Flashback Friday # 111

My Girl

Welcome back to my faithful readers. Both of you should enjoy this post dealing with young love.

It has been well chronicled (see Flashback Friday #65,103 & 109) that I was infatuated with Pauline Pershing, my teenage neighbor. It is also well chronicled that she didn't like me, but only had eyes for the neighbor on the other side, Sneaky Crook. I think she got tired of the attention that I was payng her, and decided she needed to do something about it.

We were having a yard sale, and Mom had some of her costume jewelry in it. All the Pershing girls were looking over the jewelry like pirates looking through a treasure chest. They didn't have any money, so I gave them some, since sales were slow anyway. I also had a baggie of home made hard tack candy which I offered some, but only Tess took me up on the offer.

Later that evening I was talking to Pauline when she mentioned she had noticed how much attention that I had been paying Tess. I asked her what she was talking about. She replied that I must like Tess a lot because I had given her jewelry and candy (costume jewelry and home made hard tack, how romantic). She said if I wanted, she could ask her for me, if she would be my girlfriend.

This was going WAY too fast. I had never had a real girlfriend before. I stammered & yammered and finally said "OK".

She left, and a few minutes later, came back with Tess in tow. Tess had told Pauline that she liked me, but I don't think she thought she had a chance because I liked Pauline so much. With me out of the way, it freed Pauline to put the full court press on Sneaky.

The next day I rode my bike into Marengo and went into the corner drug store. I had noticed that behind the candy display was a small display of rings. I had a girlfriend, therefore I must buy her a ring. I plunked down $2.00 for a golden, adjustable banded ring with a red stone. Red because red is the color of love. Tess loved it.

A few weeks later, back at the swimming hole, she told me that she didn't love me any more. I was devastated. I stormed back home, slammed the front door as hard as I could, then turned and punched the wall as hard as I could. It was made of drywall, so my fist should have made a sizable hole in the wall. A word of warning, when punching a drywall wall, don't hit it where the stud is. I dented the drywall, but nearly broke my hand. If you knew where the impression of my fist was, you could see it, but to the untrained eye, it was invisible.

Tess was only the first of many who would break my heart in this crazy little thing called young love.

Do you remember you first "steady"?