A DAY THAT WILL LIVE IN INFAMY
Ah, the sixth grade! Bull! It was no picnic for an eleven-year-old who felt some very alien urges, but had no idea what they were or how to handle them. How best to service those urges? I had nary a clue.
As fate would have it, I had what I later found out was a “crush” on absolutely beautiful Janie Lombard. It took me the better part of the school year to ask her for a date. The opportunity suddenly appeared to do so, when my buddies suggested we embark on a triple date. What a novel concept!
Thus, the six of us boarded a bus downtown for that auspicious occasion (we paid for the bus). We went to the movie, “Songs of the South” and, unfortunately, paid for the privilege of buying the tickets for a film I had absolutely no desire to see.
We trod up to the balcony and sat down with our popcorn & candy, that we also paid for. The sitting arrangement was quite unique, after all, it was our first date. Yep, you guessed it – the boys together on one side; the girls on the other. I ended up three seats away from my “date”, making do with a box of popcorn, a frozen Milky Way and a lousy movie.
The bus ride home (also paid for by yours truly) was an echo of the movie seating arrangement: girls with girls, boys with boys. At least we were on the same bus!
This experience could have left me scarred for life, but rationalization set in. Dates with the fairer sex could only get better. They could not possibly get worse – and thank goodness for that.
Janie and I often ran into each other in school, but we never “dated” again. The last I heard was that she married one of the guys I sat with in the theater!
Irony or what?
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I liked the introductory lines about that alien urges and no idea how to handle them—a great description of this tumultuous time of life. It’s a wonder we all survived it! I liked all the treats and maybe the popcorn and the frozen Milky Way were great rewards for the experience. (I’ve never had a frozen Milky Way as a movie treat…?)
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I do not think I’ve fully survived it yet!
You haven’t lived until you eat a frozen Milky Way in a movie!
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Hah, as always I found myself laughing. That damned “buddy” and “cutie-pie Janie” made advantage of your good nature. A sucker from the start! Never change dear man, we are in desperate need of “menches” (hope I spelled it right.
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“Menches” is good!
Fun, you don’t look Jewish……
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Oh, the agonies of youth. At least you had that triple date! I didn’t have a date until my sophomore year, and it was a double with the guy’s parents to go square dancing. They were a fun family and I enjoyed myself, despite being super self-conscious.
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