Stories From My Past: School Photo

It was late in elementary school, or maybe early in jr. high school. We were all sitting in class when our school photos (taken several weeks earlier) were handed out to us.

I opened up my envelope, looked at my photo and very quickly put it face down on my desk with my hands over it.

Most of the time, school photos turned out OK for me. Once or twice, they turned out kinda bad. But this particular time... well, I looked like a small chimp who had died unpleasantly.

All around me, kids were showing each other their photos. "Hey Jeff, let me see yours!"

I refused. One of the guys sitting next to me said, "C'mon, it can't be worse than mine!" He showed me his picture, and it was fairly bad. But I still refused.

"I'll give you a nickle," he promised. The capitalist in me perked up, but the price was too low. "No." "I'll give you a quarter."

I was reluctantly sold. "OK, but only you, and only for a second." I flashed the photo at him.

Minutes later, when he picked himself up off the floor, he told the entire class, "Give him a quarter! It's worth it! Trust me!" He didn't stop laughing for 3 days. He even tried to give me a second quarter so he could see it again.

Of course, I wonder what that photo would look like to me now. If it exists anywhere, my parents have it. I'm tempted to ask, but I bet *all* of my old school photos look pretty goofy now. :)