Daydreamer

It was 1978. I was in 8th grade.

All of my classes were standard except for one. I signed up for a music class called "The History of Rock and Roll." It sounded more fun than the other electives. Plus there was a field trip to New York City to see a new show called Beatlemania. I had never been to "the city."  It sounded awesome.

I remember sitting on the bus next to my friend Donna Sclafani. I stared out the window the whole time. Her family was from Yonkers, so this was nothing new to her, or anyone else on the bus. But it was all new to me.

The road was windy, and surrounded by trees. We drove along the Hudson river passing tall gray office buildings, and really large brick apartment complexes with laundry hanging out the window. People were lounging everywhere on the sidewalk and sitting on apartment steps. Their brown faces stared at our yellow bus full of middle school kids.

I remember being in a packed theater, but I don't remember anything about the show. Nothing. Not one song.

I know I was there. I didn't daydream this. I bought a Beatlemania button as a souvenir. It happened.

How is it that I can remember a bouncy bus ride but not the show?

Why do we remember some things and not others. It seems like I would remember the show, not the bus ride, right?

Years later, I moved back to the same area as an adult and made that same trip into NYC. I could vividly recall that first time in the bus. Nothing outside had changed much. The city was still gray, the faces looking back were the same, and laundry was still hanging from windows.

I did that drive into the city dozens of times and never got tired of looking out the window, thinking about all the people I passed, imagining what their lives were like.

I'm a daydreamer. So I guess that's why I remember the drive, not the show.

I found this Beatlemania video from the Merv Griffin show in 1978 hoping it would jog my memory, but it didn't. Still nothing.

 Today's TRDC prompt was to recall a field trip from our youth. 600 words max.