tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-312661052024-03-13T10:57:33.072-07:00The Okiboys : Memoirs of a grateful friendA military brat's tale of unforgettable events at an American high school in Okinawa, Japan.
To my old friends, thanks for the memories.okihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05188204930045232207noreply@blogger.comBlogger25125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31266105.post-13730147614991306462009-01-24T21:51:00.001-08:002009-01-24T21:55:49.294-08:0023 - Change "Sorry we're late!" yelled Zoe as the white car pulled up. Shadows of twilight gleamed across it's surface, it was an alluring sight and brought a smile to my face. I took a deep breath and didn't know what to say. Though I was happy to see the car, I suddenly became tense. Anger began to consume me. The subdued emotions that had been building for the past two hours began to resurface.okihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05188204930045232207noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31266105.post-19243009498500799352008-02-16T01:45:00.000-08:002008-03-25T22:25:25.679-07:00Chapter 22 - Stood Up "Just face it Mike, you got stood up!" He couldn't stop laughing. "Ha ha, you got stood up!" Bill and his sense of humor did little to befriend me and the energetic face I carried half an hour ago had long since vanished. His remarks were audibly irritating, but did nothing to affect my current state of mind. Where the heck was she? She was more than a half an hour okihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05188204930045232207noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31266105.post-19869974431754964352007-12-09T23:08:00.000-08:002007-12-21T22:47:03.265-08:00Chapter 21 - Luggage Class"Something pink, something new" I thought. I couldn't remember the rest of the saying, or even if it was the right saying, but right now it seemed to fit the moment. I needed to answer his question, but I was still unsure about making a decision. It did look odd. "Cotton candy," I thought, "It does look like cotton candy." But I was reasonably sure it wouldn't taste like it though. In fact okihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05188204930045232207noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31266105.post-14679797525832920202007-12-09T01:08:00.000-08:002007-12-29T15:49:58.931-08:00Chapter 20 - The OutfieldAs we waited for the next Okibus, I could see the gate guard waving-in the midday traffic. It was a good Saturday and the warmth of the spring sun was upon us. The sky was an endless blue and the air felt refreshing. Next to me was a duffel bag. It was filled with memories. Memories of many who have played the game and memories of summers past that me and my brother shared. It was green, a okihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05188204930045232207noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31266105.post-25039680364440656962007-12-08T09:33:00.000-08:002007-12-29T08:48:01.231-08:00Chapter - 19 Ranger RicMother nature was having that time of the month again and without reason the rain was coming down hard. Though it was the beginning of summer and the heart of typhoon season, no storm was in the forecast for today, nevertheless Camp Lester looked miserable outside. I wasn't in a great mood either since I wanted to be outside, and to top it off, I was stuck in Jeff and Ricardo's house. As Iokihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05188204930045232207noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31266105.post-82251150171548768712007-10-01T09:24:00.000-07:002008-01-17T00:37:46.140-08:00Chapter 18 - UnmeiIt was only Wednesday, I had another day to go, but today was the day that I had to do it. I reasoned if I tried today and chickened-out, I still had one more day to try again. It sounded like a good plan, so I ran to my next class to meet her. I was sitting in classroom waiting for her to arrive. I was early for once, four minutes early to be exact and it felt really weird. A little okihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05188204930045232207noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31266105.post-71933077365757146392007-09-22T07:07:00.000-07:002008-01-17T00:26:51.083-08:00Chapter 17 - Bad Boys, Bad BoysIt was another typical day in Biology; Mrs. Walker was lecturing us about the details of mitochondrial DNA. It was an interesting subject, but I was tired. The parasitic pace of the lecture didn't help either. On the plus side, this was my last class and freedom was only a bells toll away. Everyone at my table was silent and busy taking notes. I looked down at my notebook and saw a few okihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05188204930045232207noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31266105.post-13232737817826676622007-09-21T00:19:00.000-07:002007-09-21T00:21:58.252-07:00Chapter 16 - DoughnutsMy heart was beating so fast that I couldn't hear what Johnny was saying. My hands were clammy, my eyes were closed, and I could feel the sweat tingling on my skin. Like a baby in the womb, I nestled down near the floor as tight as I could get. I felt like I just ran five miles with a panther on my tail, but I wasn’t exhausted. I was still tense, still nervous. Everyone else in the car was okihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05188204930045232207noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31266105.post-8775309128767231562007-09-18T23:20:00.001-07:002007-09-19T08:52:12.364-07:00Chapter 15 - Risk8pm Saturday Night, Fall Sophomore Year "Well this sucks. I'm out." said Ricardo. "When you start on Asia as your base on a six player game, you're usually the first one out." I responded. "Don't worry, we got all night, there's always another game." "How is it that Armand is still alive?" asked Ricardo. "He just stared playing this board game tonight!" "Luck" I added. "okihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05188204930045232207noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31266105.post-58666200391313535972007-09-17T22:49:00.000-07:002008-02-24T00:24:14.015-08:00Chapter 14 - Mystery BagIt was Tuesday morning and Mr. Larson began to talk about the experiment that the class would do tomorrow. He wanted us to separate hydrogen atoms from water; it sounded a bit dangerous, but it also sounded really fun. High school students, Chemistry, and fire always seemed like a bad combination to me, but I guess we all have to learn about it sometime. Unfortunately that wasn't the only okihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05188204930045232207noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31266105.post-48144204629240609612007-08-31T22:07:00.000-07:002007-08-31T22:47:04.539-07:00Chapter 13 - Lunchtime DecisionsIt was the start of my second day at Kadena High School. I sitting on the bus next to my brother, but this time he had the window. Sitting next to the isle was a pain since I could clearly see and hear the rambunctiousness of the boring conversations and activities that surrounded me. I still wasn’t used to the weather, though winter, you could feel a heaviness in the air. The high desertokihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05188204930045232207noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31266105.post-83699547033373572222007-08-30T23:29:00.000-07:002008-02-22T00:20:58.906-08:00Chapter 12 - Buzzer Beater12 - Buzzer Beater It was Wednesday and for two hellish days Renno tormented me. Though it was Chad's turn, my gut still wrenched. It was lunch time and extremely noisy, but I couldn’t hear a thing as fear of embarrassment consumed my mind. I sat in the cafeteria with my head on the table next to my partially eaten KHS styled Salisbury steak and mashed potatoes. I wasn’t at the table aloneokihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05188204930045232207noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31266105.post-67797948492338837162007-08-10T03:10:00.000-07:002007-08-19T23:40:40.814-07:00Chapter 11 - Blue Light SpecialHe sat there, blond hair, blue eyes and bored. Strumming his fingers through his spiky hair, he asked,”Its 8 o'clock on Saturday night and we have nothing to do. So what can we do now?” "We can go watch a movie.” answered Brian. “Olympic is just up the street.” "It's too late for that. The last shows at Keystone and Olympic were at 7pm, how about a game of D&D instead?" I added. okihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05188204930045232207noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31266105.post-15924220954805519712007-08-01T22:52:00.000-07:002007-08-02T22:08:27.673-07:0010 - Now On DeckMonday came and I was ready for school. It was a restless weekend since the gang was a bit too active. Johnny's insane treasure hunt ran us wild on Saturday night and Sunday afternoon was all baseball; no wonder I felt so tired. I began to wonder how everyone else was holding up. The monotony of classes seemed like the only place where I could find time to relax. At least I knew I okihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05188204930045232207noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31266105.post-85947158681503077992007-07-29T22:14:00.000-07:002007-07-30T14:30:25.519-07:00Chapter 09 - End of the First DayI went to the cafeteria and so did everyone else. It was crowded in there; it felt like everyone in the entire school decided to hang out in one place. Masses of people sat on or around the lunch tables. Floods of people streamed from one side to the other side of the great room. While hopelessly searching for my brother, I noticed an empty table. It was mostly quiet in the area, so I sat okihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05188204930045232207noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31266105.post-54125877550871993412007-07-29T08:32:00.000-07:002007-08-10T03:20:37.577-07:00Chapter 08 - Dangerous AnimalsThe day felt endless and I was tired, but exhaustion brought a well earned gift, experience. I wasn't lost anymore; I had uncovered the secrets of the labyrinth. I turned the last corner and saw my destination. It was the last class of the day, the last stop on my journey to freedom. The classroom door was ajar and the next wave of students flowed in. As I approached the doorway, I heard aokihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05188204930045232207noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31266105.post-15202765940677721162007-07-29T08:21:00.000-07:002007-12-29T15:45:27.010-08:00Chapter 07 - A Familiar SoundLunch was hopeless; he was nowhere to be found. My endless quest began to tire as Ponce de Leon became my traveling companion. My brother was missing, so I sat there alone and ate my lunch. I spent the majority of my lunch time searching for him so I only had a few minutes left to finish it. Eating alone sucks and I wondered how long it would take to make friends. Luckily I didn't have timeokihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05188204930045232207noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31266105.post-10840980128353787612007-07-29T08:00:00.000-07:002007-07-31T08:33:39.958-07:00Chapter 05 - The First Day of SchoolIt was cold for the tropics. My body shivered as I rose out of bed. Damn, that alarm clock was loud. Turning if off, I passed by the looking glass. The boy that saw me seemed a bit nervous and messy. His black hair had gone awry, his brown eyes beckoned for more sleep, and the bed sheet trauma on his face looked like the canals on Mars. Luckily neither one of us felt like talking. As I okihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05188204930045232207noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31266105.post-12176976281724022252007-07-29T07:40:00.000-07:002007-07-29T23:33:45.773-07:00Chapter 06 - HomeroomIt was the first day of school and I was lost. The school was big and loud. Hundreds of conversations flooded my ears. A sea of bodies ebbed and flowed throughout the passageways. Difficult to move and unable to see the stars, I lost my bearings. The hallways seemed endless. White wall, lockers, doors, lights, signs, lockers, doors; everything looked the same. Feeling that I would never find the okihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05188204930045232207noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31266105.post-41766517170775319382007-07-29T07:09:00.000-07:002008-02-24T00:11:14.526-08:00Chapter 04 - The Angel Next DoorWe landed in Naha, the most crowed city in Okinawa and its capital. The airport was bustling that day. People were everywhere and moving fast. The sounds of a strange language filled the air. I understood parts, but not clearly. My Japanese language skills worked at home, but failed miserably here. I was more than happy when we found a taxi and left. As we made our way to the base, we okihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05188204930045232207noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31266105.post-82240265023764629792007-07-28T23:33:00.000-07:002007-07-30T14:19:20.119-07:00Chapter 03 - The RockThe air was stagnant and the stale smell of recalculated air was pervasive. The chair began to hum rhythmically as the wind sang her lullaby at my reflection. As the world came into view, I squinted a bit as the sun that was bursting it's warmth upon me. Outside the window, the clouds shuttled by, high above the vastness of the deep blue endlessness below. The Pacific Ocean in her majestyokihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05188204930045232207noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31266105.post-91622197760046517242007-07-28T21:16:00.000-07:002007-12-29T15:46:51.397-08:00Chapter 02 - Two Birds with One Stone “da-Da-da-Da Da-da-Da-da” was the name of the siren song that was sung by the school bell. The hypnotic rhythm was magical as well; it would instantly rejuvenate all who heard it. School was over for the day and floods of eager students began to burst out of the classrooms. Even the teachers were not immune to its beckoning. Within moments, they too vanished into thin air. Once brimming okihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05188204930045232207noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31266105.post-11251501086496268882007-07-28T21:12:00.000-07:002007-12-29T15:47:30.679-08:00Chapter 01 - The Worst Way to Spend $20"What did you say?" I said. Still stunned from the question, I couldn't believe my ears. Was Renno kidding? "I'm in.", replied Ricardo. "It's my senior year and I need to do this. I've got to do this at least once." Ricardo looked stern, filled with conviction. He was usually comical and not very serious about anything. This time he was serious. It was his senior year and I guess it okihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05188204930045232207noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31266105.post-58354802679739196842007-07-28T21:07:00.000-07:002008-03-25T22:26:54.691-07:00IntroductionPreface The names, places, and the chronology of events have been changed to protect the innocent. Keep in mind this is a work of fiction since good stories are best left to the imagination. Sometimes a little mystery is better that the truth. These stories are inspired by events from my high school life. If you went to Kadena High School in the 80's, you might recall rumors about similarokihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05188204930045232207noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31266105.post-22358852230895373022007-07-27T23:11:00.000-07:002008-02-29T08:04:54.160-08:00How to use this blogUnlike a typical blog, this blog is designed to be a book. So if you just started reading this blog, please use the chapter index on the right side of the page to navigate the stories. Since it's online you can use the search box in the upper right corner of the page to look for a particular event or the name of a person. Also the homepage (http://theokiboys.blogspot.com) of the site refers tookihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05188204930045232207noreply@blogger.com2