Tonight is sewer night. This is reprinted from August 2001...another sewer night

Its the night before school starts for the kids. Sewer night.

Wow...sewer night. Sometimes memories are so profound that they are disturbing. Even good ones. For a long time..many years, Tom and I would meet at the sewer on two nights of the year. The night before school started in the fall, and the night before the last day of school. So first day school eve, and last day school eve. We met at the manhole that was in the middle of the street, halfway between our houses, which were 3 houses apart, and across the street from each other. We grew up together, from 2 years old.

On sewer night, we would meet a little after dusk, and sit on top of the manhole cover, just chatting. We'd drop rocks down the little hole on top of the manhole cover and listen to them hit the ground a few seconds later.

On the night before school started in the fall, we'd talk about what we did that summer, what was funny, what we'd remember. We'd talk about what classes we had coming up, and if we had any free periods together. We wondered just how creepy the teachers would be this year. We wondered if Jim Schoepflin was still with Judy Gurley.

On the night before the last day of school, we'd laff about all the funny things that happened that year. Choir and Band, all the fun we had. About Vali's crazy family, and about when Pat Wood got expelled.

About when Julie Mlnarik's dad killed her whole family, right up the street. I walked to school with her every day through elementary school, and into Jr. High.

We talked about plans for the summer, what we wanted to do, and where we wanted to go. We'd laff about what psychos our parents were.

We still meet at the manhole every few years..when we're both at our parents house at the same time. Rare, but it happens. I give Tom a big hug and we laff all over again about all the funny shit we've been through. My parents are divorced, and his mom died a few months ago. So my mom and his dad still live there. 3 doors down and across the street from each other. Rea's still there too.

We've both been through a hell of a lot since then, and sometimes it's too hard to get caught up. I just like to see him, put my arm around him and hear that laugh.

There are certain memories that are so vivd, so important, that you know they will never leave your mind. One of mine is sewer night.

I wrote Tom an email tonight and said Happy Sewer Night. He'll know exactly what I'm talking about.

(edit - I wrote him again tonight and told him how glad I was that we had this memory together, and how glad I was that he's my friend. His reply:

D-
Glad we are still friends too.
Sewer nights were always cool. How traditional of us. Strange place to meet
tho. What the hell was up with that? We couldn't just stand on the sidewalk?
hmph.

T

Happy Sewer Night...