Those Were the Days My Friends

— Jackie Walker

I often reminisce about my younger years and realize how lovely it was to be so naïve. My friends and I were innocent, gullible and unaware of some of the realities that children are exposed to today.

My family would escape the summers in Philadelphia for the beach and boardwalk in Atlantic City. I was four years old and after dinner we would stroll the boards and meet and greet families that did the same. It was the social season tradition to dress up every evening.

My mom heard about a local photography studio. All her friends were hiring this gentleman to take family pictures. His fame spread. The next week I was seated across from him as my proud parents looked on. Those photos graced the walls of our different homes, and I still have them with me today.

When I turned ten, I entered the William B. Mann School in Philadelphia. My first friend was a tall, beautiful girl. Her name was Jana Perskie. Her last name sounded so familiar. As we compared our lives, I realized that it was her father who had captured my photos those many years ago. Often on weekend days I walked to her apartment and enjoyed our favorite lunch. Luscious egg salad sandwiches were prepared by their housekeeper Winnie. “The secret is to add a dab of yellow mustard,“ she taught us. All these many years later that has been a staple recipe in our home. My pal and I became inseparable and shared our vulnerable pre-teen years.

Life was simple and our conversations were filled with comparisons of who were the cutest boys. We read “Teen Magazines” and always watched “American Bandstand” after school. In the North it was common for girls to jitterbug together. Jana and I had our favorites on this show and copied their dance moves. We were on a bowling team, and on Saturdays we would ride two buses to see a movie. Theaters had ushers in those days and there was one we both had a crush on. The days rolled on in a simplistic manner.

Jana would spend summers on the New Jersey shore. Her parents were separated, and she stayed with her dad. When she returned between fifth and sixth grades, she proudly asked me if I noticed something different about her. I nodded my head no. Then she lifted her shirt to show me that she was wearing a bra. What had happened to her that summer? I was still the same. Later I asked my mom,“If we go there one summer, will I need to wear a bra?”

No answer. Just a smile.

The sixth grade proved to be exciting as we were the oldest grade in our school. There were dances in the gym. We showed off our new moves to the delight of our friends. We went as a group to watch motion pictures. The King and I was our favorite, but we then snuck off to see Rebel Without a Cause. James Dean was the bad boy that defined teen drama.

Our conversations turned to our expectations for the following year. We would graduate and attend Beeber Junior High. It was a terrifying and yet thrilling future. Our class would all transfer there and meet other grade schools that would filter in.

Sixth Grade concluded with a ceremony and well wishes from friends and family. There were parties and gifts. Again, Jana left for New Jersey for the summer.

As the fall approached, my best friend returned home. We met and hugged and shared lots of stories. She again asked me if I noticed anything new about her. I said no. She whispered these words in my ear. “I became a woman this summer.” I knew what this meant as we had discussed this rite of passage many times. I was still the same, even though we were both 12 years old.

That evening my mom noticed that I seemed sad. I related to her what had happened to Jana over those two summers. In all seriousness I pleaded, “Does it mean if we go there, I will need a bra and become a woman? Is that where it happens?” She smiled and hugged me tight. In all her sweetness, her words always comforted me. “This can happen right here when it is the right time.” I always believed her and it did eventually.

Jackie Walker began her career in the retail industry in postions ranging from a couture clothing buyer to a Human Resource Director for Federated Department Stores. In 1988 she left corporate life and started Option Dressing, a unique personal image consulting service focusing on the options in people’s closets that create inner and outer confidence for their personal choices. At this point Closetology was created and Jackie was branded Dr. of Closetology, a consultant on the psychology of clothing, with workshops and training seminars for clients and the public. Her bestselling book, I Don’t Have a Thing to Wear, The Psychology of Your Closet, now in the 8th printing with Simon and Schuster, has been translated and released internationally. Her second book Expressionista, How To Express Your True Self Through (And Despite) Fashion was published by Simon and Schuster in 2013. She has appeared on many national and local television and radio shows and contributed to magazines across the country. Jackie teaches a course in Closetology for OLLI in the fall.