Thursday, April 08, 2004
SPRING AND SUMMER (1948)
It was Spring in South Missouri and the new grass and flowers put everyone in high spirits. Miss Davis was auditioning parts for our Junior Play. I was selected for a lengthy part which required a lot of memorization and time. I asked Verl if I could be off a little after school for play practice so I could be in the play. He encouraged me to do so and made arrangements for those times when I would be late. He continued to pay my full wages and he and his wife came to see the opening night.
On week-ends I noticed a college student who came in regularly. The reason I began to look for him was because he lingered at the counter and talked with me instead of going to sit in the booths. He was good looking and witty. His conversations always made me laugh. After several weeks he asked me for a date and I accepted. He had an old 38-Chevy which was his transportation back and forth to SMS, the State College in Springfield. He was a Junior and very active in campus events.
I was invited to attend the Spring Prom with him and rode the bus to Springfield. I stayed at the Sorority House with some friends where I got ready for my date. He arrived to pick me up and we spent a wonderful evening at the dance. I took the bus back to Cabool the next day because I didn’t want someone having to work in my place. When Tom came home for the summer we dated on and off but when he went back to SMS in the fall we didn’t date anymore. He was much busier with his Senior year and didn’t come home as often. He was working towards being involved with radio and television and the future looked bright for him. Later his dreams were realized…..he married and had two children. They lived where his work took him. I was sad to read some time ago in our high school alumni paper that he had passed away. He was an exceptional person.
In May we had our high school junior prom and I went alone. Girls all over town were walking to the auditorium wearing their long dresses. A common sight in those days. No one had cars of their own and most parents didn’t trust the only family car to their children. And yes, girls danced with girls in those days mainly because the boys were too self-conscious and backward. There were refreshments, though humble, more dancing and afterwards I walked back to my room alone.
Summertime brought a lot of college kids back to Cabool and there was always a lot of activity going on at Booker Drug. Work was fun for me….Verl had me take charge of the cosmetic counter along with working at the soda fountain. I did the ordering and re-stalked the shelves after he priced it and checked the order. Life was wonderful for me that summer because I would be a Senior in the Fall and as a student that was the ultimate.
Tomorrow we will revisit the Senior year.
Until then,
Essentially Esther
On week-ends I noticed a college student who came in regularly. The reason I began to look for him was because he lingered at the counter and talked with me instead of going to sit in the booths. He was good looking and witty. His conversations always made me laugh. After several weeks he asked me for a date and I accepted. He had an old 38-Chevy which was his transportation back and forth to SMS, the State College in Springfield. He was a Junior and very active in campus events.
I was invited to attend the Spring Prom with him and rode the bus to Springfield. I stayed at the Sorority House with some friends where I got ready for my date. He arrived to pick me up and we spent a wonderful evening at the dance. I took the bus back to Cabool the next day because I didn’t want someone having to work in my place. When Tom came home for the summer we dated on and off but when he went back to SMS in the fall we didn’t date anymore. He was much busier with his Senior year and didn’t come home as often. He was working towards being involved with radio and television and the future looked bright for him. Later his dreams were realized…..he married and had two children. They lived where his work took him. I was sad to read some time ago in our high school alumni paper that he had passed away. He was an exceptional person.
In May we had our high school junior prom and I went alone. Girls all over town were walking to the auditorium wearing their long dresses. A common sight in those days. No one had cars of their own and most parents didn’t trust the only family car to their children. And yes, girls danced with girls in those days mainly because the boys were too self-conscious and backward. There were refreshments, though humble, more dancing and afterwards I walked back to my room alone.
Summertime brought a lot of college kids back to Cabool and there was always a lot of activity going on at Booker Drug. Work was fun for me….Verl had me take charge of the cosmetic counter along with working at the soda fountain. I did the ordering and re-stalked the shelves after he priced it and checked the order. Life was wonderful for me that summer because I would be a Senior in the Fall and as a student that was the ultimate.
Tomorrow we will revisit the Senior year.
Until then,
Essentially Esther
