Busted

In Lamar, the adults would put on dances to give the teens something to do. I was 12 when they had a summer dance in the empty swimming pool. I was not old enough to attend, so I hung outside the chain link and grooved along with the music and dreamed of MY turn to go to a dance.

School dances were a let down. Girls on one side, boys on the other - only kids "dating" were dancing. I found myself willing a boy across the room to ask me to dance. I would focus ALL my mental powers on him and if he did not ask me, I would go into a depression for days,

But the summer dances - oh my - anything could happen there. No theme. No decorations. No status. Just a crummy band in a dark hall with any kids from the area that were old enough to attend.

I must have been 15 or 16 when I found myself dancing with you. I had always thought you were cute, but because I had a thing for picking one guy at a time to work my "will" on, you'd never been one I'd sent imaginary mental signals too. I remember the cowboy boots you had on. I wondered if it was difficult to dance in them. Cowboy boots meant you lived on a farm, and I was a city girl. (in a town of what, 3000?) And asking me to dance with you was all it took. I was ready for whatever. You asked if I wanted to go "out for a drive" and I knew exactly what I thought you meant. We were going to make out. I was ready to try that out. Now I'd had a boyfriend and I'd made out, but never with someone I just met up with that night. It was daring. It was naughty. It was exciting.

Your car was something old, low, dark and unreliable. I was not sure where to put my hands or my face and even less sure if we were on the same page of what we were doing. Perhaps I was a bit confused, but I seem to remember it being fun in a "we should not be doing this" way.

It was late, and I was going to be in trouble for not coming home at a decent time. And there was NO WAY I was supposed to leave the dance with anyone. And I had left with someone I barely knew. And I had begun to worry that my leaving with you the way I did would mean I was "easy." You pulled your car around and somehow it ended up off the road and stuck.

That's when things get fuzzy as most painful childhood memories do.

We must have walked to find a farm with a phone.
My father must have come to pick me up.
I know we never went out again.
I don't remember you and I even talking after that.

Did you date my sister?