Aqualina was a very pretty 14 year old neighbor girl I knew. Her real name was Mariana Aqualina Capitosti. I used to play sandlot football with her brother Sammy Capitosti.

The family shortened the last name to Tosti years later after we moved away.

  Sam was small but a talented athlete and ran like the wind and zigged when you zagged. We lived near Commerce High School in Portland, Oregon where Sammy played.(Sammy passed away recently)

  Sammy later went on to become an athletic legend, On Saturdays we played in the rain and mud. We played in street clothes and tennis shoes. No uniforms except the Bridenstein brothers who had a dad with a job and bought his two boys helmets and high top leather shoes.

  I was 15 and skinny with no athletic skills but had one thing going for me. I had big brown eyes that earned me a nickel from my sister's boy friends when they wanted me to roll them around in my sockets so I would leave the front room.

  Aqulina was about my age and also went  to Commerce. At Halloween one year she decided to have a party at her house. It was actually a practice party on the day before Halloween.

  Mariana decided right off we should  play spin the bottle and first thing she won the spin and got to go in the hall closet with anybody she chose. Wow! She chose me. Maybe it was my big brown eyes. I nearly died. I exited the closet with the biggest smile and lipstick smudge.

  There was a lot of oohing and awing from the other kids at the lipstick smear on my face and I don"t know what we played afterward. I was in a daze.

  When we were getting ready to go home Mariana reminded us we had another party the next night. We all cheered but it was not as much fun and ended early. I never got back in the closet with Mariana. I think the lipstick smudge lasted a week. I still have big brown eyes and Halloween has not been the same since.

  Mariana Capatosti ? She is no doubt in Heaven.