Silver Streak Leads To Blue Streak

We were sitting around a small hexagonal table. Just me and a couple of my second grade friends. Talk turned to what we had done the previous holiday weekend...

Even though I was only seven years old at the time, my brothers had taken me to see the Gene Wilder/Richard Pryor movie Silver Streak. How they convinced my mom to allow me to see a "PG" movie still remains a mystery.

The movie's adult plot was way beyond my comprehension. What I did pick up on were the several "curse words" that probably emanated from Richard Pryor's character.

At this young age I was still hyper-hyper concerned with being a "good boy". I never got into trouble and was basically the apple of my teacher's eye.

But here I was sitting with my friends around a table...and I began to tell them of the movie I had seen. I doubt any of them had seen anything but a Disney movie, but here I was having seen an adult comedy.

Despite my better judgement, I knew that I had to relay the "curse words" I had been exposed to. After a brief plot synopsis, I gathered them in close and in a hushed tone I said "...and then, one guy said 'Ass'". I had never verbalized a naughty word before, and here I had just uttered it within earshot of my teacher.

My friends were justifiably impressed with the outrageousness of my verbage. They were so impressed that they began laughing and saying the word "Ass" out loud.

What should have been a liberating rebellious experience immediately turned into torture. Although I quieted them down...I was instantly racked with guilt and regret. I just knew that I had made a mistake...I knew that somehow someway my verbal transgression would come back to haunt me...one classmate might tell another who might tell our teacher or their parent.

I was burdened with guilt for days...never knowing when the hammer might drop and I would be called into the principal's office for a "talking-to".

As it turned out, nothing ever came of my "blue streak"....I thanked G-d profusesly for saving my sterling reputation at the time.

I think about this incident quite frequently...over the course of time I gave into the temptation to swear and now I have what is affectionately known as "potty-mouth". I still have an amazing ability to censor myself in those situations that demand it...but otherwise....I talk a great deal of shit...