Separation Education

Helen Miller was the first girl I recall being around in the Bronx that was not my sisters.  Helen and I were BICs, Bronx Irish Catholics.  She had red hair and freckles and wore a cowgirl outfit when I wore my cowboy outfit.  So we were not strangers, but we were.  Catholic school kept us away from one another.  There were no mixed classes of boys/girls.  But of all I learned, no one taught me how to talk to girls like Helen when we were kids.  Education had missing parts.  I wish someone had said to Helen and I, here is what to do.  "Show interest."  Ask questions of the other person.  "Helen, do you go to the movies at all?  What is your favorite food?  What time do you go to bed at night?  What is your favorite color?  Favorite game?"  This would have been easy stuff, but no one taught me.  So I became a priest.  If I had it taught to me in class, I might have married Helen.  There are consequences to what you don't learn.  Children don't know what they don't know.  A good job for grandparents.