The rest of my days at High School in America went by in a blur. It was the time I spent with the Armstrong’s that changed my life the most. I originally landed in Washington State with such a close minded perspective of what type of people they would be simply because of the cars they drove and house they lived in. I had pretty much grown up with everything I had ever wanted, or at least been given the possibility of attaining it, but the happiness that I shared with Armstrong’s when we had taco night, or went camping in Eastern Washington was like nothing I had felt before, I know that in the past two instalments I have been giving them a fair amount of crap but it’s because that’s the way it worked for me, when I first got there I didn’t understand their way of life, but after letting down my guard a little a fell in love with this family and the way that they interact with each other and the amount of faith and love they have in each other. It is because of the Armstrong family that I have been able to travel the world experiencing new cultures and people from all different walks of life, they were the first ones to make me realise that the only thing you need in life is the love and support of your family, and I will be thankful to them forever. Again, even if I don’t show it by staying in contact like I should.
It wasn’t until I got into trouble one day that it really set in I had become part of the family. Before leaving Melbourne, my older brother Richard had given me his old driver’s license; fortunately for me we look identical even though he is 6 years older than me. This meant that I was just about the only 16 year old at Sedro-Woolley High that would comfortably walk into a liquor store by the goods for the party that weekend and not sweat balls when the cashier asked for my I-d. Once I discovered how desired my secret power was at school I rarely caught the bus home. Someone from school find me during the day, ask me to come with them after school to buy their drinks then chauffeur me home afterwards, it was until word had got around that I was doing this that it started to go downhill. The regional representative for my student exchange program had two daughters, and it was just my luck they went to my school, by process of elimination this is what I’ve come up with,
“I bought booze for someone and they found out,
They told their mum and she flipped out
She called Theresa and told her I was being a bad exchange student.”
We went out to the regional reps house one afternoon and she laid into me, it was only the booze thing I had also told all the teachers at school I didn’t need to do any of the work because it made no difference on my grades in Australia,(for some reason they believed me). As petrified as I was when the regional rep was ripping into me, it was nothing in comparison to how sad I felt when I got the “I’m disappointed” speech from Theresa, it was then that I realised she was my Mom, I had my Mum in Australia, now I had my Mom in the USA. It took that gut wrenching feeling for me to realise that I wanted to make this family proud, I wanted them to be happy for me to be a part of their family, and from then on I went pretty good.
Travis and I still had the occasional activity that not many parents would look to fondly on, but it was probably rife around the world at that time. Edward Norton and Brad Pitt had provided an activity with an endless amount of masculine entertainment; Fight Club’s became the thing to look forward to each weekend. We had a couple of fights at the Armstrong’s, I think my first was one afternoon against Travis. Jim, Travis and I had been working on the engine of 1967 Chevy Nova that Jim was doing up for Theresa, well they were working on it I was pretending to have some knowledge of car engines much the same way you’ll see thousands of guys doing a motor shows all over the world, one arm raised holding the bonnet (hood) up the other gently stroking the top of the radiator followed by a slow bend and an angled look deep into the mass of metal that lays before you topped off with a slow breath out that fills the cheeks, a breath of amazement. So for an afternoon break Travis grabbed the boxing gloves and we went round the side of the house, I remember clearly the first right hand hook Travis laid into the side of my head, my gloves went down and I stumbled backwards, my head was fuzzy and my visions blurred, we were 8 seconds into our fight. Jim who served in the US forces was watching on from the side, he told me to keep my arms raised.
What does he know?
Three steps forward and Travis planted another perfect right hook, stumble back, fuzzy head, blurred vision.
Jim tells me again to keep my guard up and wait for the opening then jab.
The third time I swear I thought I had my guard raised, right hook straight to the temple. I nearly went down; I started to feel like Homer Simpson. There’s an episode when they discover the lining around Homers brain is thicker than the norm and therefore makes it harder to knock him out.
Jim took me to the side showed me where to keep my guard and sent me back out, you know how in all boxing movies it’s the last round that the underdog always wins. I felt like Rocky Balboa, Travis’s swings were bouncing off my gloves and I perfectly timed a couple of jabs, I by no means won the fight, but it felt good to get a couple back for my dignity. After that after noon, we had a couple of nights we had friends come round to the Armstrong’s for match ups, and even lined up main events during the week at school, I lost a couple and won a couple but saw some crazy knockouts, including one of my friends clear the ground by a good three feet after a massive uppercut.
I think it was not long after our fight club had disbanded that it was Kurtis’s birthday, He got a Shotgun for his 12th birthday, and it was small either. To test it out Jim and Kurtis were going skeet shooting up the road and asked if I wanted to tag along, a 16 year old being asked if he wants to go shoot a big fuck off shotgun at flying objects, let me think about it a minute..
I’d never shot a gun before, well nothing that could do me any damage, so I opted to skeet duty first. Kurtis tracked the flying clay pigeons through the air with a scary amount of talent, smashing nearly all the targets we put out in front of him. Next was my turn, this big pump action fowling piece was stuffed with 00 gauge shells, for those of you like me who had no idea of guns that means it was stuffed with ammunition that was big enough to create a second ozone layer if we ever need. I got my line of sight and gently rested the butt of the gun in the crook at the front of my soldier, I felt comfortable, and I felt as though you could take a picture of my stance and use it as a diagram in any hunting magazine around the world. It was only one shot later when I realised how much it must hurt to dislocate your shoulder, a few adjust and I was a little less sniper a little more Schwarzenegger. I was dropping clay pigeon like a mad man, and could see how hunting would become a passion of people especially in these parts were there’s so much cool shit to shoot. It was one of the coolest things I have ever done, I still remember watching the clay pigeons shatter into a million pieces and I blew lead threw those hopeless targets.
Shotgun shooting was one of the last days I remember being outside in the sun while I was over there, winter had come in, which in this neck of the woods meant only one thing. Snowboarding..
It was crazy for me to think about it but a short drive from school was one of the best snowboarding mountains in the US, Mt. Baker.
We took a few trips up the mountain, and I had to bust balls to try and keep up with these guys who had been boarding their whole lives practically. I remember one trip in particular, not for the snowboarding so much but for what Travis and I did when we got home. I was pretty exhausted and I think I had been lying in bed on the phone to the peeps back in Melbourne, when I heard some strange groaning from the bathroom, I got up to check it out. I mean I knew Travis and Ashley were the only ones in the house but this definitely didn’t sound like groans of pleasure, the bathroom door was slightly ajar, and a slither of light spilt out onto the burgundy shag pile carpet. I traced the light up and peered through the gap(yes a little bit like a peeping Tom) I could see Travis lying on the ground and Ashley kneeling on top of him concentrating on something just below his chin, then another groan from Travis and they were done, Ashley stood up and I pushed open the door. Travis was now sporting a brand new nipple ring, an apparently sterilized sewing needle the only spare jewellery available at the time, I thought he was nuts, not only him but Ashley just shoved a piece of haberdashery machinery through her boyfriends chest. I think it wasn’t that I thought they were nuts that bothered me that much, I think it was that I knew I was next.
Lying down on the bathroom floor, rolled towel between my clenched teeth and covering my face, Ashley was rubbing an ice cube over my nipple in an attempt to numb it a little, it couldn’t have been to make it stand up as the nerves had done more than enough for that, I don’t really remember much pain to be honest only the first little prick hurt, it was the sound of tiny air pockets bursting as the needle passed through my aureoles that still gives me shivers. I’d put some bandaids on either end of the needle so it wouldn’t get caught on my shirt and the next day Travis and I went to a piercing store at the mall to get some rings or studs, as soon as we showed the staff or homemade pierced titts he instantly told us to take them out, apparently we had pierced to far back in aureoles and if we didn’t take them out our chest would turn green with infection.
It was at that same mall that one day Travis, Ashley, Alicia(Ashley’s little sister) and I went to hang out, acting a little mall rat esque munching in the food court, buying cd I think we might have caught a film, but the most exciting part of the day was on the way back to the car, Travis and Ashley walked ahead of me and Alicia, and after Travis whispered something to me I told Alicia to stand back a bit, we let them walk a good 10 m ahead Travis followed Ashley to her door like a good gentleman would and waited for her to get in, she leant forward then turned back to grab the door handle, only the door wasn’t closed, Ashley was met with Travis on one knee with open box a beautiful ring on display, Alicia grabbed my arm and did one of those girl jumps when they get really excited. I couldn’t hear what Travis was saying or maybe I could but just can’t remember now, but I could tell by the smile and tears on Ashley’s face he definitely got the answer he was hoping for. Travis was 17 and Ashley 15, a marriage that in any other country based on their ages would be given no chance of survival, they now have three beautiful children and based on face book status updates seem just as in love as I ever remember.
I remember the last day I had with the Armstrong’s as clear as day, I had to say goodbye to Jim early ‘cause he had to go to work, it was the first real father/son physical connection we’d had the whole time I was there, I shook Jim’s hand to say thank you, and how much I’d loved staying with him, and he pulled me tight and hugged me, no words were needed. I was a son to him and from my hug in response he was a dad to me, Kurtis had to go to school, and I had said goodbye to him early in the morning, I didn’t realise how much I’d miss him until I was back home, we hung out quite a bit during my time there, watching cartoons in the morning or playing around with the dogs, and by the end of my 6 months there I’d even learnt how to understand his accent and I’m pretty sure he could understand me too. Travis and Theresa took me back to Bellingham Airport, and on the way out that airport seemed so much bigger, although I couldn’t help smiling ‘cause I was going to see my family and friends back in Australia I knew I would forever be leaving a part of myself with the Armstrong’s. We were sitting in the departure lounge talking about what had been happening, when my flight was called I was standing up looking around as to where I was supposed to go, Theresa and Travis sitting on chairs in front of me, I looked down from the departures board, and first met Theresa’s eyes, welling with tears, I instantly started to do the same, then I looked at Travis and he too had tears waiting to escape. Similar to 6 months earlier when I left my family to go and meet some brand new people, I was now leaving my family and going home a brand new person.
I will forever and always keep the Armstrong’s in my heart, and hopefully they will read this and discover a little about how much they all mean to me, and how much I miss them all..
For those of you expecting a little more of my debaucheries behaviour don’t worry it’s coming, I wasn’t even old enough to legally drink in this trip, so stay tuned the festivities and shortly arriving.
“My fault, my failure, is not in the passions that I have, but in my lack of control of them”
Thursday, April 22, 2010
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