Steve Gibbs Autobiography

For Sunday, February 11, 2024 Drummer Column, Gibbs, 1,089 words Abio episode 9: descent into the maelstrom My lovely joyous Jane had been gone for too many days. I was sitting in Romey’s Bar late trying to be convivial. Romey let people 18 and up come in for food, but no booze until 21, which I was not. Many friends were there, but I barely spoke. It was late Friday night, after work and a shower. A few words about that shower. Carbon is so dirty, that after each shift, all workers were required to shower together in a large basement facility. Yes, about two dozen guys showered elbow to elbow after their shift, all lathered up. It was weird, but we got used to it. My friend Gretchen was shooting against Cheri, a new girl in town from Brockport, 14 miles southwest. Cheri was a good shot and winning soundly. She was on the 8 ball while Gretchen’s balls were scattered about. She sank the 8 and Gretchen had to pay for the next game. Cheri won again. She was expe...

For Sunday, February 4, 2024 Drummer Column, Gibbs, 1,063 words Abio episode 8: Summer of love with the lovely Jane I met the lovely Jane while working at Pure Carbon. Our attraction to each other was immediate. We’d met at a party full of college students, home on break. She was attending Marquette University in Milwaukee studying nursing, but we were both open to a summer romance. The people at this party didn’t talk about lug nuts, vinyl siding, and squirrel seasons; they talked about philosophy, world literature, and career opportunities. So refreshing. I felt at home here. Jane and I began dating and saw each other almost daily. Jane never let me take her home on my motorcycle. She always had her car parked somewhere, and I’d take her to her car instead. Her parents were perhaps fearful for her safety on the back of a motorcycle. Jane had a great vocabulary. I’d been reading Poe and Webster’s dictionary simultaneously, and was ope...

For Sunday, January 28 2024 Gibbs, Drummer column, 1,075 words Abio episode 7: Cheryl leaves, enter carbon, then Jane Upon our return home to Ridgway from the Long Island abortion clinic, I discovered that Cheryl still wanted to get married on the date her parents had arranged, five months away. We could see the world together, she explained. Not me. I was just getting started at becoming a young adult, leading my own life, going my own way. I wanted out, not because of love, but because of her desperate desire to marry too soon. I couldn’t consider it. We were obviously not right for each other. We wanted different things. Our relationship had the benefit of educating me on the safe way to love and the importance of thinking twice. Good times take work. Alice Cooper released “I’m eighteen,” and I identified. Cheryl refused to end our relationship. She hunted me up every day, wanting to have fun together again, like old times. She grew more...

For Sunday, January 21, 2024 Drummer Column, Gibbs, 1,126 words Abio episode 6: Cheryl, my first girlfriend “I’m pregnant,” she said. To roll back, I mentioned how I met Cheryl in Episode 1. She fell for me. I was so flattered to have someone like me, that we started dating. This was right after I graduated from high school. Quickly, I was crazy in love. When I got my first real job at Howes Leather Factory, she easily convinced me to forgo my own ideas of how to spend my first few checks – no Simca, no stereo, no records, no wardrobe – instead she wanted me to buy her a half-carat diamond ring because she found it to be pretty. She was goofy and naturally funny and cracked me up. One time she made me laugh so hard I had to pull over and park because my eyes were watering. I still remember the joke that cracked me up. Cheryl was upset that we might be late to the drive-in, and she started cussing out loud; however, she didn’t know many cuss words. She...

For Sunday, January 14, 2024 Drummer Column, Gibbs, 1114 words Life with Bulk (Name changed to protect the guilty) Our family life disintegrated once the Bulk moved in. Mom insisted it was just one date, one dance. Nothing to fear. Patty and I knew better, but we were kids. Bulk moved in and took up residence in his underwear on the couch, using the coffee table for his dozens of wordsearch booklets, his only hobby, an ashtray, and a half-carton of Lucky Strikes that he kept on the bottom shelf. He took charge of the household, telling us who would do what and when, mostly arbitrary deeds. He loved to say, “My way or the highway.” One Christmas turned into a fist fight between the Bulk, my brother-in-law Phil, and me over a pillow to sit on under the Christmas tree. Bulk said to me, “Put that pillow back in your room.” I said, “No, I’m sitting on it.” He tried to rip it from me. That’s when Phil got fed up and jumped him, fis...

For Sunday, January 7 2024 Drummer Column, Gibbs, 1,042 words Abio part 4 – The great, the good, and the terrifying An author’s aside: before I go any deeper, I’d like to answer a few questions. Also, I’m tired of spelling out the word autobiography because it is such a long word and it is in every title, so I’m officially trimming it to abio. Welcome to my abio. Question 1: How long is this thing going to be? Answer 1: I peeked ahead and I have 17,000 words, and I just started college. Questions 2: Do we have to read all that? Are you going cradle-to-grave on this thing? Or just writing highlights? Will we still get holiday short stories and intermissions? Answers 2: For myself, I’m writing it all down, cradle-to-grave. I want a tangible printed copy of my life in writing. Intermissions and short stories will remain. With y’all, currently and cohesively, I am sharing just my survival years, seven years in the barely skilled work force before starting college. It ...