When I went to Catholic school, we would go to Rocky Springs Park for a free day in the spring, right around this time. They had a really high roller coaster that
was thought to be unsafe, so we would ride it..praying the whole time that it
wouldn't collapse. Brave men..but the real thrill was the anticipation of
the "Tunnel of Love" and making that trip with the girl of the moment and
hoping for an unexpected touch or kiss in the dark but settling for holding
hands...I mean we were in 7th grade..but holding hands was really
something..was that a slight squeeze I felt??..was it a signal to do
something else??..What should I do!!??... and all the time the clock was
running!..by the time I figured out my next move, the guy who ran the
"Tunnel" was telling me to get the hell out of the boat so someone else
could have a turn....so it was back to my gang of mates who would walk
around making catcalls at the girls and dreaming of the days to come....like when we became young adults in the 8th grade.
Later, I got to share a soggy tuna fish sandwich with Harriet Smith who liked to
talk dirty and smoke cigarettes. She was 13 going on 40 and looked the part
too. Yeah, she told me a thing or two, then showed me how to French
kiss in the Tunnel of Love.....it was better than all the roller coasters in the world.