Thang Nguyen 555

Ever since “Me Too” went viral, people who were squeezed, groped, raped etc…started to come out. At recent all-boys re-union (definitely not Penn State – Sandusky was already in jail), I was told it’s the other way: it had been our head-master – the Evil one – that was groped (our class-room’s wall got plenty of gaping holes) by small hands all at once stuck through and out – any of our 100+ hands would do. Immediate suspension was called for- up til now it’s still unsolved a prank.

The two who once fought each other or held grudges, now made up. I visited a friend we had “volunteered” at street fights. Trieu Kien Ve later got amnesia, not from that one quick punch in the cheek, but from a traffic accident years later. We owe you Ve the price of team loyalty.

Good to know we got absolution.

Spouses who accompanied them can now breathe ( it’s been on the back of their minds, …what if.) that’s all? boys bullying?..Not like in…”How can I tell her”?…

From life’s menu we’ve got choices of…grey hair or bald, stingy spouse or stunning spouse, great career or no career at all.

We were in school uniforms, pushed from behind during recess and fought our quickest way to the ping-pong tables (2) or the canteen next to the boys’ room.

Me, the one and only, had the key to the studio for band rehearsal. Haha!

Spouses must understand.

Their hubbies were picked with utmost care and consideration, watched with strictest discipline (Mr Onion himself) and taught by coolest teachers.

Now if they turned out undesirable, miserable and unconsolable, then it’s a waste- your charge! Today, bypassers just notice Joan d’Arc church without a passing glance across the street. But to my brother’s generation ( refugees from the North), when the school got re-located there from a Petrus Ky horse stable, it’s quite a step-up for CVA 60.

We walked in 68, eager like beaver then scattered to the four winds, music room or Independence Palace keys, dropped and left behind in 75 like chicken w/ heads off.

We learned the 4R’s (respect first). We learned not to get distracted by les filles (only those who stayed late across the street awaiting for the arrival of co-ed 3rd-shift students who air b-and-b’ed our classrooms). We learned esprit des corps when invaded by Cao Thang poly-technique-students (blue vs white) and we learned from our role-models: bearded-Toan – journalism; Quoc Dung – author of Mai, music; and Thao – den (diem) who went with our team to Mac-Dinh Chi HS to sell our CVA special publication.

Back to groping. At a re-union one might find a lot of un-expected: “he used to ‘un-zip’me” for a quick ” surgery”… ” It would have come out long ago at previous re-unions unless we were short on wine/booze. Me-Too! Or about fights across the street which often got interrupted by the Priest who made a habit of chasing us off his lawn ( the only lawn we grew up in).

Thank you Hoa (Duc Auto’s wife) for a wonderful home-cooked meal, Tri’s wife Thu for the skit w/ Cong “Ngu” and of course, her brother/singer who flew in from CA for the entertainment. “Anh con no em”….

For Trieu K Ve (punched red-cheek), Phong (36 Mac Dinh Chi). Wish you were there on 10/5/19 in Houston.