Among many other feelings, nostalgia was mostly what I kept feeling while reading this chapter. It is true that the gender separation between boys and girls is very prominent at a very young age, definitely by elementary school. Girls play with their best friends which are girls and they play with dolls and girlie toys while boys play with other tough boys who like to play cowboys or cops who shoot guns.
Mingling amongst the two is almost unheard of. I recall if I even played with a boy I would be called out by all my girl friends because it was gross and boys have “cooties.” We didn’t play with them and we definitely didn’t like them. That doesn’t come until later, yup, middle school for sure. I remember being in elementary school and there was this boy that would just not leave me alone. He terrorized me so damn much that I would cry. I used to have really long hair, down past my butt and he would chase me just to yank my hair so hard. I would run from him in fear, but nobody would help me because girls don’t play with boys.
This went on for a very long time and it did not end in elementary. It continued to be worse in middle school where he would find me during recess and now make a spectacle where other boys would watch him do it and he’d run while they laughed. I became the epitome of segregating myself with my own gender to blend and hide. What a moron. I ran into him a few years ago when I was bartending, and he actually apologized for putting me through so much hell. He literally came around the bar to give me an apology hug. He is so lucky I am kind because what I really wanted to do was throw tequila in his face. Now that I think back, I should have instead of going to have a drink with him because he was pretty damn cute that day. It’s funny how things can change so much with age. His nasty hateful cooties turned into sexual tension in a snap all when I thought I still couldn’t stand the guy. Who knew?
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