Sunday, January 21, 1968, as the sun reached its height in the Dayton, Ohio sky and church-goers were thinking about lunch, Pamela Sue Pepper greeted the world with a scream, her black hair sticking straight up. The world has never been as quiet or dull since.
God blessed me with a very wise mother. When I was three years old, she taught me to memorize Scripture. I remember standing on a kitchen chair to do the dishes while my mother and I sang praise songs.
When I was eight, my parents divorced and my mother and I moved to Centerville. There I attended Ridgeville Christian School. (I had to leave Dayton Christian School, which I loved.) At Ridgeville CS, the other kids teased me for being slightly overweight and too tall. So, I quit talking. I didn't just quit talking to them...I quit talking! This concerned the teachers, who felt obligated to hold a series of summits with me and my classmates to discover the reason for lack of diplomatic relations. I was humiliated.
Having survived that humiliation, I was cursed with the flute for one year. It seems only boyz can play drums! (Before anti-discrimination laws, I guess!) So, I switched to the violin--I still play. I escaped their clutches at age 11 when mom remarried. Some guy named Hank.
Yup. At age eleven, I had two dads! You might think that's a good thing. It's not.
Before Hank (Dad) and I learned to get along two years later, we constantly plotted each other's demise. Bombs. Mafia. Even considered the Marines once. They were busy. Something about Iran and alatoh kookamania, I think.
You might think my world at eleven was about church youth group, singing in church, and having the lead in plays. If you did, you'd be right. The greatest human alive in those was me--no! no!--my youth leader. Yeah, My youth leader. Mike was really cute. All the girls loved him, but I talked to him most. (Got over that Ridgeville thing.)
Mike taught me to love. Uh--t-to love God, an-and others. He left after a year and a half, but I remember him everytime I dont call the Marines on somebody.
Always enjoyed entertaining--you know, class clown. Didn't even need make up! Yeah, Grandpa was on the NCR president's cabinet and always had these dignitaries over. I got to entertain. Paid well; lots of laughs and all the hugs I could endure. This was my first job. Move over Jay Leno. Pamela's comin' to town!
At 18, I joined the USN--United States Navy. Smooooooooooth move!
