1976

Monday, July 5th

At the start of the drive, I took a few tokes on the pipe putting me in a melancholy mood for the three hour drive to Melbourne giving  me time to reflect upon what I was leaving behind and what was coming.  I was leaving the town I grew up in, the friends and family I had known my whole life.  I was leaving behind high school friends, most of which had drifted away, and I seldom saw.  I was leaving behind church friends, but church had started to fade from my life, and I only attended on special occasions to mostly appease Mom.  I was leaving behind the guys I hung out with when I lived with Bill, who I only saw occasionally.     

But there were some things I would miss, my forever cheerful, wonderful friend Wendy, although I hoped to see her when she visited her parents in Indialantic.   I would miss working at the University and the relaxed and interesting environment.  I would greatly miss taking modern and jazz dance classes but hoped to find a place to take classes in Melbourne.  

When it came to the girls I was leaving behind, I was convincing myself that leaving was a good thing.  Although I still had feelings for Wendy, I had accepted she was now married and we would only be friends.  My relationship with Elizabeth had deteriorated to the point if felt good to get away from it. The dancer who spent the night, nothing became of it.  Melody who I spent the Fourth of July night with, I didn’t know what that meant, it was unexpected. 

I was leaving behind Mom and Dad but was okay with that and they were happy that I was on my own with a job.  Besides, they were having a wonderful time traveling in their camper. In fact, they were leaving on a long trip just five days after I left. They were going to North Carolina, Niagara Falls and then Michigan to see Mom’s relatives.  My younger sister Beth, who was still living at home, was going with them.  (see Mom's travel log) Mom usually sent me a postcard or two when they were on such trips but since I was moving, Mom didn’t have my new address so I wouldn’t hear from them until the end of July when they got back, and I was well settled in my new place.