When We Were Cool

A Collection of Short Stories about a Group of Guys Growing up in Virginia Beach from the 1970s to 1990s

When We Were Cool is a collection of short stories about a group of guys growing up in Virginia Beach from the 1970s to 1990s. The stories revolve mainly around ten close friends who manage to take advantage of all the 70s, 80s, and 90s had to offer teenage kids in a seaside resort town. It's somewhat of a coming-of-age tome meets reminiscence meets innocence meets guilt. Chock full of comedic situations and pre-pubescent rendezvous with girls, parents, and cops, this collection of childhood and teenage memories serves as a reminder of just how fun and free-spirited those decades were. Inspired by the John Hughes films of the 1980s, the author chose to capture the memories of his own teenage years and place them into a work of collected stories to reflect his own experience growing up.

Chris Lowe was born and raised in Virginia Beach, VA. in the neighborhood of Bay Colony at the North End of the oceanfront. From his earliest years, one could take a brief look at this guy and think, "yeah, that guy's got it." Described as, "one of the coolest guys you'll ever meet", by almost everyone in town, Chris ran with an incredible group of friends, and took part in some amazing adventures. Chris was a natural leader and served as a heavy influence upon all who crossed paths with him. When asked of his female friends to describe him, one said, "yeah, if there were ever someone one you wanted to be the father of your child, it was Chris." Chris worked as a lifeguard for the Virginia Beach Lifesaving Service for two summers. Girls would constantly pretend to drown in front of his stand just to get a chance for some mouth-to-mouth resuscitation from this hunk. Other lifeguards would arm wrestle just for the chance to work the stands next to him in hopes of catching some scraps. Chris got away with a lot growing up – probably a bit too much. According to one prominent Virginia Beach Police Officer, he said of Chris, "I mean, how could you arrest this guy? He didn't mean anything by his illegal acts or his complete disregard for local laws. He was just having a little fun is all." Chris was even quickly forgiven by the poor girl who got egg splattered across her dress on the school bus. "Oh, that's just Chris!" she said of him. "Always the crack up!" (Pun intended). Legend also has it that the ghost from the Ouija board gave him special protection from the rest of the evil spirits. The kid who nearly broke his leg kicking the ball full of sand said of Chris, "you know, it's just a leg. That's what God gave me two." Even the security guards at the FC football games were impressed with Chris' methods of sneaking in. Word is they gave him season passes just for his originality. Lore of that soon spread to the security office at Busch Gardens, and they, too, gave him season passes and a promise to name a roller coaster after him. Not to be outdone, the manager of the fishing pier forgave Chris immediately for jumping off. He gave Chris a free t-shirt, a pat on the back, and said to him, "thanks for bringing attention to the VB Fishing Pier! Our tourism numbers have skyrocketed because of you. No one could have done this quite the way you did." Chipper's supervisor at the Oceanfront Inn found out he was friends with Chris, and therefore gave him his job back after he was caught sleeping while on the clock. "Any friend of Chris' is a friend of mine", he said. Chris recently retired from the California Air National Guard (USAF), and resides in Ojai, Calif. He plans to retire for good back in Virginia Beach in the upcoming years where he will still be available to father your child if you ask nicely.