One Day Out Of Many

I woke to the smell of coffee. Man, I wish coffee tasted as good as it smells. I never opened my eyes, I just rolled over in the lower bunk, punched the pillow a couple of times, and tried to fall back to sleep. It would still be an hour or so before time for me to get up. As I lay there trying to convince myself that I was asleep, I hear Pop cough, clear his throat and turn on the radio. Then it hit me, I have a date tonight. I open my eyes and stare at the sagging springs of the bunk above me. No longer trying to go back to sleep, I start running through the things I'll need to get done before the date. The hard part was already over, I had finally gathered the courage to ask her out. Time had gotten away from me as I heard the sound of Pop's heavy work shoes on the hardwood floor of the hallway. I pull my feet up from the foot of the bed as Pop reaches down to shake my feet as always (something I always hated) and said "Time to get up T. D., you're going to be late".

I quickly rolled out of bed, partly because I was anxious to get the day started but mostly because in a one bathroom house with seven people it was best not to tarry. I sat with Pop at the kitchen table eating my cereal and listening to the deep morning voice on the radio as he let us know what was going on around town. Then Pop says, "You better get in there and brush your teeth and comb your hair, I,m fix'n to go wake up your Mom and your brothers".

As I'm combing my hair, I hear my four younger brothers stirring in the bedroom. Then, as I stand at the lavatory trying to brush my teeth, the parade starts. It was as though I wasn't there as they brushed by me to use the bathroom. It wasn't unusual for my younger brothers, eight or nine years my junior, to stand at the facility two at a time if they needed to go bad enough. I quickly finish up in the bathroom and go back in the bedroom to get dressed, passing Mom in the hallway as she's putting on her robe.

I pick out my newest pair of white Levi Jeans to wear, then, remembering my date, hung them back in the closet saving them for the big date that night. Noticing the time, I quickly got dressed thinking I needed to get to school a little early just in case I see her in the lunch room before class starts. I grab my school books and walk into the kitchen just as Pop is getting ready to leave for work. I lean down and kiss Mom on the cheek and say goodbye and she asks if this was the day of the big date. As Pop walked by me, he looked down at my feet and said, "If you have a date tonight, you better make sure you shine them shoes", and walked out the door.

As I was driving to school, I began thinking about my date again when it hit me, I had forgotten to ask Mom if I could use her car for the date. I hadn't wanted to ask her in front of Pop because he would have said there was nothing wrong with my car and there was no reason to use Mom's. Oh well, I'll get home before Pop and I'll ask her . If she says no, my old car cleans up pretty good. About that time I pull into the half full parking lot at school. As I walk up to the school building I turn and look back toward the parking lot to see if she's here yet. Nope, no sighting, maybe she's already inside. I make my way inside and stop by my locker to drop off my books, then stroll into the lunch room to the usual table.

There are already several of my buddies sitting there. Some laughing and talking and some racing to get homework finished. Everybody seems a little more energetic and excited about the day, even the teachers, because it's Friday. The guys start talking about their plans for the night; meeting at the Maid, maybe going to the dance, maybe playing some miniature golf...and the possibilities went on. Just for a moment I kind of wished I didn't have a date because Friday night with the guys is always fun. Then I look across the room as it begins to fill up. There she is sitting with her friends at their usual spot. Man, she sure looks pretty, as all the thoughts of my buddies faded. Then the bell rang and it was time to go to home room.

Classes seemed to just crawl by. I saw her between classes from a distance a couple of times, she just didn't seem as excited about our date as I was. Then lunch finally got there and the usual guys and I were eating lunch and talking about the weekend plans. When one of the self proclaimed "experienced" guys finds out that I have a date, he felt that it was his duty to make a smart ass remark about my upcoming date and the girl I had the date with. I don't remember my exact response, but I can remember a feeling of anger and a need to protect the girls honor. All I wanted was to have a good time and not make a fool out of myself and my date wasn't any of his business anyway.

I did well in sports, in school politics, and my grades (well, they weren't bad for somebody that never studied), but for some reason girls scared me to death. Now don't get me wrong I had girls as friends and I actually had girlfriends, but girls just made me a nervous wreck. If the decisions were left to me, without any hints from the girl, I was totally confused about kissing and the proper timing thereof and hand holding or putting my arm around her was mental torture. I always felt pressure to be someone that I wasn't.

The final bell finally rang and the stampede to the parking lot was on. I had seen, and even waved at her a couple of times, but managed to go the whole day without saying a word to her. I just hoped that she hadn't forgotten our date. I rushed home and found Mom out in the back yard hanging clothes on the clothes line. I asked if I could please use her car for my date that night. She paused then said she really didn't like being without her car. I told her that she could use my car plus I would wash her car and clean and vacuum the inside. She agreed as long as I would clean the tires as well. I backed her car out into the driveway and began vacuuming and cleaning the inside. I was going to have to hurry if I was going to get everything done in time.

As I was working on the car one of my younger brothers walked up with a baseball and a couple of gloves and wanted to know if I'd play catch with him. I told him I really didn't have time, but if he would clean the tires while I cleaned the rest of the car, I would play catch with him for fifteen minutes after we got though. He agreed and we went about the business of cleaning the car. I didn't need to show my younger brother how to clean the tires because we had all worked at my Dad's body shop at one time or another and when he finished painting a car it was always our job to clean the tires and wheels. Pop always said letting a freshly painted car leave with dirty tires is like going somewhere in a new suit and wearing old scuffed up shoes.

We finished the car, after Mom had pointed out a couple of spots that we had missed, and went out in the back yard to play catch. Before long the other three brothers and a couple of neighborhood kids had wandered up and we had a full fledged game going. Forty-five minutes later I woke up to the fact that I still had things to do before the big date and now I was going to have to really rush. First I went to get gas in Mom's car. As soon as I got back, Mom said if I didn't have plenty of gas in my car, I needed to put some in it, so, I was off to Mr. Dewbre's Store again.

I rushed home from the store and ran into the house to take a shower. It was my lucky day, the bathroom was vacant. I finished up my shower, and was standing at the mirror combing my hair when I noticed a huge pimple on my forehead. Of course I had to mash around on it which just made it look worse. I saw some of Mom's makeup and got a dab on a finger and tried to cover up my blemish. I looked at it from several angles and decided that it now looked like a huge pimple with makeup on it. So, I wiped it off thinking, "Well maybe the huge pimple would distract her from noticing my huge ears, huge nose and freckles".

I was running late so I quickly got dressed into my new white Levi Jeans, my favorite shirt, socks and.......crud! I hadn't shined my good shoes and what was worse, I couldn't find them. I let out a holler, "Has anybody seen my slip-on shoes?", as I walked into the kitchen thinking I was going to be late for sure. There sat Pop, putting a shine on my shoes. Man, what a break as I grabbed my shoes and headed back down the hall and Pop said that I could use some of his smellum if I wanted to. I put on some of his Old Spice, looked at myself in Mom's full length mirror for a final check...it would have to do, as I headed for the door. Mom yelled to be careful and Pop hollered for me not to be out late, to come home as soon as I take her home. I hop in the car and back out of the driveway. (I don't think I ever told Pop thank you or Mom either for that matter.)

I had been so rushed around I had forgotten about my nerves, but as I got closer to her house I got a little nervous but it was the good kind. The car looked sharp, I smelled good and my shoes were shining. I pulled up in front of her house, got out of the car and started walking to the front door. About halfway there I turned around and looked at the car, yep, it looked good. As I continued the walk to the front door, I checked to make sure that my shirt tail was tucked in and then I checked to see if the front of my hair was okay with my hand and felt hell's pimple on my forehead. Crud, I had forgotten about that! Oh well!

I knocked on the door and her Mother invited me in. We made small talk for a few minutes and then she walked in......I couldn't believe that she was so pretty. Her Mother said something, I think it was something about having fun and being careful. As we walked to the car, I couldn't believe I was so lucky and man was she pretty.