Almost Always

I am a guy who likes everything to be steady with few surprises. I don't mind a little spontaneity every now and again but usually on my terms. The more things are the same, the more I like them. I get used to the sun rising in the east and setting in the west, because that's how it should be.

Living in Loudon had a lot to do with that, but so did school, with things like...

You rarely saw Wayne Poole without Dickie Blankenship, Kenny Parks and Jake Lane somewhere close by.

You rarely saw Donna Morgan without Pat Milsaps and Sharon Crawley close by.

Brenda Nicholson, Donna Kyker, Gail Cunningham, Doug Adkins, Mike Delaney and even Mrs. Morgan was almost always smiling.

We got yelled at for running in the halls, but Mrs. McCall constantly walked faster than most of us could run.

You rarely saw Doug Christian without Wayne and Allen McNabb somewhere close.

The same people always bummed cigarettes.

Debbie Everett and Janie Greene almost always wore a hair band.

Doug Christian always had a wad of bills in his pocket.

You rarely saw Pat Lowe without Steve Knox and Jabbo Lynn somewhere close by.

Brenda McKee, Brenda Henry, Bonnie Bivens, Kathey Guider, Cynthia Blair, Glenda Summey, Kaye Collis, Janie Barrier and Patsy Farmer rarely said anything.

Likewise, neither did Carl Schrimpsher, Doyle Goodsen, Gary Poe, George Wilkerson, Joe Russell, Jerry Jones, Joe Watson and Larry Faulkner.

Allen McNabb would get in some sort of trouble almost weekly.

Mrs. Goode would walk out of her office and stare around the room almost daily because she thought someone was making too much noise.

Also in the library, the Knoxville newspaper was always checked out until late in the day.

Given more time I could probably think of some more.