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***Official*** FBG Storytellers Thread (1 Viewer)

Charlie Steiner

Footballguy
The idea of storytelling has been growing in appeal to me over the last few years, and now that I have watched my mother steadily lose her memories over the last year or so, I've decided it's time to stop worrying about trying to match previous epic stories that have appeared on this board and instead just tell some of mine while I can still remember them, as well as hope this thread will be used by others to tell theirs as well.

Anyone who's interested, please feel free to contribute as you are willing to. I'm framing this in the spirit of The Moth Radio Hour, as heard on NPR, with stories told around a specific theme or idea, but I also don't want to discourage anyone from posting their story, either. I just ask for a reasonable level of decorum.

For the first 'theme', I'm going to start by relaying a time when I put myself out there, much like I feel I'm doing right now...

In the late 70's/early 80's, Beltway Plaza shopping mall in Greenbelt, Md was the cultural center of my universe. It hosted a variety of stores, a few restaurants and the AMC Academy 6 Theater, where I watched many movies that shaped my pre- through late-teen worldview, from Smokey and the Bandit to Star Wars to Silver Streak to The Warriors to Heavy Metal to Monty Python and the Holy Grail to Flesh Gordon and more. That mall was always teeming with people and what I can only call "70's energy"--exciting, certain, safe yet wide open. Despite its close proximity to my house, it was always full of kids my age that went to other schools and lived in other neighborhoods, strangers yet familiar at the same time.

This particular story took place sometime in '79. I was 13, and the arcade at the mall had established itself as the epicenter of teen culture. I had ridden my bike to there for the first time ever on this particular day, so I was disheveled from the trip but I didn't care; I was tasting the true freedom of independent travel for the first time and was buzzing from the feeling.

Then I saw her.

Beautiful face, slim build, blonde hair fashioned in that classic feathered back look, requisite tight jeans (70's tight, not yoga pants tight, form hugging but not revealing) and a nice white top with a lace collar. There were no doubt countless girls sporting that look at the time, but to me, she was the first and only one I saw dressed that way, and she was a real magnet for my eyes; it took full effort to look away from her, especially before she could catch me staring at her.

I can't remember if she was alone or with a friend, but I saw no guys around her. My young mind feverishly thought of some approach that would work on her. I immediately remembered the scene in Bad News Bears when Kelly Leak and Amanda were playing air hockey at an arcade. I remembered Kelly bet her that if he won, she would have to go out with him, and it occurred to me that I could do the same thing. Then I remembered I was dirty and probably smelly from riding my bike there, plus I had no quarters left.

I knew in my heart that I had time to ride home, take a shower, put on more appropriate clothes and get a ride back there before she left. I gave her one last longing look and put my plan into motion. Everything clicked until I got to the part of getting a ride back to the mall. I had saved asking my parents for last, and there I was: clean, hair still damp from a quick shower and beginning to mix with sweat from the ride home as well as now wearing long pants with 2 quarters in them and a long sleeve shirt, about to ask my mother for a ride to the mall, moments away from completing the greatest plan ever...but my mother wasn't around and I ran into my father first.

Asking my dad to do something he wasn't expecting always caused him to make a sound that was somewhere between a long grunt and sigh.

"Didn't you just come from the mall?"

A defeated 'yes' was all I could say.

"Then why do you want to go back up there?"

I was too self-conscious to give a reply. I tried stammering but nothing was coming out until I finally said "I'm going to meet someone up there."

Fortunately, my mother arrived to the conversation at this point. She always had a way of knowing what was happening but subtle enough to roll with the punches and move things along in the right direction. Although, this time she was a little more blunt that I would have liked.

"You meeting a girl?"

Me and girls had never been a topic of discussion for us before, so I went from feeling like a 25 year old smooth operator to a stupid 8 year old with that one question. All I could do was nod and give a weak 'yes.'

Even though she was able to finesse my dad into relenting to drive me to the mall, I was starting feel less confident in my plan, and by the time he dropped me off, all I felt was doom. Even though the arcade was just the second spot from the entrance, that short walk felt much longer, with dread growing at each step. Once the arcade came into focus, I quickly scanned for her face, and THERE SHE WAS! SHE WAS STILL THERE!

With that shot of adrenaline and renewed hope, I pressed on those last few feet until I got to her. I don't even think she had moved from the spot where I last looked at her before I went home earlier. I wish I could tell you which machine it was, but I know that while we watched the kid currently playing it lose his last life and walk away, I knew the moment of truth had arrived. I took a deep breath, knowing the right words would come to me. As we both turned toward the machine, I pulled the two quarters out of my pocket, showed them to her and said, my voice slightly cracking:

"I'll play you?"

Very quickly she shook her head, said 'No' and walked away.
 
Nothing in this world will ever again be as good as malls/arcades were in the '70s and '80s.
As I was writing that story, I realized I could probably write a whole anthology about that mall and arcade. Even after I got married and started my family, I was still going to that same mall. Amazing and sad how much it had changed over the decades.
 
Beltway Plaza shopping mall in Greenbelt, Md
I was there many times, though I went to Landover Mall more often since it was closer to where I lived in AA Co.
Once I started driving, I started going to other malls--Prince George's, Laurel (went there a LOT), New Carrollton, but Landover never interested me.

FWIW, I'm in AA County now but nowhere near Landover. Guessing you were in southern AA, like Lothian or Friendship?
 
Beltway Plaza shopping mall in Greenbelt, Md
I was there many times, though I went to Landover Mall more often since it was closer to where I lived in AA Co.
Once I started driving, I started going to other malls--Prince George's, Laurel (went there a LOT), New Carrollton, but Landover never interested me.

FWIW, I'm in AA County now but nowhere near Landover. Guessing you were in southern AA, like Lothian or Friendship?
Yes - Deale (more accurately, Tracey's Landing but even less people know where that is than Deale). You and I chatted about this years ago, though I suspect you don't recall. When White Flight happened in the '60s and early '70s from the DC 'burbs, those from the middle & southern end of PG County came my way and on down into Calvert Co. Y'all up towards the northern end flocked to places like Crofton & Gambrills.
 
Beltway Plaza shopping mall in Greenbelt, Md
I was there many times, though I went to Landover Mall more often since it was closer to where I lived in AA Co.
Once I started driving, I started going to other malls--Prince George's, Laurel (went there a LOT), New Carrollton, but Landover never interested me.

FWIW, I'm in AA County now but nowhere near Landover. Guessing you were in southern AA, like Lothian or Friendship?
Yes - Deale (more accurately, Tracey's Landing but even less people know where that is than Deale). You and I chatted about this years ago, though I suspect you don't recall. When White Flight happened in the '60s and early '70s from the DC 'burbs, those from the middle & southern end of PG County came my way and on down into Calvert Co. Y'all up towards the northern end flocked to places like Crofton & Gambrills.
I vaguely recall now that you mention it. My parents went from Mt. Rainier to College Park. Only a few miles away but a world of difference. One of my cousins went from Lanham out to Poolesville, now lives in WVa on 5 acres and complains about society. :wall:
 
Nothing in this world will ever again be as good as malls/arcades were in the '70s and '80s.
The closest mall to me was converted from an old outdoor strip mall into a modern indoor mall. The Kroger left during this conversation so it's spot was taken up by several smaller shops. The old Kroger entrance with the auto doors had the pinball arcade inside. The quarters and time we used to waste in there were well worth it.
 
When I was in High School, the Annapolis Mall didn't exist yet. I think it came into being the year after I graduated. On the site before it was built-out was a Hecht's (kinda like Macy's) and a Montgomery Ward's (kinda like Sears). I think there was a higher-end retailer like Garfinkle's (kinda like Nordstroms) maybe? Anyway, they filled it all in the early '80s with those being the anchors. There was a 6-screen theater and a bazillion jewelry stores and a food court and boutique stores and everything else that would be in an early '80s mall. It was full of rich preppy kids and I hated it.
 
I am having trouble putting the proper words together so the sentence doesn't sound awful, but I always like the guys that weren't afraid to put some effort in put themselves out there to be rejected.

I had a boy in highschool that I really liked, but because he was more popular than I was he would just talk to me casually and was waiting for me to ask him out. That date never happened.
 
I always like the guys that weren't afraid to put some effort in put themselves out there to be rejected.
Yeah, well you have LOVED me in HS. I put my gonads on the chopping block more times than I want to remember. And failed 90% of the time. It wasn't a lot of fun for an introvert.
 
When I was in High School, the Annapolis Mall didn't exist yet. I think it came into being the year after I graduated. On the site before it was built-out was a Hecht's (kinda like Macy's) and a Montgomery Ward's (kinda like Sears). I think there was a higher-end retailer like Garfinkle's (kinda like Nordstroms) maybe? Anyway, they filled it all in the early '80s with those being the anchors. There was a 6-screen theater and a bazillion jewelry stores and a food court and boutique stores and everything else that would be in an early '80s mall. It was full of rich preppy kids and I hated it.
Then you'll be pleasantly surprised by its current state of affairs.

Fun fact for you: Had my first 'date' with my wife there, but it didn't start off as a date....

I had just started attending a church in Bowie and was hanging out with the young adult group. I was at a place in my life where I wasn't looking for a relationship. She called me up one Saturday night and asked if I wanted to hang out somewhere. We chose Annapolis Mall with the intention of just killing a few hours. TBH, though, I think both of us felt an attraction but were trying to ignore it.

As we were walking around, she kept bumping into me, as she has inner ear issues due to being in a bad car accident when she was younger. After about the 10th time, I took her hand and told her I was tired of her bumping into me. I think we both knew at that moment that we had feelings for each other.

We still go there occasionally and most of the kids that go there now are rarely preppy.

You ever been back to check out Arundel Mills?
 
You ever been back to check out Arundel Mills?
Yep. My North American corporate offices are on the same piece of land - though, more over near where the Greene Turtle is. I've been in Arundel Mills Mall enough to know I don't need to go back in there again. I saw someone get knifed in the parking lot one night.
 
You ever been back to check out Arundel Mills?
Yep. My North American corporate offices are on the same piece of land - though, more over near where the Greene Turtle is. I've been in Arundel Mills Mall enough to know I don't need to go back in there again. I saw someone get knifed in the parking lot one night.
I'd like to blame the casino but that place has had issues with violence since it opened. The only time we go there anymore is to eat at the Chevy's. Chevy's has been a favorite of ours since before we got married and that's about the last one that serves decent sized portions.
 
Nothing in this world will ever again be as good as malls/arcades were in the '70s and '80s.
I've found that I really enjoy watching older movies (70s and 80s especially) just to remember how quiet life was back then, and how people physically gathered in clearly-delineated locations for socialization. The way it actually took a little bit of effort to arrange meet-ups. Obviously life is better now on all sorts of dimensions, but young people had so many more opportunities to develop a sense of independence and self-efficacy than they do now. I'm a grown adult, and I feel more supervised and corralled now than I did when I was 14.
 
Being a 70s/80s kid too, my adult kids often ask what it was like to grow up in "those times". I said when you left the house, regardless of how, by yourself or with your friends, you had an immense sense of freedom. Nobody could contact you unless they knew where you were going. No cell phones to track you or contact you, nothing....

That feeling is so lost in todays world.

Sad...
 
Being a 70s/80s kid too, my adult kids often ask what it was like to grow up in "those times". I said when you left the house, regardless of how, by yourself or with your friends, you had an immense sense of freedom. Nobody could contact you unless they knew where you were going. No cell phones to track you or contact you, nothing....

That feeling is so lost in todays world.

Sad...
And if you really needed to talk to someone there was usually a phone booth somewhere around.
 
Being a 70s/80s kid too, my adult kids often ask what it was like to grow up in "those times". I said when you left the house, regardless of how, by yourself or with your friends, you had an immense sense of freedom. Nobody could contact you unless they knew where you were going. No cell phones to track you or contact you, nothing....

That feeling is so lost in todays world.

Sad...
And if you really needed to talk to someone there was usually a phone booth somewhere around.
Exactly.
 
Being a 70s/80s kid too, my adult kids often ask what it was like to grow up in "those times". I said when you left the house, regardless of how, by yourself or with your friends, you had an immense sense of freedom. Nobody could contact you unless they knew where you were going. No cell phones to track you or contact you, nothing....

That feeling is so lost in todays world.

Sad...
And if you really needed to talk to someone there was usually a phone booth somewhere around.

we used to have code words for the streets we'd be hangin' on for the fake collect calls - if you needed to let somebody know where you were, you place the collect call with the bogus name, and the other party would refuse ... but they knew where to find you.
 
we used to have code words for the streets we'd be hangin' on for the fake collect calls - if you needed to let somebody know where you were, you place the collect call with the bogus name, and the other party would refuse ... but they knew where to find you
Oh yeah, my house had a lot of collect calls from MaComePickMeUp

yep, was never an option for us - i tried once, and she cursed a blue streak at me thru that operator 😁
 
Being a 70s/80s kid too, my adult kids often ask what it was like to grow up in "those times". I said when you left the house, regardless of how, by yourself or with your friends, you had an immense sense of freedom. Nobody could contact you unless they knew where you were going. No cell phones to track you or contact you, nothing....

That feeling is so lost in todays world.

Sad...
And if you really needed to talk to someone there was usually a phone booth somewhere around.
My grandmother always made sure we had a dime tucked away in our shoes for emergencies.
 

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