by Ed Nelson
Wednesday was more of the same at school. I was glad to get it over with. Golf practice was more interesting because we spent time on the driving range. No one else could hit the ball past the two hundred and twenty five yard marker. I was now booming them out close to three hundred yards. Now I could understand why the adults were impressed last weekend.
Thursday was just another day of walking to school alone and having empty chairs next to me in the cafeteria. I tried not to think about it because I felt lonely, rejected and just plain mad at it all.
I had taken to carrying a book with me all the time so I would appear to be busy. I was now reading about a guy who rode around thinking he was a knight and charging at windmills. What a loon.
Golf practice was fun that night as we got to actually play nine holes. I did better this time shooting a thirty eight on the front nine. This was the best score. John Scott had a thirty nine, while the others had a forty one and forty two.
I had thought they would resent me scoring better but they were all excited that we might beat our arch rival Urbana on Saturday. Phil’s last day was Friday so he wouldn’t be able to play.
We all wished Phil luck at his new school. We weren’t in the same league as the Lima schools so we didn’t know how well they played. His dad had brought a Lima paper home and it didn’t look like he would get to play anymore this year. We all made positive sounds about next year but the bigger the school the harder it was to make the first team.
Here at Bellefontaine we could barely field one team, schools like Lima Public would have three or four. Private schools would have six or seven. That put us at a huge disadvantage in the District tournaments.
But as Coach said, “It doesn’t matter how many golfers you have, just as long as you’re better than the other guys.”
That sounded good, but the lessons on statistics, which we were covering in Algebra, said otherwise.
Thursday evening the newspaper came out with our family story. The phone started ringing again. This time after the first hour my parents allowed Mary to answer the phone and tell people, “No one is home, call back later please.”
That kid is going to have some strange telephone habits when she grows up.
I had finished the book on the Spanish guy in study hall. I was getting so far ahead in my classes I had to slow down or I would have forgotten what that day’s lesson was on.
Now I was reading about a whaling ship with a crazy Captain. He was going to get them all killed, I just knew it. I fell asleep and dreamed of a huge white whale.
Friday morning came with me twisted in all my covers. I think I wrestled that whale half the night. Well, I was still there and he wasn’t so I must have won. I was still doing my daily exercises and run starting at six in the morning.
My showers were getting longer each day as my dreams were more vivid every night.
When I went out to walk to school Tom and Bill were waiting for me. Tom in his usual ivy league look and Bill in his blue jeans. Now what? Both of them were looking embarrassed but they were there.
“Hi guys, what’s up?” I asked.
“We are allowed to walk, and have lunch with you again,” Tom almost whispered.
“That’s great guy’s, I really have missed seeing you.”
That broke the ice and we started the walk downhill to school.
“What changed your parents mind?” I inquired.
Bill told me, “That article in the Examiner last night, my parents realized you weren’t the wild man they thought you were.”
“Yeah,” Tom added, “My dad was in the 101st Airborne, and he really liked the way you stepped up for true heroes in that assembly. Even though he said he wouldn’t be brave enough to get on the back of a Brahma bull.”
Several thoughts were flashing through my mind, Thank you Mr. Weaver. The written word does have a lot of power, and people sure can reach wrong conclusions, if they don’t have all the facts, riding Brahma bulls isn’t so bad, now those rodeo clowns are the brave ones. I didn’t voice any of these, just enjoyed the company of my friends.
Eleanor came out of her house just in time to walk in front of us. She was wearing a tight skirt. Bill changed the subject to football. “Look at that backfield in motion!”
I actually started to look around when it hit me what he really meant. I snickered and said, “I would like to sack the quarterback.”
That got both guys laughing and we enjoyed the view as we walked to school. By the time we got there I wondered if I should go home and take another shower.
Chapter 20
Friday was a good day at school. We had several exams, but they all seemed easy. I think any exam is easy if you know the answers. At the end of the day there was a pep rally for the football team. They had a good start to the year even without my being on the field.
Since it was an away game at Findley I didn’t go to the football game. The youth center was open as usual and I went there to just look around, and to see what was happening.
Eleanor Price was there and I about fell over when she came up to me. She got right to the point.
“Ricky, next week is the homecoming game and dance. Do you have a date?”
“No I don’t,” I said cautiously.
“Janet Huber doesn’t have a date, and would say yes if you asked her.”
That is how I learned how the world of first dates worked for us. An intermediary that knew both parties would make the first overture. That way there would be no outright rejection. I could choose not to ask her, and she would not be publicly rejected. If I asked her I knew she would say yes, unless it was some cruel trick.
Janet had been a classmate for year’s so I wasn’t worried about a cruel trick.
I told Eleanor, “I think I would like to ask her.”
“Oh good, she is sitting in the booth on the end.”
Now I had gone to school with Janet for years, but I guess I had never really looked at her for a while. My image was short and skinny with knobby knees. They really ought to send out updates to us guys on every girl.
Janet was now tall and thin, and really filled out on top. Her hair was down to her shoulders and she had short bangs. The most important thing she was cute! Even though I knew this was supposed to be a sure thing I was still nervous walking over. Give me a Brahma bull any day.
I asked Janet if I could join her. She scooted over so I could sit next to her. The booth would hold six, three on each side. There were four other girls with her. Oh great, a public performance.
I figured just get it over with, “Janet, I don’t have a date for the homecoming dance, would you be interested in going?”
She opened her mouth to say something, then changed her mind and gave me a simple, “Yes.”
I said, “Great, now what were you really going to say?”
“My friends dared me to tell you I had to wash my hair that night.”
“Oh if you did that you couldn’t go to the dance, you would catch your death.”
This got all the girls giggling. We then got into the mechanics of the date.
I would pick her up at her house on Friday before the game, we would go somewhere for dinner, then return home to change for the game, go to the game, return to her home so she could change for the dance. I could drop some clothes off at her house to save time on my changing.
Oh yes, buy a wrist corsage from the juniors, they were selling them to raise money for the Prom.
I don’t think General Patton had such logistic issues.
I was asked what I was going to wear.
“Is a tux required or is a suit okay for the dinner and dance?”
“A suit would be fine. What color is it?”
“Grey with gold edging.”
“You have a suit with gold edging?”
“It is the one I wore on American Bandstand, a modern cowboy suit.”
As luck would have it, the juke box started playing, Rock and Roll Cowboy. I thought the girls were all g
oing to have a cow the way they squealed.
I had a brainstorm. “For dinner would you like to go to the Country Club?”
“Are your parents members?”
“No, I’m on the golf team and have membership privileges during season.”
That I was on the golf team was news to everyone at the table. You could see my social status going up quickly.
“That would be wonderful.”
“I will ask my dad if he will drive us around, or we can take a taxi.”
“That would be good because my dad is on duty at the fire station that night. That reminds me, he wants to meet you before we go out.”
“Okay but he has known me since we were in the first grade.”
The girls promptly disabused me of prior knowledge. I was now an official date and had to be properly looked at, it was in the Dads Handbook! I would have to ask my dad to borrow his copy.
We talked for a little while, I told them how my golfing career had just started and that my first match was tomorrow at Urbana. I then spent time asking the various girls questions about themselves.
I had watched Elvis and Tab Hunter get to know girls this way. They were successful till the boy friends showed up. I kept a look out of the corner of my eye to see if any boy friends were charging my way. At least I had bail money on me.
None of that happened. We chatted for a while and then they all had to be going. I got Janet’s phone number and gave her mine. We agreed to stay in contact during the week.
On the way out I stopped at Eleanor Prices table and thanked her for the nudge.
She grinned and said, “All you kids need a kick start.”
Well, I already knew where I stood with her.
It was up the hill and home before curfew. I think I was beginning to worry my parents with this getting in early. I told them that I had asked Janet Huber to the homecoming dance, and could dad drive?
He told me he already was scheduled to work. I may have not mentioned this before but my Mum had never driven in her life, so that was not an option.
“I will call a taxi then.”
Dad brought up, “Rick you may want to call them early in the week, and get on their schedule, because it’s probably a busy night for them.”
“Good thinking Dad, I will do it tomorrow afternoon.”
I was up at my normal time on Saturday, and went through all my routines, now thoughts of Janet Huber were included in my morning routine. I was at the school at eight where a bus was waiting. Coach and the other team members all got there at about the same time. The bus first took us to the country club to collect our equipment then we continued south to Urbana.
We got to the Champaign County Country Club, called the 4C’s, by nine o’clock so we had plenty of time to hit the driving range and practice greens before our ten o’clock tee time.
Before we started the Coaches went over their list’s and matched players by handicaps, since I didn’t have an official one I was the fourth rated on our team.
Coach Stone told Coach Yeager, “Bill, I don’t want you to think I’m sandbagging you. Rick doesn’t have a handicap but he is pretty good.”
“We will see shortly,” replied Coach Yeager.
We were split into two foursomes, the strongest players went first. The team Captains had stood facing each other. Coach Yeager threw a tee up in the air and it came down pointing to the Urbana Captain, so they had the honors, this meant they hit first. It also meant I would be the last player to hit, plenty of time to get nervous.
Except I didn’t get nervous, this wasn’t like a Brahma bull might throw me off and stomp me to death, it was only a game.
The first foursome got off okay with everyone staying in the fairway and hitting at least two hundred yards. When they had moved up enough it was my groups turn. Bob Turner the Urbana player ripped one almost two hundred and fifty yards. Tim Green from our team groaned as he was playing him directly.
Despite groaning Tim let one go straight up the middle for two hundred and twenty yards. That left both of the first two in perfect position to hit around the slight dogleg to the right. Then Urbana player Jim Unger was up, he shanked it off the tee about fifty yards down the fairway to the right.
Now it was my turn. I tried to blank everything out and just prepare for the shot. When I made my swing I knew it was good. I followed through completely rather than trying to watch the ball. I think it was my best golf shot to date. It didn’t go three hundred yards, but it went every bit of two seventy drawing right into the center of the dog leg. I was now left with fifty yards to the green.
The first foursome was still on the green and one of them saw my ball come rolling up towards the green. Two of the players were waving their clubs back at me. I bet it was John Scott and Gary Matthews doing the waving.
After the other players had hit near the apron of the green, with poor Jim Unger hitting twice to get up with us, I had an easy pitch and run to the green. It went exactly like it should, the ball was in the air to the green, hit then released and rolled within three feet of the hole. When everyone was up on the green and in the hole but me, I was able to roll the ball into the center of the hole for a three, and my first competition birdie.
The entire day went like that. I was relaxed and joked around with Tim, as we played. We were all nice to Jim because we all knew we could have bad days.
As I played better he played worse. His coach talked to him trying to get him settled down. On the par seventy four course I got a seventy nine. Jim got a ninety seven. I not only won my match, everyone on our team had won as well. My score was the low player score of the day.
Chapter 21
My day hadn’t been perfect. I proved once again that sand traps were invented by the devil. They added seven strokes to my score. I knew what I would be practicing with Mr. Collins on Sunday. We finished the match and were on our way home by three o’clock arriving at the country club to drop off our equipment by four.
I was able to check with the reservation desk about dinner for two at six o’clock next Friday. This was the time Janet suggested. There wasn’t any problem. The lady there told me that it was a good thing I was doing it now because there were always a lot of requests for seating homecoming weekend.
I asked Coach if I could be dropped off by the bus at the cab company downtown, as I had to arrange a ride for next Fridays, homecoming.
He said, “Run in and take care of business, we will wait five minutes for you.”
Coach was all smiles on the way home. We had actually won all of our individual matches to clean Urbana’s clock. This had not happened since 1949.
We stopped at the taxi company, and I explained that I needed several rides for home coming. Pick me up, and then my date at her home. Then go to the country club. Pick us up at the country club take us to her house, wait while we changed then take us to the game. Pick us up after the game and go to her house to change and to the youth center for the dance. Then pick us up and take her home, lastly drop me off at my house!
The dispatcher John Sullivan said, “That makes me tired just hearing about it. I have a suggestion. All of that riding around will come to about twenty five dollars. Why not rent a car and driver for the evening for forty dollars including tip? That way the car will always be ready and waiting for you.”
“That sounds wonderful.”
“Even better we have just purchased a new vehicle. It is called a stretch limousine or limo for short. You will be our first customer to ride in it. It will hold three couples.”
About that time the bus driver started honking his horn, so I went out and waved them on. I wanted to see this new car before I put my money down. It was shiny black, it gleamed, it had chrome everywhere and it was big. What was not to like. It was a Cadillac Coupe De Ville that had been modified or stretched out.”
Mr. Sullivan told me they had it a week and were anxious to get it out on the street in front of people. The homecoming was perfect. It might even becom
e a tradition of kids taking limo’s to big events. I asked him why they had bought it.
He looked around and told me, “I don’t think we bought it, I think the boss won it in a card game from some big wig in Columbus.”
I agreed to take the car and driver for the evening and paid twenty dollars up front, the rest would be due when they picked me up the night of the dance. I had another brainstorm. Since I just rented this, could you guys give me a free ride home now?
The redheaded Mr. Sullivan laughed and told me his shift was ending, wait five minutes while he wrote me a receipt and turned things over to the night dispatcher, and he would give me a lift.
Getting home I intended to take a brief nap before dinner, but there was mail. The Conair Company had sent me a catalog. I immediately looked up industrial dryers. They had one very similar to the one I had seen at a gold mine out in California.
It was eleven dollars which I thought was really expensive but if it worked in drying my hair it would be worth it. I didn’t want to “Catch my death!”
They had an order form in the back. Nonbusiness payment could be by check or money order. I didn’t have a checking account and didn’t know what a money order was. I asked Dad, he explained about money orders. I could get a money order from our bank.
Mum was the guardian of the family check book, and I didn’t want to have to explain spending eleven dollars on a device to dry my hair. Mum was tight with a dollar and I didn’t think this would pass her need test. So I would have to go to the bank on Monday after school.
It had been quite a day. It was neat telling my parents about the golf match stroke by stroke, at least until Denny and Eddie started squabbling at the table. Dad made a light swat towards Denny when he wouldn’t shut up. Denny over reacted, jerked away and managed to chip his tooth on the edge of the table. Mum got mad at Dad.
My parents were a contrast when they each got angry, fair haired dad got very red in the face. Mum had jet black hair and is pale. When she gets really mad she gets paler, to the point, think vampire. I retreated to my room even skipping the rice pudding Mum had made for dessert.
