Gone with the Wind - the First time

In about 1972 or so ( I was in the 7th grade) they did a big reissue release of GWTW- my mother god rest her soul who created the old movie maniac I am now - told me we were going to do something special the next day- I DID NOT GO TO SCHOOL- instead my mother made popcorn and placed it in two brown paper bags - and made grape Kool Aide in mason jars- my mother carried a purse so large you could smuggle small children in it- she placed these items, and a purse packet of Kleenex for each of us ( stating we would need them later) into said voluminous purse - and away we went - To the new Westminister mall Twin Theatres- wow - back in the day when two theatres were a new fangled thing- we saw GWTW- and I saw my mother cry for the first time - I mean really sob- right before the intermission- when Scarlet declares she'll never be hungry again- so this was like a huge rite of passage to womanhood for me- like a club my mom and i were in - smuggled snax- cutting school to go to the movies- oh and what lessons we learn from that film itself- I knew I would way rather be Scarlet than that little mealy mouthed Melanie any day, motherhood isn't all its cracked up to be and having a baby could damn near kill you- falling for the Bad Boy could only bring heartache- and an abiding deep southern distaste for Yankee boys. To this day I cannot taste grape koolaide with out thinking of my Mom- and the Fall of the South revealed to me on a hot spring day. The next day my mother who had sworn me to secrecy with my Dad wrote my note for school - in her beautiful handwriting it simply stated' " Please excuse JoDee from school yesterday , she had important Family business to attend to "- indeed some things are more important than school. I wish I had that note , and some days I really miss my mom.