Remembering

Seems appropriate I write this today . The first day & time I ever met Duane Manwaring my first man , my first love ;-)

It was a miserable in Winnipeg, late autumn day just like today , dark grey sky groos winnipeg streets , cold cold . I was attending my new school , which wasn't a school at all , for the first time . I walked into my history class and sat down . The calssroom was the size of a small bedroom and there were 4-5 students in our gr. 9 class . I was terrified , not only had I had to take a city bus , something I had never done in my life being a small town child I was in a room with these peers I knew nothing about .

Please please God do not let them be like that wacky girl I met when I entered who told me not to answer any of her questions , questions or time questions . lol yes thrown into more utter madess then ones soul ever need be exposed to however everything be it person , experience is placed , given for purpose and mine was to meet Duane and here I was ;-)

Right off the bat a tough girl named Debbie asked me some vulgar question I had no answer to . She had previously been teasing and swearing etc. with another young fellow Allen. Mischief of one kind and another . Everyone was smoking ! Smoking in school ? yes.

Debbie asked me the question I had no idea how to respond to .sad someone so young already new ways of intimidation .

Room silent , waiting for my responce . Silence .I'm so so terrified . sink deeper into my chair, become invisible is all I can hope for . Go away mean girl . Then out of the silence comes deep secure voice " shut up Debbie, leave her alone " silence broken by silent dark young man across the table from me . His glance never left the book he had his nose in ;-) That was it Duane spoke , he didn't have to defend what he said or anything . She shut up the teacher returned and that was that my first introduction to Duane . My deep dark protector lol , now of course I look back and think wow I was 14 he was 15 !

What I learned of Duane that fall & winter was he was very very gentle , kind and caring & that he did not partake in crap .This was when Duane was being Duane not influenced by the crap of others. He smoked some pot with his friend Jospeh etc. But he despised hard drugs, he did not like fighting and he loved loved music and books . Books I knew too so we had that connection right off the hop but the music I'd totally only been exposed to CBC radio , classical music and the odd folk album my mother brought into the home . I'm so glad Duane was a peer for me because he totally was not into pop radio ;-) He was really mature for his age of the time and it would take me a bit longer in my little town girl to catch up to him and those so much older people lol

Seems strange now in mid forties but at the time a 17yo seems so much more older then you at 14yo ;-)

so that was my first inpression of Duane was of a very together strong young man