Excerpt
“Gosh, why can’t I make my own decisions?”
My parents decided when and where I would be born. They chose most of my clothes and what I should eat. When I was old enough to count, I realized I had all ten fingers and toes. I could feel, smell, hear and see. I was in good health. God and my parents did do a good job although I had some trouble seeing at distances. My dad said it was simple.
“Bobby, if you want to see well, you will wear glasses.”
That was at age eight. Four years later, my parents agreed with a dentist that I should wear a removable wire brace to correct my upper teeth alignment. I hated that damn thing. When alone, I rarely wore it. That was one decision I made.
It was that way most of my young life. My parents decided I would be baptized into the Catholic faith. Dad insisted my brothers and I go to military grammar school. Mom made my lunches for years and I had little to say about our dinner menu. However, I could pick my cereal for breakfast. Big deal!
Dad thought summer camp would be good for me. I did make a few decisions as I grew older. I could choose what sports to play, my friends in school, and what girls to date. That part was good! I wrote about all of those things in ‘Flashbacks of Youth.’ Oh, I did forget to mention something. I chose to be a lefthander at a very early age.
I did make a big decision at age nineteen. I enlisted in the Navy. I had to endure boot camp, but that was alright. I would soon travel and see many places. Well, I thought I would.
This story begins where ‘Flashbacks’ finished. I am in the early years of my enlistment in Southern California. I did like shore duty in California, but I wanted to see more. After all, I enlisted in the Navy to travel.
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