Sergeant Tony's Blog

“Tony, you don’t have any money … how are you going to take Jill to
the fair?” asked my friend Greg.

Greg was talking about the Arkansas - Oklahoma State Fair in Fort
Smith, Arkansas. It’s Fort Smith’s version of the Mid-South Fair with
all the rides, food, side shows, and games of no chance. Greg and I
were in the 8th grade. Jill wasn’t my girlfriend. We weren’t going out.
We weren’t going steady. We hadn’t hooked up. But I HAD carried her
books to class! (I am sooo smooth!)

“No, dude … I don’t have a dime saved up,” I said.

“Listen man, why don’t you work with me at my dad’s concession stand?”

Greg’s dad owned one of the two concession stands at the football
stadium at Northside High School. And his dad always needed counter
help.

“You can make a lot of money for one night’s work, man!” pressed Greg.

I didn’t really want to work at the high school football games. Those
games were a major social event in our junior high social life and
missing out on one would be a big sacrifice. Like a lot of small towns,
Friday night high school football is the biggest thing going. But we
never paid any attention to the game, we were just there to hang out
with the girls from our school. We were there to flirt and clown …
and try to make it to first base.

I really wanted to take Jill to the fair.

But I was flat broke.

Jill didn’t know that I wanted to take her because I hadn’t asked her
yet. She was tall and pretty with long blond hair. And like all girls
her age, she was as silly and dramatic as they came. The whole gaggle
of girls from which we drew a new girlfriend every 3 or 4 weeks (jr.
high romances had a short shelf life) were pretty much interchangeable.
Silly, goofy, melodramatic, and soooo much fun!

I went to work that Friday night at Greg’s dad’s concession stand.

Mr. Rayburn assigned me to the counter at first. And that was pretty
easy. But in no time he gave me the cotton candy job. I was in the back
part of the concession stand and couldn’t see any of the customers. And
in the beginning I got more cotton candy on ME than on the little paper
sticks. Cotton candy twirling was an acquired skill that had my arms
covered in sticky sugar “spider webs.”

But I just kept thinking about the money I was making and the fun that
it would buy Jill and me!

The concession stand was busy for the first half of the game and then
we got slammed hard at half-time. Toward the end of the third quarter
Mr. Rayburn told me to quit making cotton candy. He had a new job for me.

He gave me a different apron, a money “belt,” a paper hat, and a metal
rack full of Cokes. The rack had a strap attached to it to go around
the back of my neck. I was going to be the “Coke guy.” I was to walk up
and down the steps of the stadium and yell out, “ICE COLD COKES HERE!!”

Great.

The big concrete stadium was pretty nice by high school standards, like
a small college stadium. Mr. Rayburn told me to start with the first
section and work my way to the other end. At the top of the very first
long set of steps was the section where all of my friends would be.
Including Jill and all of the other girls from school.

Wonderful.

So I started walking up the steps, yelling and selling, praying that
I’d run out of Cokes before I got up to the section with my friends. I
wasn’t that lucky. In fact, things started falling apart even before I
got close. One of those knuckleheads spotted me coming up the steps,
and it was on. The taunting had begun.

By the time I got to the section with my friends, all of my buddies –
most of whom didn’t have to worry about earning money to take a girl
out — were giving me grief. I was pretty embarrassed. Everyone was
laughing at me, giving each other high fives, and pointing at me.

Including Jill.

She laughed and pointed at me and made fun of my little paper hat and,
along with everyone else, called me “Coke Boy!”

“Over here, Coke Boy!”

“I’ll take two, Coke Boy!”

“Hurry up, Coke Boy!”

“Got change for a $100 bill, Coke Boy?”

“What’s all that crap on your arms, Coke Boy?”

I wanted to explain to Jill, “Hey! I’m doing this to earn money to take
YOU to the fair! This is all for YOU!!”

But I didn’t.

I was humiliated.

And my feelings were hurt.

But I swallowed my pride and kept working. One man nearby who heard all
the names I was called, took pity on me and gave me a $5 tip for my
pain and suffering. Thank you, kind sir.

That night I was in the stands for most of the fourth quarter, wearing
a little paper hat and selling Cokes.

Of course, at school on Monday I caught more grief from my friends.
Including Jill. And they kept making fun of me for the next few weeks.
I worked a total of three Friday nights and made more money than I’d
ever had in my life.

I never took Jill to the fair.

I took Anna.

Anna was the absolute cutest brunette, with the most amazing brown eyes
and a smile that made me happy. She had a great sense of humor and was
really interesting to talk to. She thought I was funny and smart. (She
was right!). And she was the only one of my whole group of friends at
the games who didn’t laugh at me or call me names or taunt me or point
at me.

She smiled a sweet smile at me.

You see, Anna’s family owned the Coca-Cola company in my hometown. Her
dad thought I was awesome! To him, it seemed like I was supporting the
family business. Single-handedly. In my little apron and paper hat.

I never told Jill why I worked at those games.

Misreading a situation, misunderstanding the actions of another, is
more common than not. Not everything is as it seems.
Some things are more than they appear to be.
Some things are less.
Some things are nothing like what you think they are.
Some things come out of … nothing.
Sometimes life is like a magic show. Your attention gets drawn to something unimportant, a situational misdirection … while you miss the real magic right in front of you.

Update: Recently Jill, not her real name (all the names were changed to protect the guilty!) volunteered to be my date to Wicked next week!

You just can’t make this stuff up!

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SUMMER SCHOOL SPECIAL

Have a student who’d like to join USMC Fitness BOOT CAMP for the
summer? Special discounted program for summer student recruits! Email
me for details

———————————————

TODAY’S BIG THREE

1. Natalie Williams (Boot Camper) looking for a Marketing/ Event
Coordinating or Advertising job. Has a degree in Marketing Management
and has several years of experience. Please contact nnwllms1@gmail.com
with any leads or job opportunities.

2. Eric Flanders (Boot Camper): Fleet Feet Sports “Running Shoes,
Apparel and Gear”, 901-761-0078. Sgt. Tony’s running store. The store
has moved from Erin Way Shopping Center and is now next door to the new
Panera Bread!

3. Dr. John Whittemore (Boot Camper) Germantown Dental Group,
901-754-0540. Sgt. Tony’s dentist.

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FRIDAY, 3 JULY

This year, the 4th of July falls on a Saturday. Since many of you will
have Friday off, we will have our holiday workout schedule on Friday the
3rd. So only one workout at 0700 on Friday 3 July.

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To your continued good health and fitness!

Tony

Sergeant Major Tony Ludlow
USMC Fitness BOOT CAMP, Commanding
Memphis, TN
901-644-0145
www.usmcfitnessbootcamp.com