Page 50 - Philly Girl

34 Janice Shapiro

wearing long, loose skirts. But I moved in another direction.
I became a high school cheerleader.
My mission was to not have to go home directly after
school. To achieve this goal, I needed an after-school activ-
ity. I was too short for the basketball squad and too skinny
for girls’ hockey. I did not play a musical instrument so that
took care of band. But I could dance! So I tried out for the
cheerleading squad. In a high school of 4,000, being selected
as one of only 12 cheerleaders was a great honor.
I started hanging out with the cheerleader crowd. I had
mixed feelings. I really preferred to be with Janice, Wynnie,
and Mae. But I was fearful or hesitant about their extracur-
ricular activities, which included smoking pot. On the other
hand, my cheerleader cohorts were unfriendly and snobby. I
continued to hang out with the cheerleaders, the “popular”
girls.
My friendship with Mae somehow survived. She was
always game to travel. She was spontaneous and super fun.
I learned about sarcasm from her.
We spent time together in British Columbia (where she
eventually moved) and became “the American girls” who
camped at Sprout Lake on Vancouver Island. I did yoga on a
plastic mat and ate cooked brown rice and canned pineapple
with chopsticks. She had a number of boyfriends that sum-
mer. One was a handsome, blond hairdresser who washed
Mae’s hair in the lake with Herbal Essence shampoo. Most
of those Canadian boyfriends of hers turned out to be gay.
We love each other still. I love pleasing her, and she
appreciates every little thing. When she last visited, we had
rum and Diet Dr. Pepper—her favorite. Mae is unique—
who else loves rum and Dr. Pepper? She still giggles like
a girl and goes to rock concerts. No one ever forgets the
inimitable Mae.