Thank you to my anonymous editor who makes my story a much better read.
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Mom and dad had four kids. I had two older sisters and one younger than me. As I grew up my mom always told me to treat girls as I would want other guys to treat my sisters. For some reason that talk always stuck with me. In grade school when some older guys wanted to pick on me, it was my sisters who stuck up for me.
Through middle school and high school, I had a lot of friends. I played sports but I was never a stand out player. I played defense in football, outfield in baseball, and warmed the bench most of the time in basketball. I didn't get all A's but I did make the honor roll. It didn't come easy and I had to study a lot.
I never really dated. I went out with groups of kids but rarely one-on-one. I hung out with the same crowd all through high school. There were girls I had crushes on but they were already dating and I wasn't about to fight with a friend over a girl.
As if my schedule wasn't busy enough, I got a part-time job at a supermarket. If I wasn't playing sports I was working at the store. I was trying to save a little money to go to a trade school or community college. I knew my parents couldn't afford to send all of us to school. I'm sure they would have tried to help us though.
My dad was a pipe fitter at one of the major factories and I kind of wanted to follow in his shoes. He told me he could probably help me get a job if I took all the classes and did the work to get a journeyman card. So that was pretty much what I decided as my future.
I wasn't planning on going to the prom but my mom asked me to do her a favor. A lady she worked with had a daughter in my class and she wanted me to take her. Although I rarely talked to her, I knew the girl.
"Mom, I hardly know Laura. We don't even hang around in the same groups and never have. She's a geek and doesn't associate with the jocks. I doubt if she will even want to go with me."
Even though I didn't know anything about Laura, she was a good looking girl.
"All I want you to do is ask her. If she says no then let it go. Her mom says she doesn't date and most of her friends said they weren't going, but since it's her senior year, her mom thought she should go."
"OK, I'll do it for you. I'll ask her tomorrow."
The next day after school, I approached Laura at her locker. It was the first time that I really talked to her. She wore very little make-up yet she was still really pretty.
"Laura, I'm Jim Walker."
"I know who you are. You're one of the athletes. What can I do for you?"
"I would like to know if you would like to go to the prom with me next month."
"Who put you up to this? We both know that geeks and jocks don't mix."
"I'm going to be honest with you. First off, I play sports--I'm not really a jock. Second, I don't usually date. In fact, this would be my first date ever. Third, your mom and my mom work together and they both want to see us go to our prom. So my mom asked me to ask you. Fourth, I would really like you to say yes."
"Jim, you have to understand that this is a total surprise. I don't know what to think. If it was April first I would think this was a joke. I do believe you're serious. Can you give me a couple of days to think about this? I want to talk it over with my mother."
"That's fine with me. I'm sure we can have a good time. I'm not a great dancer but I know how to move my feet." I smiled.
I was happy when she smiled back at me. Damn, she had a nice smile. I had to wonder why I never noticed her before. I was now really hoping she would say yes.
The reason I never dated--besides a very busy schedule--is because the girls my buddies dated seemed to be pretty loose. One week they were with one guy and a week or two later they would be with another. I danced with most of them at the school dances and they seemed to flirt a lot but I always knew I wanted a monogamous girlfriend.
I'm not knocking them. In fact, my buddies were just as bad or worse than the girls. I just wasn't a party guy. My parents were together for twenty-five years and hardly ever argued. That's the kind of life I wanted.
On Friday, Laura stopped me after school and said she and her mom had a good talk and she decided she would go to the prom with me. We would make some plans when it got closer to the prom. She didn't want to go with one of the jocks or her geek friends either. She made me smile.
I talked to her when I saw her at school, which wasn't very often. She took college courses and I took the math classes that would help me with pipe-fitting. Two weeks before the prom, she stopped me in the hall and told me to meet her in the lunchroom.
She wanted me to know the color of her dress, which was going to be a light blue. She told me she would prefer a wrist corsage if I was getting flowers. I thanked her for letting me know and asked her if the restaurant I chose was OK. I would pick her up at her house and we would have to stop by my house. My mom wanted to see her and take a couple of pictures. She said she didn't mind. Her mom had the same idea. We both laughed.
The day of the prom, I stopped by to pick her up. I wore a blue tuxedo and got her a blue orchid wrist corsage. I knocked on her door and her mom answered it and invited me in. Laura came in the room and looked like an angel. I couldn't believe how nice she looked. I told her I had never seen a girl look as pretty as she did. Her mom took some pictures of us and then we headed over to my house where my mom cried at how good we looked together. After taking her pictures, we headed to the restaurant.
After we had a wonderful dinner, we headed to the gym. We had to stop and have our prom picture taken then we sat at a table and were joined by two other couples. They weren't geeks or jocks. When the music started, I asked Laura to dance. I loved holding her in my arms. It was almost like a fairy tale. I knew we didn't have much in common but I loved being with her. I couldn't believe how many of my friends stopped by our table to say hi. I know they just wanted to check out my date. I really felt proud. We talked at the table and I kept telling Laura how beautiful she was and wished I would have known her years ago.
She told me she would be going to college. She had a full ride scholarship and was thinking of becoming a tax attorney. She asked me what my plans were after high school.
I told her I was going to a trade school to take up plumbing and pipe-fitting. I told her my father did that and I hoped to do the same. We danced a few more times and then we had to leave. I'll always remember our last dance. It was 'You belong to me'.
See the pyramids along the Nile
Watch the sunrise on a tropic isle
Just remember darling all the while
You belong to me
I dropped her off at her door and we talked for a minute. She told me that she had a wonderful time and was glad she went. She added I had been the perfect gentleman and she would always remember me. She leaned over and kissed me. Her porch light came on and her mother opened the door. They told me goodnight and I said the same to them.
I hardly saw her again since we only had three weeks of school left. Between finals, working, and getting ready for graduation. I didn't have time for much else. Besides, as most people would say, we were a mixed match. But the memories were great.
I went on to trade school. It was interesting and I really liked it. If I ever had a problem, I would go to my dad and he would explain it to me. When actually doing plumbing he showed me a lot of shortcuts. I learned as much from my father as I did from the instructor. I only lived ten miles from the school so I lived at home and drove back and forth.
The trade school was right next door to a college so I met a lot of the students and went to their parties. I began dating and lost my virginity to Lucy, a senior at the school. I liked her but the following week she was with another guy. After that, I decided I wouldn't let myself fall for any girl. I had sex with them but no solid relationships. It was funny when some of the girls I dated told me that they went to college just to party. Others told me they hoped to find a husband.
After two years, I got my certificate from the trade school and my dad got me an interview at the plant he worked at. I got the job but they told to keep taking classes to get my journeyman's card. It would take a few years to complete but I would make about ten dollars more an hour when I finished. Also, they would pay for the classes. After working for a couple of months, I decided to move out on my own. I made more then enough money to support myself.
I moved into a trailer that I rented with an option to buy within a year. It was in excellent condition and fully furnished. Of course, there was still stuff I needed, like simple household items. I ended up buying the trailer after my parents looked at it. They were happy for me being on my own. Of course, I stopped by every couple of days for my mom's cooking.
I dated some women from the plant. Some were divorced and others separated. We were just friends with benefits. They weren't the kind of woman I was looking for in a relationship but I was a guy after all and had all the urges. I always wore condoms and treated them good. I guess that's why they kept coming back. I let them know that I wasn't interested in a long term relationship. They let me know that they weren't either but I was fun to be with.
As time went by, I received my journeyman's card. My dad said he was really proud of me. My dad saying that made me feel great. It wasn't often that I got a compliment like that from him.
My five-year reunion came and went. I didn't see much reason in going to it. I still lived in town and saw most of my friends around. Quite a few of them were married and a few were already divorced. I'd been to some of their weddings and knew they wouldn't last. I did wonder if I would ever find the right woman.
My life went on and I joined the bowling team. I also played golf a couple of times a month. During the spring and early summer, I played on the company softball team until I turned thirty. That's when I told them to find a younger player to replace me.
I went to see my parents most weekends. Of course, I saw dad at work too. My two older sisters were both married and both had kids. I stopped by to visit them once in a while too. They always asked me when I was getting married. I always laughed and gave them the same answer: when I meet the woman who I want to spend the rest of my life with.
Of course, they always wanted to fix me up. Most of their friends were divorced and that wasn't what I was looking for. I was living a good and happy life. I had a lot of money saved since I didn't have many expenses. I didn't have any more payments on either my trailer or my car. All I had were the monthly expenses like utilities.
I wanted to transfer money from my savings into an IRA. Human Resources suggested I talk with a tax advisor. I went to the office they suggested and the receptionist asked me to wait. When the tax advisor came out of her office, I froze.
"Laura, is that you?"
"Yes, it's really me. How are you Jim? It's so good to see you. Come into my office and we can talk."
I have to say that it really took me by surprise. I had wondered for years what happened to her. No one seemed to know.
