That Sunday that summer — Part II
(Written at age 16)
My first date was at my house Oct. 12, 1957, when I was just 14. I don’t guess it could really be called a datedate because the boy I met last summer, Bob Carpenter, just came to my house and visited. Mama brought Oreos and Coca-Colas from the store for me to serve. She and Daddy went to the living room so we could stay in the den and watch television by ourselves. We watched "Perry Mason," "Have Gun will Travel" and "Gunsmoke." Mostly we just talked. He is just as cute as I remembered and is so interesting. If only he lived here and I could see him all the time. He wants me to come to see him in Little Rock real bad but I wouldn’t be allowed to visit a BOY. He told me all sorts of places he’d like to take me to.
At five til 10, I told him he’d have to leave. It’s as late as my parents would let him stay. They were still in the living room and he asked them if I could walk with him to the gate. They looked at each other and said yes. He held my hand on the way up the sidewalk. I was in Heaven. Then he said he didn’t guess I would let him kiss me goodnight and I said he couldn’t because we still didn’t know each other well enough. “I’d sure like to,” he said and I’m sure I blushed but he couldn’t see it in the dark. He said, “I’ll try to get down more often to see Mommy and I’ll call you.”
The next call didn’t come until Jan. 6, 1958. He came up to my house that afternoon and stayed two hours. It was too short. He came again in May and Mrs. Griffin who he calls “Mommy” invited me to her house. We sat in the swing again like that Sunday last summer. We laughed and talked and had the best time. He walked me home and said “I promise I’m coming for a whole weekend next time." He meant I could date after my birthday.
His letter came just before school started. He asked for two dates, Aug. 30 and 31. He was also bringing his best friend and wanted me to get him a date. Of course, I called Suzanne right after I hung up.
He and Rudy Lord came in Bob’s new sports car – a convertible! Oh how exciting this day and night was. I washed and rolled up my hair. Suzanne’s mother made hamburgers and we ate on their picnic table and then had watermelon. The boys were so funny and kept Suzanne and me laughing all the time. They are now going to Hall High School because Central is closed. About dark we went to my house and sat in the glider under the tree in our side yard. About 10, Rudy left to walk Suzanne home and Bob said, “Take your time” and they both laughed. Tomorrow both Suzanne’s family and mine had plans already to go to Ben Few Camp Ground for the closing day service and picnic. Both our daddys are Methodist and Ben Few camp is looked forward to every year. Some families stay all week in little cabins and they have two preaching services a day. Our families just go on Sunday and take potluck dinners. We eat under the trees. The grownups talk and visit friends and young people have fun drinking cokes and walking around before and after the 2 p.m. sermon.
Bob asked me my favorite song and I said “All I Have To do Is Dream.” He likes fast songs like “Yakedy-Yak.” He told me I should see the movie “Thunder Road” but “Psycho” was too scary for me. I told him our show only gets movies that are three or four years old.
At 2 p.m., we went to the big tabernacle. Bob and Rudy sat between Suzanne and me. Once I saw Bobby checking his wrist watch and I saw Rudy playing with a bug on the dirt floor with the tip of his shoe. I thought that was funny.
After preaching, we walked around again. Rudy and Suzanne went to the big creek and Bob took me to the old spring wishing well.
“Newborn whippoorwills were calling from the hills/you could almost hear them whisper/Go on and kiss her/go on and kiss her…” – Nat King Cole
The wishing well has been there forever and has about a zillion pennies in the bottom where people throw them while making a wish. I told him this and when we got there he pulled out two pennies from his pocket. He handed me one and said “Go first.” I closed my eyes and threw it in. He asked what I wished for and I said I couldn’t tell him or it wouldn’t come true. He closed his eyes and threw his in and smiled at me. “Darling it would be/When you smiled at me/That way/ That Sunday/That Summer” – Nat King Cole
We went to our houses when we left Ben Few to eat supper and dress for tonight. Everyone came to my house. I wore my new brown sundress. Tonight Suzanne and Rudy sat out in the glider and Bob and I stayed in my living room.
He said his dad wants him to go to Texas A&M when he graduates. It’s a hard military school in Texas. I probably will never see him when that happens. We talked about important things and not so important things and all too soon it was time for him to go. Actually, today when I threw my penny into the well I prayed that if he tried to kiss me tonight and that he wore something blue that it would be okay. Tonight he wore a blue plaid madras shirt, blue pants and blue sox!
When he told me goodnight he leaned in to kiss me and I let him. So I’m now (1958) writing this story because I don’t ever want to forget a single thing about that Sunday, that summer.