1981 Page #2

In 6th grade, who wants

to hang out with immigrants?

Screw you!

You too!

After recess, it started to click.

I wasn't sure, but

it seemed kids in this school

had dough.

Maybe not millions,

but more than me.

Lots had mechanical pencils

like my old teacher,

and they cost a mint.

They had leather pencil cases.

It seemed obligatory.

Nobody had a plastic one like mine.

It might seem like a detail,

but that's just the start.

I'm sure lots of 'em

had in-ground swimming pools.

I could sense it. They all wore

sweatshirts and white turtlenecks.

It was the fashion.

Ricardo,

would you come up here, please?

Bring your book with you.

I hope you don't call that a book.

I didn't know we were reading.

Take this.

At St-Ex School everyone's read

The Little Prince.

I've already read it.

It'll have to do for today.

Did your teacher give dictations?

Not too often, no.

We do it every morning.

Really?

Do you know longhand?

Yes.

Perfect. Go sit down.

No, you can have it back

at the end of the day.

Aline, about the catalog...

Forget the catalog. Go sit down.

I can't write longhand.

You can't?

At my old school

we were going to start.

Why so late?

How do I know?

- Tomorrow I have dictation.

- Tomorrow?

It's OK, I'll teach you.

I'm not working tonight.

Very funny!

What?

Your French is lousy.

We use the same letters.

Of the 100 Polish immigrants...

Their damn school reform

is to blame.

- What's that?

- It's the new way they teach kids.

That's why you can't read or write.

- I can read.

- Oh yeah?

I only see you

with your darn catalog.

I read at school.

- Yeah, what?

- Lots of stuff.

You don't read either.

- Yes I do!

- What?

All the books here are mine.

Sure, they're all cookbooks.

What? I read biographies.

What are biographies?

You'd know that if you read.

So what's the school reform

all about?

I was working the night

they explained.

All those meetings are at night.

They figure nobody works nights.

- What'll I do?

- Tell your teacher

that for a few weeks

you'll write in block letters.

She said no.

- What do you mean?

- I asked her.

What a tight-ass.

It takes time to learn.

Can't she give you till next Monday?

I dunno, I didn't ask.

Some nutcase.

I'll call her tomorrow.

Don't start!

Gimme a kiss goodbye.

Benito?

Call to see if there's

newspaper delivery here.

Yeah, yeah.

Mom, can you buy food

for Caramel?

Of course, sweetie.

Gimme a kiss.

G'night! Bye!

- Ricardo?

- What?

Get your schoolbooks.

Why?

Why? Cause for my dad,

who grew up during WWII,

nothing was impossible.

I could learn to write in longhand

between supper and the 10 pm news.

I'm falling asleep.

I think I'd gotten

as far as X by the time

Mom got home from work.

Why's he still up?

Guess.

Here.

Another one?

Maurice gave it to me.

It's the third one.

I know, but he's a drunk,

he never remembers.

I don't say a word.

Where'd you get that Coke?

From me. He worked all evening.

It's his reward.

Wow, those letters

sure are something.

He'll get a great report card!

Look at me.

You're too gorgeous!

- Stop it!

- Shh, your sister's sleeping.

Don't be stingy with your mom.

So why don't you buy any?

It ruins your teeth.

You'll have dentures like me.

So?

People with dentures

don't go to university.

Caramel!

On days we had dictation

I thought everybody else

was luckier than me,

even Caramel.

With my writing,

I'd have traded places with him.

He keeps getting fatter.

Know many people who'd rather eat

Miss Mew than do a dictation test?

"The cookies

are made of gingerbread..."

"The cookies are made

of gingerbread" comma...

I n case you hadn't noticed,

I was quite smart for my age.

I got it from my dad.

We were both fast learners.

Longhand was no big deal.

He learned longhand in one night?

Up to X.

He learns faster than others.

At 5 he could put together

his race track all by himself.

- Are you serious?

- Yup.

Crunchy!

Ricardo?

Come here please.

Are you sure you can

write in longhand?

Yes.

You're sure?

Yeah, sure.

Look.

What is this?

So many mistakes you get 0.

I got the date wrong?

In dictation we use letters,

not numbers.

Are you sure you learned

longhand?

Why had I told Aline that?

Sometimes I couldn't help it.

Better to lie than look dumb.

Why not tell me?

It's the school reform, I guess.

They didn't teach us right.

Good Lord.

The school reform.

Poor you!

I won't count this.

I'll give you another chance.

We'll forget this,

you'll do it over tomorrow.

Thanks.

Anne, come here.

- Would you help me?

- Yes?

Help Ricardo practise

his longhand during recess

this afternoon.

OK.

I asked you because

you're our top student.

Thanks, Aline.

Back to your seats.

Anne's desk was in front

so I'd only seen her back.

Seems she never got less than 90.

She was a brainiac,

but without the glasses.

And she was damn pretty.

I didn't know the expression yet,

but it was definitely

love at first sight.

Aline?

I n '81 the furthest I'd gone

was a french kiss with...

None of your business!

A girl last year.

Mom said I had Italian hair,

and girls like that.

As a barmaid,

she knew about flirting.

S he had it down pat.

Plus, she knew fashion.

For me, fashion meant

a neat part down the middle

equal on both sides.

It looked great when I wet my hair.

So cool!

Only thing, my bum was a bit fat,

so I always pulled down my sweater.

Try not to lift your pencil.

Like this.

I mean, you can,

but I find it looks neater.

I know.

So far we'd just talked longhand,

but I started to wonder if,

Anne Tremblay,

even though she didn't wear glasses,

was maybe like

all the other brainiacs, a PhD,

Pure, hard-working, devout...

Except that, believe it or not...

She pretended to get down to work

and held her arm

right against mine, darn it.

I could feel a french kiss coming.

S he sure was weird, Anne Tremblay.

Believe it or not,

for the rest of the day, I swear,

she ignored me.

She acted like nothing

had happened.

Even worse,

the next day, she kept it up.

And all the rest of the week.

What was it with girls there?

The week after,

it got so that's all I thought about.

All the time.

The longer she kept it up,

the harder I fell for her.

I felt like Candy running after

that bastard Grandchester.

When we played dodge ball,

I tried to get hit quick.

Kids thought I sucked,

but all I wanted was

to stare at Anne Tremblay.

I don't know if you've tried,

but when you look at someone

that much,

you get to know their clothes.

I still remember the day

she got her K-Way.

It's a jacket with no zipper.

Get the wheelbarrow.

It's a K-Way.

All the kids have them.

Ricardo!

- What?

- There's no newspaper delivery here.

- So?

- So you could do it.

Don't let someone else

beat you to it.

It pays well, good tips.

Yeah.

Your dad and I can't support you

all your life.

Yeah, yeah.

Your cousin delivers papers.

He bought himself

a motocross bike.

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