1982 was really when I started loving the Lakers. That summer, my siblings and I went with Dad, our step-mom and step-sibs to Lake Eufaula for a little vacation - probably for a week. We stayed in a somewhat tacky mobile home that had a large yard that you could run across and get right down to the lake. Next door to us was a dentist we all knew, and his family, the Kings, staying in their modest lake home. I remember thinking his oldest daughter sure was really beautiful, running around in her swimsuit and water skiing like a pro. I had my mind on her, and the Lakers. I remember one night sitting with my dad in a room that was off to the side, near the door that led to a deck. We sat in there watching the Lakers and Sixers play. Of course, I had heard of Magic and knew a bit about Kareem, Dr. J and Moses Malone. But some other names started to register with me: Norm Nixon and Bobby Jones. I don't remember my dad pulling for one team over the other; he just loved sports. Whatever happened to the young lady who was vacationing next door? We never officially became an item - not for long anyway. But I did give her my pee wee football jersey, and might have gotten her jacket for a while. And then in high school I was her homecoming date one year.
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