Cameo and the Kool Ade Gang

This is a story of magic, mystery, and adventure. The premise on which it is based is based is as real as life itself. Feeling free to gallantly release your imagination to conceive of an adventure seldom experienced by men and women until they enter the world of Cameo and the Kool-Ade Gang.

Cameo and the Kool-Ade Gang are a unique group of urban black youth between the ages of twelve and fourteen years old, who are in the mist of an identity crisis. None of them are closely related to the other outside of their friendship, yet they find themselves sharing the same problems and views about life. Cameo who feels that he is the most distant of the gang because he is from another neighborhood. He only meets with the gang in passing through the neighborhood to visit his grandmother, Autence Haulkins, and his aunt, Beverly Davis, is the first to realize that he and the gang are experiencing an identity crisis.

Do to the lack of money and recreational activity available to them, they learn that there is a great deal of value in friendship, and it is through their friendship with each other that they learn about themselves and their environment surrounding the legacy Disco Skating Rink.

Hearing that Disco Skate was being built in his grandmother’s neighborhood, cameo had suddenly become interested in skating, but he was not a very good skater. Often he had watched his sister skate up in down the street in a pair of “Ball-barn” number five street skates, but to his knowledge, skating was a sport that he never thought he would someday master. It was approximately the day after the Christmas of 1976 that he first attempted to skate; he was eleven years old. For that Christmas he received a brand new ten speed bicycle and his sister Sondi had received street skates. They had decided to play with the bike and skates outside in the street, since the streets were clear of ice and snow. After falling on the ground a couple of times, Cameo was surprised to find out that skating was easier than he expected. It was quite a thrill for him. His sister Sondi had been street skating for years, however, she did not have much bike riding experience, although she did manage not to fall off of the bike after a few tries. After trying again and again to maintain his balance on his sister’s street skates, the continuous tripping and falling that he was undergoing had become minimal, and he was finally learning to skate without holding on to parked cars or lamp posts. He was skating.

That following spring, in his neighborhood that was located cross the train tracks, Cameo again attempted to street skate. Cameo, his older brother Michael, and some of their friends from his neighborhood had decided to go street skating. At that time, Cameo began to realize how dangerous street skating could be. Because of his previous skating experience that he had gained from skating with his sister, Cameo had no trouble keeping up with his brother and friends, but there was one street in their travels that Cameo dared not to skate again. It was a very smooth street on a very steep hill. The street was in one of the finest parts of their neighborhood, but at the end of the street on the hill there was a very busy intersection. The hill that the street was on was about two blocks long, but that did not stop his brother and friends form skating down it. Like daring devils they started skating from the top of the hill, which was kind of level, towards the bottom. As some of the skaters rushed toward the slope leading down the hill, Cameo noticed that some of them had no skating style or form, whereas his brother and the others started doing what they called the “bop.” Back then, if you didn’t know how to “bop” when you skated or know how to do the eagle, you weren’t considered to be a good skater.

After entering the slope of the hill, they immediately started doing the eagle, which consist of spreading their legs far apart, pointing one of their skates toward the top of the

hill, and the other skate toward the bottom of the hill. This configuration enables them to reduce the fiction caused by the wheels of their skates unevenly rolling on the ground, hitting stones and glass, or running over cracks in the street. The eagle also enabled them to have much more control and balance when they were moving at high speeds than when they were “bopping” or skating normally.

As they affirmed their positions, Cameo watched there faces fill with confidence. As they started picking up speed, Cameo watched their confidence turn into excitement. As they glided towards the busy intersection at the end of the hill, they reminded Cameo of surfers gliding on a tidal wave, excepted, instead of sailing toward a sandy shore, they usually ended up sliding into the curb of the street or into a parked car. The real horror about skating on that street, like many other streets, was that they could have rolled into one of the moving cars at the bottom of the hill.

Afraid to go over a small fraction of the speed, dept, and distance that they did, while skating on the hill. Cameo found himself standing beside a parked car imaginatively recollecting the deaths of street skaters who hitched rides on the back of cars, trucks, and transit buses that reached speeds of sixty and seventy miles per hour, hit a bump, a pebble, a peace of glass, or loose their grips and fall, slam, slide, tumble, and role; braking bones, burning flesh, smashing scales, wasting blood, and loosing their lives. Cameo felt that there was no need for him to ask his older brother Michael where all of those ugly scabs and bruises on his elbows, hands, and knees came from. After watching him street skate, it became so obvious. Perhaps this is why Cameo had decided that riding his bike was the safest recreational activity for himself, that is, until he started skating at Disco Skate. Cameo would ride his bike from his neighborhood, were he live with his brothers Michael, Damond, sister Sondi and father Daniel Haulkins, across the train tracks to, his Grandmother, Autence Haulkins’s house. In Cameo’s travels, he met one of the main characters of The Cool Aide Gang; Tim Donovan

Tim Donovan was the first member of what was to become the

Cool Aide Gang that Cameo had met. Tim was also the most fortunate member of the gang. For example, his father worked at a major power plant in the city of Baltimore, and his mother worked as a registered nurse. In our communities, if your parents worked at a major power plant or as a registered nurse, we considered you to be the offspring of a wealthy family. As Cameo road his bike from his father’s apartment and entered his grandmother’s neighborhood, Cameo would often pass by the large fence that surrounded the house that Tim’s lived in. There, at the driveway entrance of the fence, Cameo would see Tim standing as Cameo rode by. Tim was very friendly and he always spoke when Cameo passed by his

house, and some times Cameo would stop to carry on a conversation with him. Tim asked Cameo questions about were he lived, the school that he attended, and his family. Cameo found out that he and Tim had a lot in common with each other; mainly our interest in wheels. In Tim’s Back yard, he had a garage that was full of bike parts, tools, and other equipment. After closely observing Cameo’s bike a few times, Tim invited Cameo to come to his house and see him if ever Cameo needed tools and parts for his bike, or if he wanted to play some basket ball. Eventually, Cameo excepted Tim’s offer.

At the time, life was pretty rough for Cameo. Under unknown circumstances Cameo’s home had caught on fire, but he still lived there. The neighbors, who were mostly a bunch of illegitimate kids and ignorant parents, were always fighting, and there was not a safe place to play with out stepping on glass and other kinds of garbage. Outside of his grandmother’s house there were big beautiful trees and lots of green grass to play on. Almost all of the neighbors had clean front and back yards. Most of them had drive ways to park their cars and porches to it on. Unconscious, Cameo was learning the difference between the city and the suburbs.

Cameo had become forever fond of the suburbs and his grandmother always talked about how much it was like the country. She was from Frederick Maryland and she often mentioned how she dreaded leaving the country and coming to the city. Cameo did

not know why she left the country, but that country cooking of her was good enough to make Cameo gain ten to twenty pounds over the three month summer period that he had spent at her house the previous year. Living there was so good that Cameo had decide to make arrangements with her and his father to stay there that summer as well.

Upon the opening of Disco Skating Rink, during the summer of 1977, the news spread through the neighborhood like a roaring siren. Talk of the new skating rink brought neighborhood kids out no the streets with their old and rusty Ball Burn Number Five street skates. Antwan ford, who was twelve years old kid and the second person that I meant who was to become a member of the Cool Aide Gang, lived a block away from Cameo’s grandmothers house and was one of Cameo’s newest and closest friends. Antwan want to Cameo’s house to see if he wanted to go skating. Cameo, who was watching a Saturday afternoon rerun of The Six Million Dollar Man, heard Antwan’s foot steps as he walked on the front porch of his grandmother’s house. At the sound of the door bell, Cameo jumped on his feet and ran to the front door, and opened it to find Antwan standing there with to pair of Ball Burn Number Five street skates attached to shoe strings that were thrown over his shoulders. “Hey Cammie, Check out these skates that I found in my basement. These are my brother’s and sister’s old skates that they left in the basement along time ago.” Suddenly, Cameo’s grandmother hollered from the kitchen. “Cammie, who’s that at the door.” “It’s Antwan,” Cameo replied. Cameo’s grandmother never did like Antwan, and she never did explain to Cameo why she did not like him.

Cameo just assumed that it was because Antwan was short and he had a rock shaped head, and because of that Cameo and the other kids in the neighborhood call him Joe Rock. Ironically, although Antwan was short, we all looked up to him because there were not many kids that we knew who would be proud of being call Joe Rock. I guess that he was just glad because he had a nick name.

“These are my brother’s and sister’s old skates that they left in the basement along time ago.” That day meant a lot to Cameo. Joe Rock encouraged Cameo to ventured off to Disco Skating Rink days later. Cameo took to the streets to show Joe rock many of the skating moves that he had all ready learned. Joe Rock, who had already been to Disco skate with his older brother Michael and friends, began explaining to Cameo that their skating moves were nothing compared to the skating move that the people who went to Disco Skate were doing.

“I’m telling you Cammy, those people down Disco Skate were getting off. Man, they were doing splits, three-sixties, and ah man! you should see how they spin.”

“Yeah,” Cameo replied.

“Yup Cammy.”

“When did you go down there,” Cameo asked.

“We went down there about two weeks ago. It was me, my bother Michael, Keith, Todd, and Juney; and boy you should have seen those girls Cammy. There were girls everywhere.”

The more Joe Rock talked about Disco Skate, the more Cameo became excited about going there. As the summer ended, the popularity of Disco skate had increased. School had started and Cameo had entered the seventh grade. During the third week of September 1977, school was in session and Cameo, with his companion Joe Rock, had finally visited Disco Skate together. It was on a Saturday night and Cameo had gotten the money that he needed to go skating at Disco skate from his uncle Leroy Haulkins who was temporarily staying at Cameo’s grandmother’s house. Leroy had given Cameo five dollars although the admission price to get into Disco Skate was only two dollars. Cameo, who was dressed in his best and most casual clothes, called Joe Rock on the telephone and prepared to meet him at his home, which was a block from Cameo’s grandmother’s house, and on the way to Disco Skate skating rink. After meeting with Joe Rock, they walked to Park Highs were the skating rink was located.

As they approached the location of the Skating rink, the evening sun started settling in the western sky, casting a shadow over it’s front entrance. Cameo and Joe Rock, who had never proceeded so for in that direction of their neighborhood, began to experience the excitement that one experiences when traveling on a adventure for the first time, the uncertainty of being totally responsible for themselves and their actions, and the fear of getting into a situation that may cause them some harm.

As they approached the entrance of the skating rink, they were met by loud music pounding against the walls inside. Fancy lights danced around the perimeters of the building, and a large sign that glowed in the shadows of the dawning sun light reed; Disco Skate. Cameo and Joe Rock entered the rear of a long line of people from all over the city and beyond. As they waited patiently in the line that seemed to move inch by inch every thirty seconds, their stomachs rumbled with nervous anticipation.

When they finally reached the admissions booth, they pulled the wrinkled dollar bills from their pants pockets and paid the teller. The teller issued them two tickets, one for the door man and one for their skate rentals.

Cameo and Joe Rock gave the door man, who was standing to the left of them, their admissions ticket and turned to the right, circling around exterior of the brown wooden tile wall of the admissions both; which was also the room were the rental skates were given out.

“See Cammy, I told you that we’d get in,” said Joe Rock as they walked through the lobby. Cameo was surprised to see so many people packed in the small skating rink. However, this was Cameo’s first time entering a skating rink, and little did Cameo know that this was the beginning of a never ending love affair between Disco Skate, Cameo, and the Kool ade Gang.

Disco Skate

As Cameo and Joe Rock entered the lobby of Disco skate, they walked on a royal red plush carpet that lead to the main entrance of the skating rink floor where the skaters skated. To the left of them they, for the first time, saw and observed the tiny gameroom that had several of the latest and most expensive arcade and pinball machines that they had ever seen. The game room, with it’s fabulous design of white marble floors, an artificial fire place, white wooden walls, and large mirrors, was even more enhanced by the presence of the charming roller skaters.

The skaters wore bright and colorful garments, golden and silvery jewelry, fancy hair styles, and many different kinds of roller skates. As the skaters leaned against the walls, played with the machines, and skated in front of the large mirrors, Cameo, who had never seen a pair of roller skates before said to Joe Rock,

“Hey, what kind of skates are they wearing?”

“I don’t know, “replied Joe Rock, “but I’ll find out.”

Cameo and Joe Rock continued to follow the red carpet towards the main skating floor.

Upon exiting the lobby, the loud and throbbing sound of the

disco music increased, and the bright white light of the lobby had yielded to the flashing psychedelic disco lights. Immediately, as if to grab Cameo’s hand Joe Rock rushed Cameo to the skating both’s counter where the rental roller skates were being rented out. “Your gonna like this Cammy. Boy just wait until we get on that floor,” said Joe Rock as he held his ticket in the air for the skateman to grab. Cameo still watched the skaters moving on the skating rink floor. Suddenly, his body wanted to move to the rhyme of the music like he saw some of the skaters doing. They made Disco skating look so easy.

After ordering their skate sizes, the skateman got the skates and brought them to Cameo and Joe Rock in exchange for their tickets. They, then, rushed quickly to the right side of the skating rink pass the lobby, and on to the benches that were built against the extremely large orange colored wall that was also lined with large mirrors. After removing their shoes and putting on there skates, Joe Rock led while Cameo followed him on to the orange colored cement skating rink floor. Into the mighty current of the high speeding roller skaters the two little dare devils launched with the wind pounding against their faces.

Helplessly, Cameo found himself forced out of the main steam of the current and into the center of the rink. Ironically, as fate had it, Cameo found himself clustered with many of the less talented skaters who were also forced out of the main steam of the skating current. And so, it was then known to Cameo that the center of the skating rink floor, with the exception of the bleaches, the stage, the benches, and the iron rails that blocked the exits, were resting places.

Since Cameo and Joe Rock had come to the skating rink together, Cameo had hoped that they could stay together. However, Cameo and Joe Rock had been separated. Cameo stood in the center of the rink and while he could not find Joe Rock, he put his hands in his pockets and observed the magnificent infrastructure of the building.

He began by studying the artistic designs that were carved into the walls, high above the exit doors, which were on each side of the skating rink floor, opposite the front entrance. Also, opposite of the front entrance and between the two exit doors were the bleaches. Exactly were the movie screen used to be in this skating rink that used to be a movie theater.

The bleaches were structure just like the type of bleaches one would find at a football and baseball stadiums. They were covered with blue carpet for the skaters to sit on. Girls huddled together on them and cheered for the Skate guards when they skated by preforming tricks. They begain to reminded Cameo of cheerleaders. Later, Cameo would find out that there was something very addictive about the relationship between the Skate guards and the girls that cheered for them which was so great that it had over shadowed the hypnotic light, the sadistic music, and the daring high seeds of roller skating.

Behind the bleaches there was a large stage with steps on each side, leading up to it from the skating rink’s floor. The stage was made of wood that was covered with a very shiny metallic brown tile. In the right wing of the stage, the floor was covered with black carpet, and their was a large wooden bench which was also covered with carpet. Behind the bench there was more metallic brown tile. In the left wing of the stage, there was a bar were a rink attendant sold food and beverage to the skaters, there was more carpet, and another carpeted wooden bench. And on the wall behind the stage, facing the skating rink floor there was a full length mirror; which was the largest mirror in the entire building. Cameo then gazed at the orange painted ceiling, which a large ball covered with tiny mirrors hung on a narrow string. From each corner of the skating rink about six feet from the floor, there were light projectors. Some of then lit up and rotated in a circler motion, the others aimed at the large ball that hang from the center of the ceiling. Between the light their were at least twelve speakers on the left and right wall.

After making a full turnabout from the stage and the bleaches, Cameo noticed that above the front entrance there was a Spotlight Room and a spotlight. Cameo later learns that to get into the spotlight Room, which was off limit to every one but the Skate guards, he would have to enter the smoke room. The smoke room entrance was to the left side of the lobby from where Cameo was

now standing. Outside of the smoke room there was a sign post on it’s door frame stating that all patrons most be sixteen years old or older to enter.

looking to the opposite side of the lobby and skating rink’s entrance, across from the skate rental both, Cameo noticed the skate repair room.

In the skate repair room there were some of the Skate guards and Rink Attendants repairing damaged skates. Next to the skate repair room there was the stairs to the Management Office, Men’s Rest Room, a water fountain, and in the far right corner from were Cameo was standing, there was the Ladies Rest Room and another exit.

Gradually, Cameo began to focus on the skaters again in search of Joe Rock, who also seems to have been force into the center of the skating rink by the strong current of the speeding skaters. Cameo and Joe rock were once again reunited, the D.J. in the skate both announced the end of the skate, and all of the skaters cleared the skating floor. For the next three hours Cameo and Joe Rock skated, watched the other skaters, and playing pin-ball games. When the entire skating session was over for that evening, Cameo and Joe Rock quickly returned their rental skates to the skating both before the rest of the skaters had arrived, left the skating rink, and proceeded to walk home.

On the way home, Cameo and Joe Rock continuously talked about their skating experiences and how they would be going skating more often until they have mastered the skating moves that they

had seen performed by the skate guards. Moreover, Cameo and Joe

Rock was extremely amazed at how much of an impact that the different skating moves had on the many female skaters that they found themselves so helplessly attacked to at Disco Skate. Ironically, Cameo and Joe Rock realized, through conversing on their way home, that they had been focusing on the same girls throughout the entire skating session.

“Cameo that girl named Tracy Williams was fat to death,” said Joe Rock.

“Witch one was Tracy Williams,” asked Cameo? “Do you remember that girl who was skating with Lucky’s big brother?”

“Lucky’s big brother,” Cameo replied.

“Yeah, Lucky’s the boy who you said is in your art class at Pimlico Junior High School?”

“Yeah,” said Cameo.

“Well when we were putting on our skates, they were sitting beside us.”

“Oh yeah, now I remember who Lucky’s big brother is, but I still don’t know who Tracy Williams is.”

“She was skating with him on the first couples skate.” said Joe Rock.

“Are you talking about that girl that had on those tight blue jeans, red shirt, and long hair, and you said that you wish that you could do it to her, but she’s got a boy friend named Thermond?” “Yeah, that’s her,” Joe Rock repled.

Before long Cameo and Joe Rock had separated. In their midnight dreams they fantasized about the people that they had met, and the way they lived.

In their minds nothing compared to the excitement of Disco Skate other then the lore and glamor of Hollywood, and they never imagined that they would experience anything like it; especially in their own neighborhood.

Comedian Corner

It was in a seventh grade classroom setting at Pimlico Junior High School that Cameo had meant the master mind behind Cameo in the Kool Ade Gang, Larry Hackman, who was nicknamed, Dirty Larry. He was called Dirty Larry because he wore a big dark brown facK fur coat to school every day. Any one who took notice could see that he was not very fortunate because he wore run over cheap tennis shoes, and he only had an exchange of three pair of pants including the pants that he was presently wearing.

Most noticeable was those dirty shirts that he wore. For some reason, Larry didn’t ware deodorant. Instead, he put baking soda underneath his arms. That was fine, except it didn’t work, and without him lifting up his arms, one could see patches of baking soda filtering through the arm pits of his shirt; surrounded by yellow rings that resembled the solar rings of Saturn.

Cameo, Larry, and the other students, were very curious about each other . They were eager to find out who was who. Who was the smartest and who was the dumbest. Who was the richest and who was the poorest. Who was the whitest and who was the blackest. Who was the dullest and who would rein king of the class clowns.

Cameo was already targeted to be a top competitor in the class clown competition since the first day of school because of his appearance. For example, while everyone else were either wearing fine designer shoes or designer running shoes, Cameo wore big brown high-top steel toe construction boots daily the first few weeks of school when summer had not yet ended, and an exchange of two pair of cheap pants and three shirts.

Immediately followed by Cameo in the class clown competition was Dirty Larry, a prime competitor who was previously popular with the graduates of Howard Park Elementary, which dominated at least 50% of the class. Moving up the ranks like a steaming locomotive freight train was Steamboat. Noted as being the most bazaar looking of the bunch, because of his uniquely grown bowl shaped Afro haircut.

Steamboat began the competition with aversive attacks on the extreme likeness of Cameo’s construction boots with that of Boe Soe the Clown’s. Cameo delivers a spontaneous return, claiming that Steam Boat’s mother also wore construction boots and that she had bats in her belfry.

“bats in her belfry,” said Steamboat. “ You probably don’t even know what a belfry is, with your collard green colored, love me or leave me Captain Kirk shirt on. Man stand-up and let us see you do the moon walk in those boot. Did somebody call the Fire Department? Then what the hell is he doing here with those boots on?” “

Now, you stand-up,”Cameo replied. “What’s the matter, you scared that your gonna fall, hit your head on the desk, and loose that blow-cut haircut you got. By the way, who does your hair Steamboat. Now don’t tell me that you did. That must be a bad blowout kit you got. Burned your side burns right off your head . I’m serious. This boy a’nt got no sideburns. And a another thing. I bet you that this boy can’t even read. That’s right.”

Cameo reached over and grabbed the first book that he could find and said, “come-on Steamboat, lets sea you read this (pointing at the first paragraph that he found in the book.”

Most of ridicule that the class clowns displayed amongst each other was surrounding their general appearance and their inability to function at their grade level. True, as described above, they were not much to look at, nor was their choice of words the standard, but their methods of examining these parables were scientific, and so amusing to them that it sometimes overshadowed their daily lectures.

The way that Cameo and Larry had become acquainted was very peculiar. As the saying goes, “ birds of a feather flock together.” They were not just in the same class, they were almost involuntarily drown together into small social groups within that class based on their individual physical and psychological conditioning. Comedian Corner, a particular kind of social group, consisted of frustrated students ( class clowns, trouble makers, and problem students) who desperately needed special attention from teachers who could not attend to the specific needs of these students because of the large variety of student needs in a given class.

This social paradox is common placed in most school systems and rather economical in nature. For it seemed that the least privileged students were the most distracted. The irony of this situation, which is the true nature of comedy, is that students are sent to school to learn, but because of societal pressures

that are a result of flaws built within the system it self, students are to distracted to give the teacher their undivided attention; therefor they do not learn.

Ultimately, the importance of learning has become sided tracked when you take for example the assassination of highly educated people such as Martin Luther King, Malcom X, and Ted Kennedy. On the other hand, a person like Richard Payor (a popular role model of the 70’s) who openly abused drugs and used profane language was allowed to live. Therefore, where were the smart students hanging out; The Comedian Corner.

If anybody picked up a book in the Comedian Corner, it was basically because he or she knew that it contained a particular principal that he or she needed to survive. If he or she got a “C,” or “B,” apposed to an “A,” or “F,” (“A,” meaning the ultimate, and “F,” meaning failure, “C,” satisfactory “B,” meaning good) it meant that you knew that school was essential toward your survival, but you had not completely been brain washed into believing that, as a black person, you would be treated equal to whites; even a group of seventh graders could figure that out.

Meanwhile, everybody hung in there and played it cool.

After, awhile learning had become a chore of disseminating through the white egotistical BS such as Gorge Washington never telling a lie and retaining just the facts, such as, he was a slave owner and a rapist of black women.

During the winter season of that year, the students in that class were very much familiar with who was who, and there was one class period that was designated as being the worst, because all of the favorite clowns were there; including Larry and Cameo. This class was supposed to be Social Science, that’s what was going on in the front of the room, but in the back of the room it was “Comedian Corner,” hosted by all of the class clowns. All of the clowns had something in common. They were culturally derived. Some were a little better off than the others, but with very little distinction. The fact is that if no one wore dirty, funky, raggedly, used clothes to school, or had some outstanding facial or bodily feature, nobody got cracked on. Take Billy Reason for example.

Cameo could always get a laugh teasing Billy about his bucked teeth. He would call Billy Mr. Beaver, and create beaver songs and sing them to Billy and the rest of the class. Cameo would rewrite popular songs of that era like Muskrat Love by the

Captain and Tineal. Instead of singing “it must be Muskrat Love” he would sing “It must be Beaver Wood.” Instead of singing David Soul’s Don’t Give Up On Us Baby, we can still pull through. He would sing “don’t give up on Billy, he can still chew through. There was a girl in the class named Robin. Cameo said, “don’t make her mad, she’ll jump up, fly overhead, and dedicate on you.

One of the clowns, Rich Mealy, that lived across the street from Larry, claimed that Larry’s father was an alcoholic. “Black Ass Freddie,” Rich called him. Larry laughed and tried to play it off, but Rich got Prince to back him up. “Tell him Prince,” said Rich, didn’t Larry’s father come home drunk last night?” “Yup, he shore did, said Prince. His black ass fell right over in to the snow.” Putting their two heads together, Rich and Prince had decided to sing a little tune of their own. “Black Ass Freddie was ready to go, Freddie jumped back, said I’m a wine-o.”

Although it seemed funny to Rich and the rest of the class, making fun of Freddie’s drinking problem habits seemed to be no laughing matter Larry. Judging from the expression on Larry’s face, Rich seemed to have hit a vulnerable spot in Larry’s psyche. It was obvious that there was no other explanation other than the fact that it was true. Why else would Larry flinch and

bow his head in shame. He had began reminiscing about something which was deeply rooted in his subconscious. Something so dreadful that it plugged his very existence; and like an angry storm, arose an oracle of hideous vibes from Larry that had affected each and every person in that room. It was the shame. The shame of things to come, the sum of things that were, the sum of things that had been, had ones again overshadow the time, the place, and the events, of a given day.

Witnessing Larry’s metamorphoses first hand, Cameo had recalled his own indignation when Billy (Mr. Beaver) Reason, vengefully revealed to the class that Cameo’s father was a welfare recipient. The disgrace of Billy’s findings was so hard for Cameo to bear, that he to had bow his head in shame, and if there was not one among them that did not bear a secrete, or that was not cursed from beyond the grave, he or she did not say. The clowns have left the stage.

New men were made of Cameo and Larry at an early age. Their living conditions had forced them to take a serious look at their futures. Taking in to account their present situations, their futures didn’t look too bright. Lack of family support, an adequate education, and income kept them on the edge, and eventually made

Larry drops out of school. However, there was more into play then just the three reasons mentioned. There were also personality differences that distinguished the two. For example, there was the death of Larry’s mother when he was three, which was pushing him towards his self-destruction.

He harbored low self-esteem because of images perpetuated by the media that constantly showed him this is how white people live and act, this is how black people live and act. Most of the times when you saw an oriental, he or she was in a laundry room, or like any other non-white person displayed by the media, they were usually placed in a subservient position to whites.

Unlike Larry, Cameo was given the “torch.” Very much influenced by his father, a Moslem, Cameo was taught Islamic values outside of his grandmother’s Christian teachings. Cameo knew that there was more than just hope in “Pandora’s Box,” he knew that there was will, initiative, and a world of possibilities. Later, Cameo would come to find out that Larry was well versed in Christian proverb, but lacked a broader perspective. Cameo would introduce Larry to the teachings of Islam and the knowledge of self.

As for Billy, he got his revenge and Larry like Cameo

Witnessed Cameo’s indignation in which reality ripped through their imaginary world, “Comedian Corner,” and woke them up like a hard slap in the face. It was time to get serious, to do the work and to pass those classes.

Cameo and Larry had become even more acquainted with each other because Larry and his father lived in the same neighborhood as Cameo’s grandmother, were Cameo lived. Cameo and Larry did not have many friends other then the ones that they had met in school, which meant that they had even more in common; they were both somewhat reclusive. Larry was more reclusive than Cameo. He was reluctant to tell Cameo were he lived or anything about himself other than what Cameo already knew, this made Cameo curious. Cameo always felt that no one had anything more to hide about himself than himself. Therefor, Cameo started asking Larry questions such as were did he live, with whom did he live, and why was it that he put baking soda beneath his arms instead of deodorant? The more questions that Larry answered, the more Cameo understood him.

In the final days of school that semester, Cameo and Larry had joked a lot and was endanger of failing Social Science. Cameo was confident that he had studied enough to at lease pass the course with a “C,” but it seemed obvious that Larry had not studied. He was worried. He had no time to sit back and joke like he and the other students often did before a test. He was cramming as much information as he could before the test started. Unexpectedly, Ms. Poindexder, the Social Science teacher, had given a pop quiz to see who had studied and who did not. To the least of everyone’s surprise, she had begun the Quiz by calling on Larry. When she asked Larry a question, he simple shrugged his shoulders and said that he did not Know the answer. Ms. Poindexter sneered at him as if to say “ you’ve sat in this class all semester clowning around, refusing to get serious, and now you’ll probably fail the test and have to repeat another grade level.”

Larry had repeated a grade level before he reached the seventh grade. Cameo found that out one day while he was begin teased by Rich. Since Cameo had become Larry’s buddy, he kind of felt obligated with helping him pass the course. The testing atmosphere was very lazy fair, more like having an open book test. Still, Larry found it difficult to identify the answers of the multiple-choice questions on the test. Cameo, then, started telling Larry the correct answers, and with a big gust of wind, Ms. Poindexter interrupted them saying to Cameo” you’d better not help him! If I see you telling him one more answer, you will not pass this class.”

Cameo was shocked. He thought that she liked Larry, she was always laughing at his jokes. Cameo didn’t think she’d mind if he had given him a few answers so that he wouldn’t fail another grade level. Cameo definitely did not understand her reasoning. A week later, the grades were turned in and the report cards were handed out. Cameo and Larry could not wait to see if they had passed to the next grade level. Standing in the school’s hallway, out side of their homeroom classes, they opened their report cards. With a large sigh of glee, Larry conveyed victory. He had passed to the next grade level, and so did Cameo. Suddenly, Cameo’s spirit had become slightly dampened. He could not believe what he was seeing. Ms. Poindexter had given him a “ D.” He immediately compared his grade with Larry’s grade. Cameo was traumatized. Larry had received a “ C.” A “ C,” Cameo said. Larry grinned from ear to ear. It was the first and only resemblance that Cameo had ever seen between that of Larry and his father.

Unfair, Cameo thought. But, perhaps that was the lesson to be learned. There was no way to prove that this was a case of unfairness. Ms. Poindexter had packed up her books and had left the school grounds for summer vacation. What does this mean, questioned Cameo? Lost in confusion, Cameo gazed beyond the walls of the school building and ventured forth, down the hallway with Larry stirring at his face. Perplexed in the mind and fazing in and out of place and time, they walked onward down the hallway until they had eventually vanished in the distance.

Meet the Challenge

(A Tribute to Johnny Wheeler)

Eventually, Dirty Larry and Cameo started meeting after school to work on their bicycles. Often, Joe Rock and Tim Donovan who also caught the same bus home from school as Cameo and Dirty Larry joined them. The fact is that when it came to bicycles, Tim Donovan had created a monopoly in his own back yard. Like a junk dealer, Tim had collected all kinds of bike parts and stored them on the side of his father’s garage. Inside the garage Tim’s father had every tool that was needed to work on a bicycle, Tim also had a five foot swimming pool in his yard, and he lived right on the corner were everyone could see him swimming. He even had a basketball hoop right over the garage doors.

Cameo, Joe Rock, and Dirty Larry, along with many other kids would meat in Tim’s yard to play basketball, swim, and/or work on their bicycles. Even with all of the many different activities that one could do at Tim’s house, everyone was still more interested in what went on at Disco Skate. Everyone in the neighborhood who had been there could not want to return. The excitement of going skating was overwhelming, especially for the gang, because none of them could afford to travel to skating rings out side of their neighborhood.

School was ending for that season and every one of the gang members had received passing grades, moving them on to the next grade level. Joe Rock as usual had gotten the jump on everyone else, he had already figured out how to get into the skating rink free; of course nothings free. He explained to Cameo that the owners of Disco Skate needed rink guards and if you volunteered to rink guard you could stay in the skating rink from the time it opened (11 a.m.) until the time it closed (11 p.m.). However, rink guards were required to clean the skating rink during opening, in between sessions, and during the closing of the skating rink.

Cameo and Joe thought that would be easy, but they didn’t anticipate that there would be competition. In fact, the managers had their picks. Early in the morning, Cameo and Joe Rock arrived at the entrance of Disco Skate. With sleep still in their eyes, they watched the other kids standing at the other side of the building. Like shadows standing in a burning flame, the other kids stood at the other side of the building with an easterly sun beaming at their backs, making it impossible to identify any of them. They did not move. They just wanted and stared.

Meanwhile, Cameo and Joe Rock began small talking. Shortly afterwards, the owns had arrived. As one of the owners had begun to unlock the front entrance doors, every one plunged forward and gathered around him. Immediately the own turned around and made it clear that not all would be chosen to rink guard. There were too many people. Like prairie dogs they humbled themselves and looked upon the owner’s face. Remember me, remember me, the voices cried, and like a great mossier the owner replied “ yes, I remember you.” And at that moment he raised his hand and placed it upon their heads passing them through the large doors. Not all of them were deemed worthy of the passing through the doors. Some even turned away themselves. Joe Rock forcefully moved through the small crow-encouraging Cameo to follow, and Cameo followed closely. Joe Rock reached the door and called out the owner’s name “Lensey!”. The owner Glanced upon his face and smiled, and with a burst of glee, Joe Rock turned, pointing his finger at Cameo and said to the owner,” he’s with me.” The owner then placed his hands upon their heads one by one and passed them through the large doors, while acknowledging to the others that seven people would be enough.

Where to go, where to run, what to do they kept thing. Cameo and Joe Rock were overwhelmed with excitement. The rink looked very different when no one was skating. “ OK, here’s what I want you all to do.” Said the owner. “I need some of you’ll to walk around the sides of the rinks floor and up on the bleaches, and the stage and pick up any trash that you see on the floors. It should only take two of you to do that. You two can start picking up any trash that you see hear at the front of the building,” he was referring to Cameo and Joe Rock. “ Johnny Wheeler,” the owner called. “ Yeah, Lensey,” Johnny replied while jumping off the railing. “ I want you to get the vacuum cleaner and vacuum the rug. Greg, show Johnny where to find the vacuum cleaner.” “You want me to find the vacuum cleaner for this Punk,” said Greg. Johnny Wheeler nervously laughed and started to fold his arms across his chest, but Greg had punched him in the center of his chest before he could close his arms.

“ Come on punk,” said Greg to Johnny. Now, what are you going to do? Look, I won’t even put up my guard, and I dare you to hit me. “ Go on Greg, go on,” Johnny repeated, but Greg just keep on punching him. Bam|, on the shoulder, Whoop!, in the chest. Greg faked a punch, then, Wham! Greg again swiftly connected into Johnny’s chest. “ Come on MAN, I dare you to swimming back.” Lensey told Greg to stop; still Greg kept right on punching Johnny. See Lensey, I told you that he’s a Punk. Finally, Greg wined up for one big punch that would put Johnny away, but just before the big one could connect, Johnny ran cross the skating rink floor to safety.

“ Man why don’t you stop hitting on those little boys,” said Apple, another rink guard. “ What are you going to do,” asked Greg. “ Come over hear and mass with me and you’ll see,” said Apple. Apple was also Greg’s closest friend. Greg ignored Apple and decided to do some work. Lensey again started giving orders. “ Apple get the window cleaning supplies and show the rest of these guys how to wash the mirrors and the font windows. Alright you all, lets try to have this place clean in thirty minutes before we open.”

The fact is that Greg and Apple were paid employees of the skating rink, and they were much older then the rest of the kids by at least four or five years. Greg felt as though he could take advantage of this situation to assert his man hood. There were about ten other paid employees ranging from the ages of eighteen and above. Most of the kids, such as Cameo, Joe Rock, and Johnny Wheeler, were between the ages of twelve and fifteen. As for Cameo, he was only twelve years old, but he could pass for sixteen, and so could Johnny Wheeler. Joe Rock was so short, that he had trouble convincing people that he was twelve.

During that day, they learn the routines of the skating rink’s operation. The sessions were divided into four sessions: eleven to two thirty, three to six thirty, seven to eleven thirty, and twelve to two thirty on weekends. However, the volunteer help was only allow to work until the end of the third session. The rink guards were only allowed to skate backwards while patrons were in the rink. Still, when the owners were not looking, the rink guards would practice spins, jumps, and turns. Mostly within the first two session, the patron were either twelve and under or elderly. The third session was the best of all.

It was during the third session that Dirty Larry and Tim Donovan would appear. Compared to most of the other skaters, Cameo, Joe Rock, Dirty Larry, and Tim Donovan were small and hardly recognized, but that did not last long. At first, Larry, James, and Joe Rock were the most popular of the gang, because they had grown up, and went to school in the neighborhood that surrounded the skating rink, and had all seemed to be learning to skate at the same pace. But that had rapidly changing with the addition of Johnny Wheeler.

Although Cameo and Joe Rock had remembered Johnny Wheeler from the confrontation that he had with Greg, they had never socialized with him until one day. While Cameo, Dirty Larry, Tim Dovanvan, Joe Rock, and a group of girls from the neighborhood were sitting on the bleaches that extended from the stage on to the skating rink floor. Johnny Wheeler had skated towards them initiating a sequence of skating moves that would baffle the average person. After Johnny had stood their on the skating rink floor for five to ten minutes with his hand holding his chin intensely listening in on what the gang and the girls were talking about. The gang had finally began to notice Johnny Wheeler. So every body stopped and observed as Johnny hurled towards them. After commencing a combination of turns, slides, and Jumps, Johnny wined up and demonstrated Spiraling one foot spin just inches in from of them, causing everyone to pull backwards. Suddenly, like a flash, he stopped with his hands on his hips, and his eyes parsing directly at Cameo.

He was about fourteen years old. He was so dark that he resembled an ink spot. He was so skinny that when he skated, his legs looked like wiggling noodles. What was so impressing about Johnny, was not his ability to roller skate; it was the fashion of his roller skating ability that keep you fascinated. His skating technique was equivalent to the footwork of the famous Michael Jackson. Johnny seemed to like attention. He wore flashy shirts, with puffy long sleeves, that fluttered in the wind reflecting the psychedelic lights shining from the skating ring walls. The music was often played loud and Johnny skated to the rhythmic beat of the music, synchronizing his every move with every sound. He wore tight paints some times, other times he wore lose and expensive dress paints, but he always looked “out of this world.” One very distinctive characteristic about Johnny’s appearance was that he was the first person that the gang had ever seen wearing a pair of roller skates with white wheels.

The Gang had recently learned how to skate back wards with ease and least to Cameo’s surprise, Johnny Wheeler had challenged him to a “Dual.” It was obvious to Cameo that Johnny had already summarized his skating abilities, and Johnny Wheeler felt that he could easily claim a roller skating victory and at the same time he could impress the beautiful Stephanie that was sitting to the left of Joe Rock. Even though Cameo could see right through Johnny Wheeler’s scene, he had accepted his challenge with a positive attitude, thinking that although he might suffer defeat and humiliation in front of his friends, there still could be a very important lessen to be learned from him. On the other hand, Cameo felt that, since Johnny Wheeler had challenged him in front of his friends, it was a matter of defending his honor and self-respect.

Cameo, Dirty Larry, Tim Donanvan, Joe Rock, and the girls spectated as Johnny Wheeler circled the skating rink floor in preparation to perform his daring feat. As he approached the opposite end of the skating for the second time he held his hand in the air to signal our attention. Instantly he came down the center of the skating ring floor, again hurling towards them, initiating a combination of moves that Cameo could not remember all at once. After repeating the routine for the second time, Johnny acknowledged to Cameo that it was his time to MEET THE CHALLENGE.

On to the skating rink floor CAMEO stood. Their friends continued to watch as Cameo circled the skating ring floor in preparation to repeat Johnny’s daring feat. Suddenly, Cameo started feeling like a fool for accepting his challenge. Cameo had begun to ask myself, “ what am I trying to prove, better yet, what is Johnny Wheeler trying to prove; that he is a better skater than me, or that I am a better skater then him. In those moments of doubt, Cameo’s every move had became a struggle. The floor beneath his skates felt like a rugged turf. Cameo’s skates felt like dong bells tied to his feet. The light began to irritate his eyes. Every thing that would hinder him from performing seemed to be happening, still he was able to keep skating. As Cameo approached the opposite end of the skating ring for the second time, He held his hand in the air signaling to Johnny Wheeler and the spectators that he was about to perform. Then he hurled down the center of the skating ring kicking, jumping, gliding, and spinning, kicking, jumping, gliding, spinning, and he stopped. There he stood in Front of Johnny and his friends. They seemed almost speechless with the exception of Johnny who said, “Not bad Cameo. With a little more practice you’ll be alright.” In other words, what he meant was that Cameo had meant the challenge.

In so Cameo did learn from accepting Johnny’s challenge. He learned that he had made a new friend, a good friend, and a loyal friend. For, what happened on that day, on the skating ring floor of “Disco Skate,” was the beginning of a series of events that would change Cameo’s life forever. Therefore, with out hesitation, this chapter is contributed to the life and exciting times that were brought to Disco Skate by the wonderful, the great, Johnny Wheeler.

MEET THE CHALLENGE PART II

(THE FIVE RULES OF SEDUCTION)

Cameo, Dirty Larry, Tim Donovan, Joe Rock, and the girls were all energized by the result of Johnny wheeler’s challenge. The gang had all witnessed Cameo attempt and successfully execute a series of moves that he had never done before he had meant Johnny Wheeler. Johnny’s rhythmic, up beat, electrifying moves made him an unignorable site on the disco skating floor, and every one in the gang was aware of him. Unannounced to them, Cameo, Dirty Larry, Tim Donovan, and Joe Rock were on there way to developing disco skating styles of their own, and like a Hollywood producer, Johnny Wheeler felt that he had discover them.

The kool Ade gang had what was considered to be, as the title states, a cool style. There style of skating was original because it exemplified everything that they were:

Afrocentric - because roller skating, unlike ice skating, was the black sheep of the Olympic games, an out outcast of European society, so were the Kool Ade Gang; and disco skating definitely requires a lot of rhythm.

Rebellious - because it did not conform to any rules established by judges, or principles set by the laws of physics.

Unpredictable - because it was an amalgamation of all of the many different styles of skating seen at Discoskate and beyond.

Alive - because it constantly consumed the best of all styles; sometimes it combined even the usual styles to confirm its’ individuality, but most of all it confirmed its’ identity wherever preformed as an offspring of Discoskate.

Artistic - because it exhibited excitement, expression, emotion, entertainment, originality, and the constant blending of skating with the ever changing new and old forms of music and dance.

The style of The Kool ade gang was further promoted when Cameo brought a “T-shirt” with his name and zodiac sign pressed on the front. Soon afterwards, Larry and Tim brought their “T-shirts” with their names pressed on the front. Nevertheless, they would remain outsiders. Cameo, Tim, and Larry were the idealist behind the gang and if you drew a line from Cameo’s grandmother’s house to Larry’s house and to Tim’s house and observed it from the sky, it would form a triangle, symbolizing the pyramides of Egypt and premiss of “THE MASTER BUILDERS.”

Joe Rock had started to stray, you see, Cameo wasn’t the only one that could see though Johnny Wheeler, everyone could. Johnny was very shallow and it was quit clear that he had challenge Cameo merely to Impress Stephanie, but Joe Rock who was already courting Stephanie, unannounced to everyone else, had quickly taken a disliking to Johnny. Johnny didn’t care what Joe Rock felt. Stephanie told Johnny that she didn’t have a boyfriend and that is all that mattered to him. In that sense, Johnny, Larry, Tim, and Cameo had a lot in common. They didn’t care what anybody thought about them, and that is the kool ade style. People should be what they want to be, not what anybody else wants them to be.

Like three king philosophers, Cameo, Tim, and Larry would put their heads together and analyze the different behavior patterns with an emphasis on problem solving in an attempt to kept unity within the group. In the case of Joe Rock, maybe he know something that the rest of the gang didn’t know. Perhaps some people are more susceptible to the ways of human nature than others, or vice versa. Whatever the case, Joe Rock had already begun formulating an estranged behavior pattern to the degree that Larry and Tim were not surprised when Cameo acknowledged it in their discussion. In the final analysis, they disregarded the problem as a case of self-hate which would only lead to alienation and self-destruction. Joe Rock was a loner among loners.

When they saw Johnny Wheeler, all they could see was an exaggerated reflection of themselves, good or bad, that is what he was; a buffoon, and a very talented one. Cameo and Larry, who were experts, at being buffoons as expressed in the chapter entitled, “COMEDIAN CORNER,” were especially impressed comedic abilities. In the following weeks, Johnny Wheeler would become a very addition of the kool ade gage, and as for all of the gage members, it was time to get back to the agenda of seducing young women.

Cameo and Larry were the most popular of the group. They would send hours at Larry’s house before the skating rank opened greasing their hair and starching their clothes. Some times they would even dress alike. With the combination of good skating abilities and good looks came for Lure of pretty women.

Larry was the first one of the gage to get a girl friend. As mentioned earlier, he was kind of reclusive, so when he had meant a girl that he liked, he sort the advise of Cameo in order claim her as his own. Cameo felt that there was not better approach then a direct one.

“A Cameo, check this out man. I meant this girl right. Everybody keeps telling me that she likes me. What should I do,” asked Larry? “where is she ,” asked Cameo? “she’s up on the bleaches,” said Larry. Cameo comely placed his hand on his chin like an actor searching for lines and thought about the situation for a moment. After a few seconds, he turned to Larry and said, “Go to her and say, excuse Ms., how would you like to be mine.” Larry started repeating the line to himself as he skated back to the bleaches.

It was not long after afterwards that Larry had meant with Cameo again to say that the line had worked. “It did,” Cameo replied, “What happened,” he asked in a state of sock. “I did just what you said, I went up to her and said excuse me Ms., how would you like to be mine, and she said yeah, so I asked her for her phone number and she gave it to me. Cameo was completely astonished. “The line worked,” Cameo kept repeating to himself. Later, Larry introduced her to the rest of the gage that some day. Angie was her name. She was a frail girl but pretty. She seemed excellent for Larry. Seems that they had all just been dreaming of an event like this one and here was Larry and Angie on the verge of engaging into what everyone else was hoping and prying for; a love affair. She was polite enough to introduce her friends to Larry and Larry introduced Angie and her friends to the kool ade gage. Tim Donanvan had taken a liking to one of the girls named Niecy. Joe Rock continued to chase Stephanie, and that left Cameo and JOHNNY Wheeler still on the singles scene.

Johnny Wheeler and Cameo had become the smoothest skating partners at Disco Skate, and when Larry, Tim, and Joe Rock could get away from their girlfriends, they would join them. Cameo kept reiterating to himself, “this isn’t how it’s suppose to be. our main purpose was to develop our skating abilities to meet girls, not to keep them,” at Disco Skate there were lots of them. Girls of all ages would come to Disco Skate to skate, meet guys, and have fun. The kool ade gang loved to perform our skating tricks in front of them and make them desire to do the same. If the girls seemed too shy to ask the gang to teach them their skating tricks, the gang we would politely introduce themselves and smoothly offer their services for a few minutes of their time. Although there were some girls that they could not interest, not matter what they did or said, they never stopped trying; they just moved on to the next girl.

However, when Larry meant Angie the plans were extremely altered. Everybody wanted to be a couple like them, except Cameo. Even Johnny was thinking about settling down. But as it turned out, Johnny was kind of down and out because Stephanie had chosen Joe Rock over him. This created an every lasting conflict between Joe Rock and JOHNNY Wheeler that was never ending and it got worst, but some people are a glutton for pain; such as in the case of Johnny Wheeler.

The more time the other gage members spent with their new found girl friends, the more Cameo and Johnny Wheeler spent together. Fully aware of the emotion turmoil that Johnny Wheeler must have been experiencing, because of Joe Rock and Stephanie, Cameo felt as though he had to think fast and get Johnny’s mind focused back on skating. The scene of things to come was of course diabolical. In fact it would prove to be beneficial to all in the long run.

Besides the dazzling charm and excitement of their skating, the kool Ade Gang had to become effective communicators in order to alter beautiful young ladies’ emotions from fascination to infatuation. Ironically, Johnny’s communication skills were severely blemished. On that account, Cameo proposed to Johnny an even greater challenge than the skating challenge that he had proposed to him on the day that they had first met.

He had proposed that Johnny use a step by step process that would help him to keep girls interested in him once he had gotten their attention. Moreover, the process was to enable him to improve his image through the use of effective verbal and non-verbal communication skills. In fact, any one could improve his/her image by enacting the process that follows:

STEP 1 Be Polite. There is one thing that Cameo had to give Johnny credit for and that is for being polite. Saying “excuse me” to a beautiful young lady before introducing yourself is one way of assuring yourself that you have the girl’s (listener’s) attention. It will also signify to the girl that you have a courteous quality about yourself that reflects a positive image right from the start. This type of approach is respected by both men and women alike.

STEP 2 Be Considerate. Do not take anything that she says or does for granted. For example, just because she smiles at you, that does not necessarily mean that she is sexually attracted to you, or that she wants to take cold showers with you until the wee hours in the morning. She might be a Christian Bible Study Student who wants to recruit you into her next sermon. Nevertheless, people usually respond to particular situations according to their past experiences; therefore, if she tends to be shy, use a gentle approach; smile and talk softly. If she seems aggressive, be cautious, do not make any promises, and try to keep the conversation formal. Otherwise, you might end up in the shower.

STEP 3 Show Interest. People need to feel worthy. It is important that you ask her questions about hobbies, friends, family, and listen carefully. This will show her that you are interested in her mind not just her body.

STEP 4 Avoid Dead End Questions. Do not try to impress the girl by talking about issues that neither of you know much about. Talk about what you do know. For example, some of the most popular questions that Johnny and Cameo would ask girls are “Have you been skating here before?” and “What kind of music do you like?” They specifically asked those questions because they knew a lot about the Disco Skating Rink and the music that was played there.

STEP 5 Check Personal Hygiene. Make sure that your clothes are immaculate (clean), your teeth are white, your hair is neat, and you body is clean. This step is the most important of all. If you fail to sustain good hygiene, you may fail to get through step (1). The problem is that people normally infer things about you that they see before you even open your mouth, and if you have bad hygiene, you will not keep their attention for long.

Cameo never did write the steps down for Johnny to follow. Sometimes, after he had finished talking to a beautiful young lady, Johnny would ask him, “Cameo, what did I do wrong?” And Cameo would ask Johnny to explain to him how he had approached her, and what did he say to her. After analyzing what had happened, Cameo realized that his problem with seducing beautiful young ladies usually was correctable by at least one of “The Five Rules of Seduction.”

Cooperatively, Johnny and Cameo would put there heads together in order to solve the problem. Over a period of time Johnny and Cameo had been through “The Five Rules of Seduction” again and again. Eventually, they had memorized “The Five Rules of Seduction” so well that there confidence had strengthened tremendously. They had mingled with over a dozen beautiful young women each in a period of one skating session. Their telephone numbers had increased to the point that they would call each other on the phone and brag about who had accumulated the most phone numbers. Finally, Cameo felt that it was time for Johnny to “Meet The Challenge.” There was a beautiful young lady, named Wanda, for whom Johnny had special feelings. Cameo knew that he was especially interested in her. Therefore, Cameo proposed to JOHNNY Wheeler that he turn her fascination into infatuation and make her his girl friend; then he would have met the challenge.

After courting Wanda for a period of time, Johnny had successfully won her affection and made her his girl friend. The challenge had been met and Cameo’s hard work had not been done in vain, but something had gone wrong in the scheme of things. In the process of Johnny gaining a girl friend, Cameo was losing another friend. Johnny had begun spending more time with Wanda than Cameo, just like Larry and Angie, Tim and Niecy, and Joe Rock and Stephy. Poor Cameo. He had to bag JOHNNY to skate with him, but JOHNNY could not see through that shadow of love. “Another one bights the dust,” said Cameo. “Where do I go from here,” he asked himself?

JOHNNY did not seem eager to meet girls anymore. He had become a real drag. Desperately trying to hold on to the kool Ade spirt, Cameo started performing their skating tricks alone, but skating wasn’t the same without his friends. On that account, Cameo had decided to add a sixth rule to “The Five Rules of Seduction;” that is, once you have become involved with a beautiful young lady, remember, never to fall in love.

Cameo and Edie

As for Cameo and JOHNNY, their phone books were full, and the popularity of Disco Skate had increased. A special added attraction was “demonstration.” This was a time set a side for the Rink Guards to demonstrate to the patrons of the skating rink the verity of skating styles that one could learn on beginners night every Tuesday evening. All of the spectators got a chance to see there favorite skaters perform their best tricks, if you were really good, were to put under the spot and expected to raise your hand and perform your best trick through the center of the skating rink floor towards the bleaches.

After the individual performances, all of the Disco Skate Guards joined together and performed formed the honorary Disco Skate Bop, Which was the act of throwing one leg behind the other and shaking your but while skating backwards to the beat of the music. Then, while some of the demonstrators continued the Disco Skate Bop, other skaters sometimes paired off performing turns, jumps, and adding new and creative moves to the Disco Skate Bop.

Ironically, in the mist of all that was going on, Cameo still feeling lonely. The loud music, dancing, and dazzling lights had distracted his trained mind of thought. As the demonstration ended he watched JOHNNY roll out into the corner of the skating rink floor, and execute a fabulous one foot spin. No one could do that better than JOHNNY Wheeler thought Cameo.

JOHNNY sat next to his new girlfriend Wanda and Cameo sat on the opposite side of JOHNNY, away from Wanda, who happened to be Joe Rock’s sister. After assuring Wanda’s comfort and a peck on her cheek, JOHNNY invited Cameo to the Blue room of the skating rink so that he could smoke a cigarette. Arriving at the Blue room entrance Cameo asked JOHNNY, “Don’t we have to be sixteen or more to enter the Blue room?” “Cameo, if they ask you how old you are, just tell them that your sixteen and if they ask for an I.D. card, tell them that you don’t have one. But take it from me, the only people that you have to wary about are Melvin and Linzie.” “Who are they,” Cameo asked. “Melvin owns the skating rink and Linzie’s his brother. You’ll recognize them, because they look alike.”

As they entered the Blue room that was lit with a blue light, and blue painted walls. The air was filled with smoke and voices of laughter unshed down the hall towards them creating a bream like atmosphere. As they skated down the hall, they saw five girls and two Skate Guards smoking cigarettes, sitting on benches that lined the walls like the one on the skating rink floor.

JOHNNY who was more familiar with the Disco Skate skaters than Cameo, spoke to them, and asked if either of them happened to have some matches so that he could light his cigarette. Cameo was very timid and somewhat shy at the time, but he was very bold when he wanted to be. One of the girls passed JOHNNY her burning cigarette from which he lit his cigarette and gave it back to her. Casually, Johnny and Cameo sat and relaxed on the bench across from them and pretended to fit in with the crowed.

“Cameo did I tell you what happened to me yesterday,” asked Johnny? “No, what happened,” asked Cameo as if he was waiting for JOHNNY to deliver a joke? “Man, I was sitting on the bleaches talking to Wanda and guess who walked in?” “Who,” asked Cameo? “Trena Merphy,” JOHNNY laughted. “Cameo, you should have seen me, I was ducking and dodging all night. can you imagine what would have happened if she had caught me with Wanda?” “Yeah, but JOHNNY, why would you try to have two girlfriends in the same place, when you know that they will eventually find out about each other?” “I know, Cameo but when I was talking to Trena before I meant Wanda she acted like she wasn’t interested and you know how that Suger Hill Record goes, ‘if your girl starts acting up, then you take her friend?’ Well that’s what I did. Then she started acting like she wanted to get with me, so I was in her neighborhood last week, and I stopped by her house to see how she was doing, and cameo, before I knew what was happening we were kissing.” “What,” replied Cameo in a state of shock. “But that’s not all,” said JOHNNY, “Cameo there was nobody home.” “Did you,” was all Cameo had gotten out of his mouth before JOHNNY started shaking his head. He took another puff off his cigarette and blew the smoke in Cameo’s face.

After clearing his throat, and waving the smoke away, Cameo looked at JOHNNY and said, “Well, how was it? JOHNNY grinned, showing all of his gritty, yellow, tartered, teeth, immaculate by his deep dark complexion, shaking his head and exhausting in the air at the same time. If he had been anymore laid back, the brother could have been mistaken for dead.

In Cameo’s eyes, JOHNNY had scored “big time.” Even Dirty Larry hadn’t gone that far with his girlfriend Angie. Still, JOHNNY was screwing up. He was a true gluten for pain, they both saw it coming but neither of cared. They were explores, gladiators, and scientist in one, and feared not the mysteries of love and relationships, but challenged them every step of the way.

“So Cameo, tell me, how are you and Kim getting along, did you get that yet?” “You know JOHNNY, frankly I don’t give a damn.” They laughed. “That bad uh,” asked JOHNNY. “Well, we still talk, but she is weird. I mean, man I think she’s really fine. Those bed time eyes and that sexy smile, not to mention that fat ass and big breast.” JOHNNY agreed. “The problem is that I don’t think she really likes me. Man we’ve been talking on the phone for about a month and we’ve been meeting here at the skating rink for longer than that.” “Cameo, maybe she just needs more time to decide whether or not your the right guy for her.” “I don’t know what she thinks. I think that she’s just leading me on. She doesn’t really like me, she like the way I skate and the attention that it brings.” “But what if she does like you,” asked JOHNNY? “Ok JOHNNY, check this out, I went to her house right, and although we were alone all we did was sit and look at each other.” “So, why didn’t you make a pass at her?” “I was afraid,” said Cameo. “Tuesday she invited me to her house again, and she asked me to bring Larry with me. So, I took Larry with me. When we arrived there was some muscle bound guy standing in her backyard.” “Were you afraid that you were going to get in a fight, asked JOHNNY. “No, I had practiced my Kung Fu before I went,” they laughed,” but, I was also prepared to run,” they laughed again. “Anyway, the muscle bound guy left and Kim had called up her girl friend Edie. Now, if you thought that Kim was fine, you should have seen Edie. She had long silky hair, she was pigeon toed, she the most voluptuous ass that I had ever seen, she was about my complexion and between her legs their was a gap a mile wide.” “Did she look better than Kim?” “Well, I wouldn’t say that, but I would have been pleased to had ended up with either one of them.

“Now check this out, Larry and I had brought a big box of barbecue potato chips and set the box on the front porch while Larry and I eat from it. Unknowingly, ants had crawled into the potato chips while Larry and I were still eating them. Kim, who was the first to notice the ants crawling in and out of the box, yelled and started teasing me, by saying that I had been eating ants. But that wasn’t the worst of it all. When Edie had arrived, Kim told Edie that I had been eating ants, and denied the fact that Larry had been eating them too.” “That’s messed up. Cameo, I would have told that girl what she could do for me.”

“JOHNNY, for the rest of that day Kim kept talking about how cute she thought Larry Looked. We stayed until the sun sat, and Larry had gotten all of the attention. There’s nothing going on between Kim and me. She’s had just been leading me on, and making me feel like a fool at the same time. “ Cameo, do like I do. ‘If your girl starts acting up, then you take her friend.’ Hey Cameo, the D.J. is playing Micheal Jackson’s ‘Don’t Stop Until You Get Enough.’ Following the other skaters, Cameo and JOHNNY rushed out of the Blue Room and on to the skating rink floor.

The next day, which was Sunday, Cameo, Tim, and Larry were in the bedroom trying to listen to music while Larry organized his room. The back door leading from his room to the back porch was wide opened. It was about three p.m., the sky was sunny and bright and the temperature was about eighty degrees. Cameo and James had decided to go out to the back porch to enjoy the weather among their joking and laughing. Cameo hears a voice call from the street behavior. Cameo!, Cameo looking over the banister see the an unforgettable sight. James, Larry come here, Look! Down on the street below Cameo, James and Larry saw Johnny Wheeler, resembling Cabala Bala of Capetapec, a fictional cartoon character from a speed racer episode, awaited for us.

It was unbelievable, Johnny was riding a ten speed self made bicycle with chopper front folks, a little front wheel, and a sissy bar. Most of the bike was covered with blue carpet. It had a piece of motor cross bicycle handle bar. A light weight radio that connected with speaker wires to an eight inch speaker and box taped on the back of his sissy bar, and a speaker and box taped on the front of the motor cross handle bars to be battery operated. The radio was too loud. Johnny, what in the hell have you creasted, asked James. Look he even has his skates hooked on it. Johnny, have you lost your mind , asked Larry. Hey, Larry I’ve got to get around town some way, and I’m telling you know this is my baby. Johnny reply. Were are you coming from, Johnny asked Larry? Where’s he coming from? The questions is where the hell is he going, said Cameo? I have just come from Wanda’s house. You all are looking crazy. What have you had, said Johnny? We’ve just been drinking beer. That’s all, said Larry. Do you all have any more left over? We’ve got a few can’s left, said Larry. James, totally fascinated by Johnny’s Mobil creation, asked Johnny “What made you decide to make this contraption.” James don’t ask, believe me, you don’t want to know. Hey James, I bet you that I can prop a wheeley from this corner to the next one.” Nah, I don’t believe you, James replied. With a wave of finger, Johnny Wheeler positioned himself on his twenty inch, insolated ten speed, chopper, with stereo phonic sound; Then put on his dark green circular Super fly glasses, and proceeded to ride to the far corner of the next block. Facing the rest of the gang, he started riding toward them holding the front wheel of his chopper bike in the air. With grace and style, Johnny gradually moved closer to the gang, exceeded the distance that he claimed he could hold the wheeley, passed the gang and held the wheeley far into the next block. Johnny held the wheely so long that Cameo, James, and Larry had became very inpatient, and were no longer paying Johnny any attention. Looking back after a few seconds, Johnny appeared to be fadding out of site, still holding the same wheely. Then Cameo, James and Larry were left in total amazement. They thought that they had seen it all, but Johnny had left them in awe. Realizing that it might be a while before Johnny return, they began their way back up the rear staircase of the three story apartment building in which Larry and his father Freddy Jacson lived. Entering the room, Larry proceeds to his stereo; turns up the volume and through a pair of pants to be ironed on the iron board and starts to go skating. Cameo and James who are already prepared, goes into the kitchen for more Kool-AIde to quench their thrust, caused by the hot and humid whether. Next enters Johnny “Hey Larry, do you mind if I get a glass of Kool-Aide, Nah man, Cameo could you fix Johnny a glass of Kool-aide, said Larry.” Yeah, sucker and harry-up before I put my foot in your “you-know-what”, said Johnny. Cameo, James, and Johnny set around the room talking and listen to music while Larry continues to prepare himself to go skating. The time is five thirty, Sunday evening. Suddenly, Larry’s father bursed into Larry’s room from the kitchen, intoxicated on Alcohol he say, “Larry, what the hell is going on in here!” “Why do you have to be bursting into my room,” asked Larry? Mr. Jackson responds in anger, prolonged by his intoxication, “Let me tell your black ass something, Number one: I am the captain of this ship baby! and not air-living ass pays the bills in this house but me. Number two: If you don’t like it get the hell out!” Sarcastically, Larry says, “So you pay the bills, what’s the big deal.” “Look, don’t play with me Larry, because I’m that far away from hanging my foot up your ass, “Mr. Jackson holding his left hand, finger, and thumb and inch apart from each other, and Larry’s face. Meanwhile, Cameo, James, and Johnny hold back their outburst of laughter. Larry finally comes to the conclusion that arguing with Mr. Jackson in his present condition is a waist of time. After, starring at Larry with conviction in a moment of silence, he once again takes time to absurd Larry’s company. Glassy eyed, Mr. Jackson looks at Johnny Wheeler. As if he was recognizing a long lost friend Mr. Jackson says, Hey young man, Where have you been? I haven’t seen you in a good while. “Johnny, who is excited about seeing Mr. Jackson as he excited about seeing Johnny says, “Good old Mr. Jackson. How have you been? I have been fine, my goodness, Larry. You, Cameron and James are in here. Cameron, how is your mother doing?” “Oh, she’s fine.” “Is she still living down there off Edmondson Avenue.” “Yes sir, Cameo replied.” I’ve never seen her before, but I have talked to her on the phone, and she seems like a very nice young lady, Cameo. Hopefully, I’ll get down to see her one day. “Did she ever asked you about me?” “Yeah, she asked me what do you look liked.” “What did you tell her?” “ Oh, I told her that you looked alright to me.” James and Johnny laughed. “What are you laughing at James? I saw your mother and she is a very fine looking lady. Now, I can’t speak for Cameo and Johnny because I have never seen their mother before. Well, I’m going to leave you all alone, I’ve got to fix my lunch.”

Mr. Jackson starts counting on his fingers and the alcohol causes him to drag his words as he swayed backwards and then forward. “I’ve got to wash these dishes. I told this lady down the street that I was going to bring her some flowers, so I’ve got to do that, ah... You all can go and finish what ever you were doing, but I want you all to know that when I go to work to night, I don’t want any foolishness going on in my house, and that goes for every living ass; especially you Larry. So don’t let me come home and fine my house messed up. I know you all are becoming young men and are going to be messing around with those young girls and I don’t mind that but don’t take me for a fool.” Mr. Jackson looks around and then goes in to the kitchen.

“Larry, it looks like that’s the end of your ass if you mess up,” said Johnny. “Hey Cameo, on a scale from one to ten, how would you rate Nicy,” asked James. “How would I rate Nicy,” Cameo asked himself? “What are you asking me that for? “She looks alright to me,” said Johnny. “All girls look alright to you Johnny.” said James, “I just asked you because you’ve been pulling up some of the finest girls that I’ve seen and it’s like you don’t even be trying.” “I only talk to them.” said Cameo, “It’s not like I’m having sex with them. Although, I wouldn’t mind making love to Kim.” “Well, what about Trena, would you do it to Trena?” asked James. “Hell no.” replied Cameo, “Trena looks like a man.”

“Yah, that girl does look kinda rough.” said Larry, who was ironing his clothes. “But James, I don’t mean to say anything about bad about your girl. I mean, She’s not my girl. Anyway I don’t understand why your asking me about your girl. I thought the way you felt about her was obvious the way you two were kissing and hanging in front of everybody in the skating rink.” said Cameo.

“We’re just friends.” said James. “Awe James, nobody belives that. James is head over heels for that girl.” said Larry. Unable to explain why he was kissing Trena if he doesn’t like her, looks in disbelief and falls back on the bed kicking his feet and turning his head shouting, “No, no!, I didn’t kiss her!. I must have been drunk I tell you.” But nobody believed him and laughed at him instead. “James if you don’t really like the girl, do like I do and just get the bootie.” Said Johnny. “That’s what I’m trying to do, but she wants me to wait and go with her first.”

They all agreed saying, “ Yeah we know what you mean.” “Man, sometimes I just want to grab Kim and through her down on the ground and do it to her right there in the middle of the skating rink floor.” Said Cameo. “Yeah boy, Kim has those sexy cat eyes that can drive you crazy.” Said James. “Look at Cameo, he’s getting on the hard.” Said Larry. “No, I’m not.” Said Cameo. “Then standup.” Said Larry. “O.K.” Said Cameo. Cameo stood up, the protrusion from cameo’s paint sent the gang into an uproar of laughter.

Later that day, it was approximately six o’clock p.m. when Cameo and the gang arrived at Disco Skate. The Skating rink was enormously crowed for a Sunday skating session that usually lasted from three p.m. to ten thirty p.m. After paying the admissions fee, Johnny stopped in the lobby to talk to some of his friends.

Upon exiting the lobby they entered the skating area. Frederico, one of Cameo’s friends, hastily asked Cameo for his skates. Cameo would rent Frederico his skates sometimes for money. James and Larry continued towards the restroom area. “What’s happening Cammy?” Asked Frederico. “Frederico, what’s up with you man.” Cameo replied. “An’t nothing, I just got down here myself. I was supposed to meet Charly Brown and Duck down here, but I guest they haven’t gotten here yet. Are you getting ready to skater right now?” “ Yeah.” “Let me use your hold your skates first.” “Nope.” Said Cameo. “ Come on Cammy, I’ll give you four dollars .” “ Four dollars, O.K.” Said Cameo.

Cameo went to join Johnny Wheeler who was entertaining himself and his friends by trying to get the high score on an arcade computer game called Asteroids. While looking over Johnny’s shoulder, Cameo told him about the four dollars that he had receive from Frederico. Finishing the computer game, Johnny Wheeler turns to Cameo and says, “So what do you want to do?” “I’ll tell you what. Give me the four dollars and I’ll get back with you later. For right now, I’m going into the Blue room and smoke this cigarette. Do you want to go?” “Yeah, said Cameo.”

“Let’s role Cameo, “ said Johnny Wheeler as they skated to the blue room. On their way to the blue room, they met Kim and her friend Eddie. “High Cameo, high Johnny, said Kim, “Where’s Larry and James?” “They’re probably with Angie and Neicy.” “Where are your skates Cameo?” “I let Fred wear them.” Kim and Eddie already have on their roller skates. Kim turns to Eddie and says, “Girl you should see them skate, especially Larry. Do you Know how kevin and Derrel skate when they do all of those whiled and crazy moves?” “Yeah, says Eddie.” “Well they’ve got nothing on these guys.”

“Girl you know I’ve got to see this.” says Eddie, who is clapping her hands and dancing to the music.

“Cameo I’ll meet you in the blue room, “ Johnny as Cameo, Kim, and Eddie move to the edge of the skating rink floor. “look there’s Larry right there.” says Cameo. Larry approaches initiating series of moves completed with a powerful spin and he stops right in front of them. “See, I told you Eddie, my boy larry can skate his ass off.” says Kim. Larry skated off of the floor and said, “Cameo, where are your skates man, how come you don’t have them on?” “Fred has them.” said Cameo. “Man, you’ve got to get them back, he’s riding your skates while your missing out on all of the fun.” “That’s O.K.,” says Cameo, “I’ll be out there.” “High Larry,” says Kim. “High,” Larry replies with a smile. “High Eddie, “ say Larry to Eddie. Eddie says High. “Well, hey, hey, hey, I’ll be on my way,” said Larry. Larry turns around, jumps back on the skating rink floor, and joins the other skaters. “Cameo where are you and Larry setting at ,” asked Kim? “Where right over there by the bathrooms,” said Cameo. “Set with us,” said Kim. “Sure, as soon as I get my skates from Fred,” he replied. Kim and Eddie headed for the bathrooms while Cameo joined Johnny Wheeler in the Blue room.

As Cameo arrived in the blue room, Johnny Wheeler was just about to light a cigarette when Cameo snatches it from his mouth and gives it back to him saying, “You shouldn’t smoke.” “I know that I shouldn’t smoke. I figure that I’ll quit in a few more years.” Johnny lights the cigarette and starts smoking. “So Cameo tell me, is that the girl named Eddie that you met when you went over kim’s to Kim’s house.” “Yeah, that’s her,” said Cameo. “Cameo, you wasn’t lying man. That girl is fine.” “I told you so,” sayed Cameo. “When are you going to introduce her to me?”

“Oh, that’s right, I didn’t introduce you to her did I?” “You dumb nink-come-pupe,” sayed Johnny.

“So what’s up,” asked Cameo? “What, you mean about the four dollars?”

“Yeah?”

“Oh, I gave your four dollars to Steve, I had three dollars and he had about three dollars, and he’s supposed to take the money and get somebody to cop from the store for us.”

“What’s he going to get?”

“Some Broccardi and some beer. Man where going to get ill.”

“Do you mind if I tell Larry?”

“No, tell James to.”

“Cameo, almost every body in this skating rink is going to be high to night.”

Johnny and cameo paused a few seconds to take notice of the two girls who have just entered the blue room, and sat against the wall in front of Johnny and to the right of Cameo. One of the girls, looking about sixteen years old, wearing dark blue jeans, a light blue skirt and white skates with red wheeles, pulled a pack of cigarettes out of her peruse, and offers one to the other girl. The other girl takes it. Johnny, using the first of “The Five Rules of Seduction,” politely offers to light the young ladies cigarettes. They proudly accept Johnny’s offer by allowing him to light their cigarettes. Johnny got up, lit the girl’s cigarettes, sat down and looked at Cameo as if he deserved a pat on the back. At that moment, Frederico, Charley Brown, and Duck enter the Blue room. They are covered with sweat and are exhausted from skating around the skating rink floor. They are followed by a few rink guards and some other skaters. With in a matter of seconds the blue room was full, and everyone is cheerful.

“Cameo!, what’s up Johnny,” said Duck who was called Duck because when he walked his head moved back and forward like a duck. Frederico immediately goes into his pocket and pulls out a sandwich bag full of marijuana and a book of top paper and hands it to Vernon and Leon, who began to roll it up. “Fred let me have my skates. “Want a minute Cammy, let me have just one more skate, just one more skate Cammy.” “Ok, “ Cameo said with remorse. Before long, Vernon and Leon had rolled up ten marijuana cigarettes and with Fred’s ok, started passing them around the room, and everyone including the two girls were taking puffs on each of the marijuana cigarettes and passed them to the right until the room was full with smoke.

Suddenly Larry appeared at the door. “Cameo, are you coming skating or not, “he said. “I’m gonna let Fred have another Shate first.” As Larry stood in the doorway, the person sitting next to him passed him a marijuana cigarette and Larry started smoking it, “Here, Cammy, let me give you your skates. I’m gonna get me some skates from the skate both, “said Fred.” While Frederico removed the skates, Cameo touched away half of a marijuana cigarette. Hearing one of the popular records of that time, most of the skaters started leaving the blue room and went to the skating rink floor.

Larry sat down beside Johnny still puffing a marijuana cigarette, while Cameo put on his skates. A few seconds later, “Are you ready to roll Cameo, “said Johnny. “lets do it fells, “Cameo replied. They rushed out of the blue room and on to the skating rink floor. Cameo, Johnny, and Larry gathered in single file with Larry in the lead. Turning, spinning, and twisting side to side, creating a dazzling spectacle of a performance. The cheers roared onward from the girls on the bleaches as they skated by, bringing the old saying to life that “everybody is a star.”

In a Thrust of unmeasured speed, they propelled across the center of the skating rink floor. Join by Vernon, they followed each other around the rink, then they dispersed out of formation, into their own individual styles. Spellbound with awe, the spectators gaped, and the gang knew that they controlled every bit of their attention as easily as they controlled the precision of their skates. Forming their spectacular duet, Johnny, followed by Cameo, initiated his outstanding, funky disco style of skating.

Before Cameo developed his own style of skating, he had first master Johnny Wheeler’s up beat disco style of skating. Unlike, Larry’s, Vernon’s, or any other skater’s style at Disco Skate, Johnny’s style was explosive. Cameo, who observed his style from many angles had mastered it, and used it frequently when skating to up beat music. No other style would surpass it at that time. Cameo once heard his own girl friend, who was a regular skater at Disco Skate, said, as she watched him skate, “Johnny’s a trip, but head can skate his ass off.”

Among the other radical styles of skating that deviated from the styles created by the Disco Skater rink guards, was the unigue skating style of Vernon or Duck. Duck had perfected the ultimate in street skating and brought it to the skating rink.

Duck’s style was stiff and he often seemed to need lots of support from the rest of the gang members to loosen up, but once they got him unwind he could liberally skate you off the floor. Duck is dearly accredited with displaying a verity of ways to use the hands, head, hips, arms, shoulders, and elbows as defense mechanisms when skating in large crowds. at the same time, to prevent offending anyone that he might run in to, Duck started displaying an artistic value of arm, and hip movements to divert angry skaters like a peacock dose with it’s feathers. Larry, Tim, and Cameo were the initiators of the revolutionary Kool Aide Gange. Tim was the first out of the original gang members to get his own personal skates, while Cameo, Larry, and Joe Rock were still renting them. Therefore, what ever Tim did on his new skates seemed to be advanced compared to Cameo’s and Larry’s skating. There was a significant differences between rentals and personal skates, and ball barren and precision skates.

Personal skates mold to your feet and has less wear and tear than rental skates, and precisian skates are less noisy and batter friction against the floor than ball baron skates. This enabled Tim and many other skates to learn and perform more and better skate moves. Larry and Tim wore the same size skates and they wear exposed to the pleasure of precision skates long before Cameo. Eventually, Cameo and Larry were able to buy skating parts and piece together their own personal precision skates, which united there skating careers. With those major adjustments came the style of the Kool Aide Gang which was symbolized by Larry’s unique “led back” style of skating standardized by a move that Larry saw Cameo doing accidentally, that they called “The Quick Step.”

This was a modification of the “hump,” in which the skaters bounced from one leg to the other. “The Quick Step” reduce the “hump” to a mellow laid back position (crusing) inwhich you never have to lift your feet off of the ground. Meanwhile, everybodie else was hummping, the Kool Aide Gange would cruse by as if they weren’t working at all. Joe Rock had gone on to master the style of the rinkguards that the other members of the Kool Aide Gange had deverted away from. Of all there styles, Duck’s, Larry’s, Johnny’s, Tim’s, or that of the rinkguards, Cameo’s had come to be a amagumasion of all of them; mastered to the “T.”

The action in the rink was hot. That night Larry’s girlfriend Angie did not go skating, and Kim was on Larry’s jock. Kim and Eddie positioned themselves on the bleaches and cheered Larry on. Cameo still felt that he was a better skater then Larry, still he never thought that he would be put in a positon inwhich he had to compete againt him. As Kim and Eddie constantly compared Cameo’s and Larry’s skating abilities. Larry had no intesions of challenging Cameo, still he was becoming egotistical because of the girls sudden interest in him. He performed lots of tricks for their amusement with no dubt that they might be decieving him.

That was a night for Larry to remember, but little did kim know that Eddie had plans for the rejected Cameo.

Like many of the other girls that cameo associated with at Disco Skate, Kim like Cameo because of the way that he skated, and

she was more intimntly attracked to Larry. Eddie, who had no boyfriend, saw Cameo as the perfect candidate, sence the only person that Kim seemed to talk about was Larry anyway. Cameo thought that maybe Kim was trying to make him jelous. Cameo never really understood how she felt. Kim apperaed to be made of stone, where as cameo was overwhelme with affection and compassion. “whats wrong with her,” he asked himself. “What’s wrong with Kim and Eddie,” watching them laught frantically at Larry? “Why is Kim Treating me this way? On the phone she said that we were talking, meaning that we were possibly lovers. But she keeps giving all of her attention to Larry. That’s it I’ve had enouph. For now on it’s over between Kim and me.”

Confused again by the complexites of human behavior, Cameo stood in the center of the skating rink floor, watching kim and Eddie, wondering if he and kim really ever had a relationship at all. At that moment, the lights had dimmed, the crystal ball turned bright, and the slow music had begun. Taking all of the energy of his anger that had built up from his disillusionment, Cameo releasted it into his skating. As if the words of the music were his own Cameo Danced A last and forbiden farewell to the prefabricacated love that he thought he had. The D.J. started the record for couples skate (boy and girl) “Carla My Love,” by The Softones.

“Don’t you let it be said that I didn’t try to rescue you heart.

Even thought it is true our love had to end before it could start.

Ending before it had begun ....

I’m in love , I’m in Love , minus one!”

Stunning his friends with a dasseling display of footwork, turns, and spins, through the entire record. Not one dout in his mind that he had made his point, that whether he was in love or not, he would no longer demean himself by falling pray to Kim’s deceptive and cynical ways. With a dash, Cameo generated more speed. Fack left, fack right, pause, now spin. Stop and slide, around, and around, and around, jet to the side, back turn, full, and up into a 360, short turn, short turn, glide her over to the center of the floor and glide around the center in a wurlpool facion.

take a bow, stand up and burst into an outward montion, spinning around and around, spreading your arms like wings, beaneth a sparkling crystalball of pinitrating rays of light souring to the dephts of your soul suspending you in animation, envisioning colored clouds like refections on the Forth of July. “I am soring above the clouds see me fly high above my earthly wearys, and if I could save you, I would reach out my hand and touch you there.

Oh, I loose control. And so, I break it down. They say why me. I don’t knew, but somebodies got to do it, why not me,” Cameo’s mind begins to wonder while he dives into a deep spin. He thrust out his right leg in front of the left one, dose a complete turn and thust his left leg in front of the right one as the music continuse:

Every since dayone girl you’ve been the only one,

you always on my mine

I thank Lord above me for sending you to love me,

your alway on my mine all of the time.

Carla!

Carla you alway be in my heart.

Carla!

We will never, never, ever, ever, ever, ever be a part

Carla my love .........!

Carla!

Carla!

CarLa!

And Cameo continued to thrust one leg over the other.

flexing into small slow circular spins, spreads his arms wide, turning as he brings the song to end. At that instense, Cameo hears Kim calling him. “Come over here and skate with me,” she said. “Perhaps the message was to direct, “ Cameo said to him self. Skating to her aide, cameo once again clinches her into his arms. “Go get’m Cammy,” yells Frederico iwhile skating by. And for a final time, unknown to kim, and she and Cameo skate into the night feeling pleasant, nieve, and restless, totally unaware of things to come.

Suddenlly, with out warning, Cameo is pulled away by a skater telling him that Johnny Wheeler was streched out on the bathroom floor. “What’s he doing on the bathroom floor,” “I don’t know , we helped him up and he fell backdown.” Cameo rushed off the floor and into the bathroom followed by other skaters. “Johnny what happened to you,” said Cameo? “Sure JOHNNY but whats wong with you?”

“I can’t tell you right now. Just call my mother, quickly. I don’t think that I can take it much longer.”

Excited, Cameo turned to the skaters standing around in the restroom and asked if anyone knew what he did to himself. A skater replied saying that he was dinking Barcardi and Rum and he drank we had two quakes of 900, and a pint of Notty Head. “Dam, you didn,t even share it with me JOHNNY,” said Cameo. Just when Cameo was about to turn around, Into the men’s bathroom came Dee Dee JOHNNY’s sister. “Whats wrong with my brother? JOHNNY get up off of that floor”, she said.

“I can’t Dee, I’m drunk.”

“Boy you know that you don’t need to be gitting so drunk that you can’t even get up off of the floor.”

Then the owners of the skating rink Melvin and Linsey came in to see JOHNNY.

“JOHNNY, what the hell is wrong with you boy”,asked Melvin?

“He’s drunk”, said Dee Dee.

“Drunk, what’s he doing drunk? Cameo, what’s he been drinking?” “Notty Head, Beer, and Bricardi”, said Cameo.

“How did he buy it?”

“He got Knocks to get it.”

“Who’s Knocks?”

“A guy that stands outside on the corner.”

“And you were drinking it to?”

“yes.

“Oh yeah, well I bet you that it won’t happen again. I want to sse you JOHNNY and how ever else was involved, in my office Saturday morning. Help me get him out of here.”

Johnny was taken up stairs to Melvins office were his mother soon arrived and had taken him home. That Saturday morning, Melvin was Furious. It was the first time that Cameo had been in Melvin’s plush office and although he was afraid that he would never be able to skate at Disco Skate again, he could not help but admire the interior design. The furniture and the carpet was red, and the rest of the office was such as the walls was a wooded texture, like a club basement. JOHNNY and Cameo sank in to the plush coutch try to look serious as Melvin pasted back and fourth taking care of other business. Finally, he sat on the big desk that was in front of ous with a terrifing look on his face. He looked so angry that his big mustash drooped as if to touch the office floor touched.

He gave us a long speech, hualering and raving, about deaf and distruction. The test was to sit still and look sorry and hope that he would be murceyfull in his final words. The fact of the matter was that it seemed to Cameo and JOHNNY that eveybody associated with Disco Skate was on something, so all that mattered was that what was their punishment. They were suspended for two weeks, JOHNNY was suspend for an additional two weeks at his mother request.

The two weeks went fast for Cameo but so for Johnny it would turn out to be about six, because as it turned out JOHNNY nonnered Melvin’s suspension but when it was time to nonnor has mothers suspension JOHNNY got bold and try to go skating dispite her wishes and when he grabbed his skates and headed for the door of their home to go skating she whipped out a gun and said if you go out that door I’ll blow your ass away.

JOHNNY didn’t believe that she would do it. So he grabbed the door knobb and Boom! She shot JOHNNY in the leg.

It took JOHNNY about eight weeks before he could skate again.

Meanwhile, Cameo had to move on without him,

‘

Home of the Homeless

Imagine what it is like to be totally vulnerable, to have no protection against nature, or to be stripped of all your worldly possessions. You are unwanted no matter where you go, rejected by society, forced to follow the patterns of the wind. If you can imagine what that is like, then you have an idea of what it is like to be homeless. In America thousands of homeless people walk and sleep on the streets because they are not receiving proper resources to maintain efficient housing. The high cost of living and the lack of knowledge prohibit homeless people from becoming socially mobile, therefore, they are forced to roam from place to place in a state of confusion. There are stories about homeless people who have received help from Human Resource Agencies which enabled homeless people to become independent

contributors to society. On the other hand, the majority of homeless people do not get help. Most of them go unrecognized, especially when there is not enough human resources, such as financial aide, job placement, and family support available.

A few good friends and I would meet at Larry’s house after school to listen to loud music, drink wine, and court girls. He lived on the top floor of a large white house with green trimming, on the corner of Woodbine and Bell Avenues. The house seemed very unusual because it was the largest house on the block, and it sat back from the street corner like a mansion with most of the yard occupying the front and the right side of the house. The front of the house resembled a face. The triangular shaped roof covered the house like a huge hat. The windows looked like eyes. There was one window on the third floor, two on the second floor, and two on the first floor. The front porch floor was made of cement, painted with green paint and covered with old furniture. Surrounding the perimeter of the porch was a long black iron railing that made the house appear to be grinning. At the bottom of the porch lined by small bushes lay a cement path that swerved across the front lawn like a large pale snake, connecting with the public cement walkway that lined the streets. On the side of the house, facing Bell Avenue, there was

another first level porch, and a few more windows. On the back of the house there was also a first level back porch and a staircase that lead to the back porch out side of Larry’s bedroom door.

In order to get into Larry’s house we would go to the back of his house, climb up the wooden staircase, and knock on his green bedroom door. The apartment, which he shared with his father, had a very peculiar shape. It looked like a renovated attic that had been turned into an apartment. The ceiling was triangular from the back of the house, which was Larry’s bed room, to the front of the house which was Larry’s father’s bed room. The ceiling parted at the center into a 90 degree angle and rested on opposite ends of the floor like an Indian tepee. In the center of the apartment was the kitchen. On the right hand side of the kitchen there was a small den where Larry’s father did his florist craft work for extra income. The den protruded from the roof of the house like an ear. While on the left side of the kitchen there was a bathroom that likewise protruded from the house like a second ear. The front entrance of the apartment was on the left side of a small passage between the kitchen and Larry’s father’s room, and it lead down the front staircase to another door dividing the inside of the house from the outside. (INSERT HERE)

What used to be Larry’s house has changed a little over the year. The house is no longer white with green trimming; it is now white with blue trimming. The back staircase is now iron, and I no longer see my friends standing on Larry’s back porch when I come home from school. Larry’s father doesn’t get drunk anymore and start fights with Larry, and I no l