Janz was a girl I had seen around Artesia High School when I was a sophomore. I didn't really take much notice of her because I rarely ever saw her. I didn't even know her name at the time.
The first time I was actually aware of her name was when I had seen the yearbook from 1978-79, which was the year before I attended high school. Among the sophomore pictures was this one girl, whose photo appeared to be really out of focus. I thought it was odd and figured that since I had never seen her around the school, that she didn't attend anymore. I remember my Tennis teacher talking about her from the year before, but he never mentioned if she was still a student.
At the beginning of the next school year, I was checking in the seniors for registration. This one girl came up and gave me her name. It was the same name as the girl with the out-of-focus picture. I looked up and saw her and realized I had seen her several times before during my sophomore year. I just never made the connection because she did not look like her photo. She had long brown hair, brown eyes and porcelain skin. I immediately realized how beautiful she was and instantly became smitten.
Unfortunately, I didn't have any classes with her. However, she was in my Mom's Distributive Education class and was chosen as one of the contestants for that year's DECA Sweetheart Pageant. I had just gotten a 35mm camera for Christmas and Mom asked me to take pictures of the rehearsal and pageant.
Janz was one of the smartest girls in school, but when she was doing the runway stuff in the pageant, she was SOOOOO STIFF! Her entire upper body was completely frozen while she walked across the stage, displaying the fashions she was wearing. This was even during rehearsal. It was apparent she suffered from stage fright, probably a lot more than Jand did the previous year. (Just hit the link in the paragraph above!)
I used the opportunity of being backstage to get to know Janz a little bit better and took pictures of her. When the photos got developed, Mom noticed that I had taken more shots of her, but didn't say anything outside of that.
The next time I would get to spend more time with Janz was that year's academic trip. She didn't qualify to go the year before. I had gotten on the school bus and Rod sat in the seat in front of me. The seats next to us were empty. Janz got on the bus with her friend Kenz (a girl I knew from Student Council and actually was attracted to, but not as much as Janz). They got on the bus a little late and could not find seats together, so they sat with Rod and me. Janz sat in the seat next to me. (I'm pretty certain that Janz was aware I had a crush on her as she had likely seen the photos from the Sweetheart Pageant.)
On the way up to Albuquerque, Janz, Kenz, Rod and I conversed together as a group. It was like we were an actual group of friends. After awhile, I fell asleep. I woke up and found that Janz had fallen asleep on my shoulder. I CANNOT TELL YOU HOW EXCITING THAT WAS! However, I was a realist and was aware that Janz probably had a boyfriend who was no longer in school. I knew that I could only enjoy this for what it was worth.
That night, most of us went to the movies. Some of us, including Janz and Kenz, went to see "The Howling." One of the other students was a sophomore whose parents never let him see R-rated movies, so he was thrilled to get to go without needing anyone's permission. Janz and Kenz got in the auditorium first and sat together. I sat behind them. At one point, they started getting scared from the movie and asked me to come up and sit between them. I LEPT over the seat. When scary stuff came up, Janz would hide her face in my shoulder. (So, yes. I'm counting this a date to qualify Janz for the Friend Zone.)
I didn't see too much of Janz for the rest of the year. During the summer, I saw her at a pre-wedding party a friend of the family was having. She showed up and mostly talked to Mom. I did tell her hi. A few weeks later, I ran into her in a convenience store. For the first time ever, I saw her wearing glasses. That Sunday, the local newspaper ran a wedding announcement that she had gotten married the month before. (I have a video commentary on married women who wear glasses here. Dang, this post has a lot of links in it. I make a reference to Janz without mentioning her name.)
I never saw Janz again. I also can't find her on the Internet (mainly because I can't remember the last name of the guy she married). However, I did find Kenz. She still lives in Artesia. She got married and had four children. One of them is of another race. I can only assume it is an adoption. She also gained a lot of weight.
I don't know if I'll ever find out what happened to her. But it's not like it really matters, to tell you the truth.
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