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Dr. Pepper Brings Me Back... 3:10 p.m. 2005-07-06 I'm sitting here at working drinking my Diet Dr. Pepper, and the sweet taste is taking me back in time to childhood summer days on the island. Some of our days were spent at the Terceira Golf Course Club. Of course, I didn't nor do I now know anything about the sport, but there were often times when I and my cousin Adelaide would just go to the club to "hang out". When you are 15, and don't drive yet, you hitch a ride to wherever you can. Usually, we would tag along with our older brothers. We would spend time pretending to play golf just to annoy our brothers, or walk around the course looking for golf balls, and the occasional good looking player (there were few in our age group that we found attractive), and of course, play with the golf ball cleaner. The Club is rather large, and most of the members of the club are in the military stationed at the American Air Force Base in Lajes, but a lot of the natives on the island had memberships there because of the snack bar-which prepares "American" food; hamburgers, hot dogs, eggs and bacon..etc.. (We ate there a lot). There is also a ProShop where Adelaide liked buying sneakers and sweaters with the stitched penquins. I bought one myself that winter that I spent on the island. Golf clothes were considered "cool" back in the early 1980's; as strange as that may sound. There was a large women's bathroom that always smelled like golf shoes--mostly because a lot of the members left their shoes in their respective cubby shoe holes. Sometimes we would re-arrange the shoes, and try writing silly things on the announcement board in the locker room. The bathroom was almost aways empty, and we were able to get away with things like that. We never knew where all those women with the shoes were most of the time because it was very rare that we actually saw one of them. We even used the washing machine once when I spilled ketchup on my clothes. On one day in particular, Adelaide and I were "stranded" at the club. Our brothers were out there playing golf somewhere, and we were alone and hungry. "If only we had enough money for a Dr. Pepper and a hot dog!" With much determination (and hunger), we began to search for spare change. We checked under the lounge area, under chair pillows, on the floor, and we even checked the slot machines (in the casino area). Sure enough, we DID find enough change to buy something to eat. I don't remember exactly what, but I do remember savoring that can of Dr. Pepper, as we proudly sat there in the lounge looking out of the large club windows at the golf course below. Those were the days! |