrght rn shrnrng ar mour but a bottle of pepto brsmol Oh for the pepper mrnt pmk elrxrer a panacea for the medrcal problems of the evenrng The truck rts rnsrdes saturated wrth the smell of Wrnston smoke and gasolrne fumes rts aroma all too drsgustrngly famrlrar The puttrng on of the emer gency brake was lrke a key to the door of freedom from the problems and trrvalrtres of the day The truck stop restaurant bekoned rn neon Dollys Drrty Dog Restaurant and Cafe Good Food and Good Trmes The young lookrng man hrs harr sandy colored and cut to a respectable length Irn the eyes of the upper mrddle class 9 to 5 Prtney Bowes establrshmentl was rather sorled wrth the sand from the Western desert and compounded by the sweat from the brow caused by an all too hot day Hrs shrrt starned wrth the persprratron of slavrng over a hot radrator seemed to fade rnto medrocre oblrvron to be lost forever untrl launder day Hrs pants a rather mud brown were strarght legged remrndrng .rs of the shades of bebop frftres Hrs chapped hands overly harry on the back of them lookrng somethrng lrke a dropout from the groupre set a hrppre rn chrmpanzee s clothrng shown a rrng rn whrte gold wrth the year 1947 on erther srde of rt Hrs hrgh school graduatron rrn He had now brushed off the dust and grrme of a srngle day s exposure to the elements now openrng the glass door rnto the cafe showing a few sparsely placed rather weather beaten tables and charrs showrng farnt resem blance to rts once attractrve walnut grarned frnrsh but that was a long trme ago a long trme He sat hrmself down at one of the red vrnyl booths rather patched and recovered rn places addmg to the depressrng atmosphere of the hell hole he was rn hell hole Blue Plate Style The room was frlled wrth would be derelrcts of the four wheel drrve set massrve golraths slurprng down seemrngly gallons of tomato soup Why dont they ever shave' Whrskered pungent sorled skrd row type bums The juke box echoed out tunes that were popular rn the days of the Andrew Srsters and Bobby Dar rrn rn fact wasn t that Mack the Knrfe they were play rng? A wartress approached the man wearrng a weathered unrform two srzes too small She waddled up to the table all 200 pounds of her as rf she were half human half duck Can I have ya orda please' bellowed out from thrs vulgar uncouth amazon Her vorce sounded as rf some one had attached a clothesprn to her nostrrls for she sounded srckenenly nasal The man just stared on rn con tempt of thrs woman Phaethon 70 I sard canl have ya orda please' Some ofthe words seemed slurred maybe rt was because of the hu mongous srzed wad of lemon lrme bubblegum wallowrng rn her oversrzed mouth She looked lrke a cartoon character the cartoon The Born Loser I sard Yea yea I heard you the frrst trme I ll have the uh ah hell the roast beef sandwrch I guess The young man sounded the words wrth drstaste as rf he were already eatrng the greasy meat sandwrch Wrll that be all srr? Coffee Tea me? The wartress was now battrng her false eyelashes lookrng strangely lrke a decomposed daddy long legs rn the dr rectron of the young man The young man just sat there not movrng just starrng then prcked up hrs glass of rce water stood up and quretly poured the lrqurd down her front whrch held no bra He whrspered Now honey get yourself rnto that krtchen and get my food understand? Honey? The woman her mouth fallen open just drd exactly what he sard wrth no quarrel although she could have made one rf she had chosen to after all her srze was that equal to any respectable sumo wrestler The man let s call hrm john sat down once agarn rubbrng hrs hands over hrs weaned bloodshot eyes lookrng somethrng lrke a crrm son cobweb hrs puprls glancrng at hrs Wrllona Hrgh School graduatron rrng and he remembered mellow memorres He was the Senror Class Presrdent of the class of 47 a crewcutted red blooded all Amerrcan football jock He was voted the clrche Most Lrkely to Succeed Hrs repu tatron? A 20th century Cassanova yearned for by the fe popularly certrfred STUD Man how he got along and how good the trmes were for hrm' All of the Betty Sue s and Mary Ann Murphy s that wanted to be near hrm af ter all why not jump on the bandwagon the wrnnrng trcket? Even when he wore hrs Old Sprce so heavy that rt attracted honey bees he was swarmed by star struck love slaves Oh those mellow memorres And now what was he? Oh yes he went on to Indrana State College majored rn hrstory graduated and even recerved hrs PhD the educated educated The scholar Marrred to the flax en harred head cheerleader rt was all so pre planned all so Happrly Ever After that how could anythrng sporl such a euphorra such a utopra But trmes change places change and people change attrtudes change and op portunrtres change Everythrng after hrgh school and col lege everythrng he had been offered was a let down rn HIS eyes nothrng was good enough for the Brg Man on Campus He was unrelrable unreasonable and rnsensrtrve After all hadnt he been the Captarn on the college football team both hrs lunror and Senror Year and now I mean the glory of a teachrng post just wasn t as glrtterrng was rt? No Iguess rt wasnt oh those drsapporntrng memorres Hrs face read the lrnes of a man full of thought full of worry and full of self prty and as the juke box blared an unrdentrfrable country and western tune and the scent of Schlrtz permeated the arr and smoky haze blurred outlrnes of people from count less crgarettes the young man srmply bent hrs n or rn half lrm Rudolph lj ' I I II , . I ll II ' - n ' II - -- ,. .. ' I ll ' ' I . . . - j , . , I w I . ,I . . . , , . , . . . - . . , ' I I - Il - ' Il ' ' - , . , , . . . . . . . . . . . . . , - . I - I - , ' . . . . . . . , , I I . . - 1 1 . . . . . , , - , . . . ' ' . ' 1 I . , , . . .. . - , . . , ,, . ' 1 ' Il ' Il I I I , . . ' I 1 . ,, . . . , , ' I I I ' . . , , . . . . . . - . , , 1 1 . . . . . ' ' 1 1 ' I I . . . . . . , . , , , . . , , I - , . . . . . X , . I I ' II ' II - - . , , . . . . , , . . . . . , males, admrred b.y the males. In short, an all approved of, . . . . . , . , , I I ' ' I ,, ,, . . . . . . . , . , , . g , - , . , -- I ' - I . . , I I ' . . . - . , .... . , , . . . . . . , , , , , . . . . .X ' ' 1 I r I ' I , . . c I - I I H ' II ' ' . , - , - . . , , , - . . . . . . , ' 1 . . . . , . . . , , ' I - n - ' ll ' . , - , I . .. , . ' - ' - 1 n - Il - 1 ' n 4 ' ' ' 1 1 , . . . . , ' - , . , . . . . . . . . , I ' - n Q a ll I I II ' ' ' I I I ' - I ' ' ' - I n u A I . 1 u - tr .. . .

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Just Cruisin' After many hours of hot talk of what they were going to do on Saturday night, Paul and Andy were now head- ing for McDonalds', the mecca for the hard core cruisers of the North East heights. Paul and Andy were amateurs, but many of the surrounding cars belonged to the veter- ans of cruising. Beautiful beasts, with assorted mirrors, spotlights, air horns and coolers brimmed full of ice and Coors. The type that burn tankfuls of high octane deep into the wee hours of Saturday morning, looking for a misplaced virgin walking home. Paul parked his car, and they got out and started to walk inside. Hey, You! Paul turned to see a tall youth in a Sandia letter jacket, You left your lights on. Paul cursed himself for showing his nervousness and returned to the car to switch off his lights. May I help you, sir? Andy looked at the girl with the wax smile, thinking Hell give me some time but instead murmured, Medi- um Coke, please. He handed her the exact change and received a plas- tic thank you and turned to Andy, See any good look- ers? I don't know, those two look pretty good from the back, Andy replied. Let's see what did Dennis say about this mmm I know. Paul strutted forward whispering back, Watch this. Excuse me, do you know Ben Jones? The first one turned to reply, the face of an angel, the eyes of a nymph, the old adrenalin is flowing, Paul, old man, then someone threw sand in the watchworks. COD WAS HER FRIEND UGLY. No, she said, I don't. Is he related to Phil jones? Uh, ah, no. I don't think so-uh-thanks. He walked away toward Andy. Why is it that the dogs hang around the good ones? Paul said as he adjusted his retainer. I don't know. Let's go. Andy said. Paul started the Mustang. Those cars aren't so hot, Andy said, referring to the other cars on the lot. This '65 Mustang is pretty good ex- cept for the missing hubcap. Andy said. Paul nodded agreeing that his car was pretty sharp. Well, where do we go now? Andy said. Want to try South Eubank? Paul said as he noticed a green Datsun leaving the driveway with two girls in it. Hey, Paul, catch up, huh! Paul swang out onto Candelaria and poured the coals to all 289 horses. Flash your brights, Paul! Hey Andy, they're slowing down. What do I do? Damn are you dumb, follow 'em! The green Datsun turned into Eastdale with a tired Mustang following close behind. While they slipped in behind the Datsun in front of Safeway, Andy took off his retainer. Andy, what'll I say? Say something dammit, you're closer! Uh, Hi, Paul said. The girls replied, Hi, say what do you guys think you're doing? Shinin' your brights in my mirrors. You blinded me! Oh, I'm sorry, Paul said, to make it up to yuh we'll buy you two a coke! No, wejust got one. Oh, yeh, I see. Paul tried again, What school do you go to? We graduated. Oh was the only reply Paul could give. Psst, Andy, this is going nowhere. Andy slid over and broke the ice. Say would you two like to go to the foothills and-ah-look at the lights? The girls were quiet at first, but then consented. The Datsun led the way as the two cars sped up Cande- laria. Paul, I'm kinda worried. What do ya mean, Andy? he said. Well, it's getting late. I should be home now, and I'd sure hate to get Mono or anything, and maybe we'll end up at BCMC getting penicillin shots. Yeah, Paul agreed. So as the little green Datsun sped toward the foothills, the Mustang took a sharp right at juan Tabo. ...Tom Dietz The March wind doth blow Biting, singing, and dancing Damn, I lost my kite! ...Valerie White A slender raindrop trickles down my window glass and stares in at me. ...lake Naeb jealousy can hurt Take away an ex-boyfriend and I'll wring your neck! ...Carmen Edwards

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Simple Simple People Simple Talk Simple Thoughts Simple Means Simple Ways Simply Confused. ...Randy Mund Looking through curtains wishing they would soon open, for life stands outside. ...Vikijaramillo I heard them speaking But they did not hear themselves. Were they listening? ...Ann Scheibner Che Gilded Cat and Other memories The cat appeared without warning one morning-a scrawny apparition hunching itself silently against the back screen door. jeremy was the first to notice it. His at- tention already wandering from his breakfast, he pointed and exclaimed, Look, Ma! A cat! I turned to look. The cat was pushing its small, triangu- lar face against the screening. Mama, at the sink rinsing the breakfast dishes tshe never could wait for a meal to be over before starting the dishesj, turned too. That's all we need, is a cat, she said, taking up a dish- towel and beginning to wave it at the door. Shoo! No! jeremy shouted. He ran to the door and without opening it, knelt to the cat's level. Hi, he said. Hi, there, pussycat. The cat regarded him with wild unblinking eyes. Hurry and finish your breakfast, Mama said loudly. I want to wash your dish. Look, Margaret-the boy hasn't touched his cereal! jeremy's corn flakes, bloated and soggy now, swam in lazy half circles in the bowl. The familiar queasiness rose in my own throat. Already, at nine in the morning, the air coming in through the screened windows lay thick as a blanket over everything. August. Three weeks of it gone, yet its burdensome weight persisted. Across the street, where the beach wrapped its crescent around the perimeter of the town, I heard the mild lap -lapping of the tide as it too seemed to recede into itself, away from the threatening heat of the day. Leave him alone, jeremy, I said wearily. Finish your milk. I'd like to get an early start for the beach. He did not look up immediately, but when he did, his face was a plea. Please, Mommy, he's thirsty. Can I give him some milk? Mama reached for jeremy's cereal bowl and dashed its half-eaten contents into the sink. You give that cat milk, we'll neverget rid of it! Honestly, I don't know how that boy survives! He eats less than a bird! He's perfectly all right! I said, more sharply than I had intended. I'm not saying he isn't! She held up her hand, her voice rising defensively. I'm just saying a growing boy has to eat! jeremy came to me where I was sitting. He put his head against my abdomen, against the protesting movements of the child within it. Please, Mommy, he begged. The cat's thirsty. His hair under my hand was fine and straight, like my own. Not thick and wavy like Frank's, as I had always as- sumed it would be if our first child was a boy. All right, I said. Pour some milk into a bowl and see if he takes it. Out on the porch, though okay? Thanks, Mom! He hugged me. He was thin, it was true. Seven years old and narrow-boned. You're asking for trouble, Margaret, Mama said. You feed a cat once, you're stuck with it forever. I sighed and stretched my legs out before me. Under the skin little blue discolorations stared up in irregular patterns. Ugly! With jeremy there hadn't been a mark, only a lovely, rounded belly up until the very last. This time it was over all of me-arms, legs, back-a heavy, lumpish pregnancy, with veins and lethargy. I wish it were October, I said now. I wish the whole thing were over with. It'll be here all too soon. What's your hurry? Can't you wait to wash diapers again? I glared at her, ready to scream at her negativism, but the words died in my throat, burned out by the swiftness of their own fury. jeremy opened the door with one cautious hand and set the milk down. The cat backed away at first. Then, in a careful, paw-by-paw progression, it approached the bowl. A long, hard, concentrated lapping ensued, while jeremy sat cross-legged in silent satisfaction, watching. When there was no milk left, the cat sat down, and the light pink tongue began to wash away at the white beard. You liked that, didn't you? jeremy said. He reached out a hand for the first time to pet it. The cat endured this for a matter of seconds before it jumped to its feet and darted down the steps, out of sight.