To the Reader:
All sexually active characters are age 18 or older at beginning of this story.
This romance is told from a male point of view (POV), so if this is not your preference, your time might be better spent elsewhere.
*****
The Sadie Hawkins Day Dance was still a custom at my rural, 1980's highschool. I always suspected it continued so because the community mothers pressured the school administration and the community fathers to keep it that way. After all, wasn't the purpose of any school to prepare the students for life, and wasn't a young woman's foremost goal in life snaring a husband?
Too many of the boys just didn't appreciate the importance of husbandliness, and thus left many eligible girls out of the wifeliness training program. In fact, almost half of them. Sadie Hawkins Day, and the big, all-school dance that Friday evening, promised an opportunity for these girls to catch up and get into the game.
Somehow, the school managed to make it a matter of male honor and good manners to accept any invite from any girl who chose to invite the miscreant male, no matter how reluctant he was. Girls already paired just had to ask early, but occasionally a quarrel or two did erupt as to which girl had the right to ask which boy.
DeeDee Wertz got left out of the wifeliness training program my senior year because she crapped on her steady so bad no guy would ask her out. So, for some reason I'll never understand, she came after me for our Sadie Day Dance. Maybe because, although she was a bit on the tall and rangy side, I liked tall women—particularly if they were blonde. I eye-balled plenty of tall blondes and didn't care if they knew it.
Fourth period she caught me on the stairs from second floor to the main floor, right in the main hall where all her snooty friends could ridicule my lack of social couth if I turned her down. And if I didn't, they'd have it spread all over the school that I was DeeDee's charity date.
I saw this coming a few steps before it commenced.
"Jerry?" she said as she came at me. "I'd like ...," she started in. There was no 'will you,' or 'please' to it.
But I raised my hand abruptly, palm toward her in a 'halt' gesture. The resulting surprise stopped her and set her back.
"Sure, I'll take you, DeeDee. Any decent guy's gotta give a charity date every once in a while."
Her mouth dropped open at least as fast and far as those of her entourage.
I waved my hand a bit, then said, "We'll talk it over later, okay? What time and where to pick you up, right? I suppose there's a protocol for charity dates?" Her mouth hadn't recovered before I turned and hurried off for Wood Shop. I sure as hell didn't look back.
***
She waited until the end of sixth period to try me again.
"What did you mean, Jerry? I'm no charity date!" she said as she came at me from the hall into the main part of the building. Her voice carried some of that exaggerated whisper that's loud enough to be heard, but gives the impression the content is supposed to be secret.
"Sure you are. You crapped on Darren real bad. No wonder nobody will take you! How many guys turned you down already?"
"None!"
"Why not, then? You been afraid to ask? Afraid they will, and then everyone will know? The whole school knows what you did. Most guys will turn your down just because they like Darren. Sure you're okay looking, but not good enough for a guy to put up with that."
She tried to look mad, but didn't pull it off very well.
"Yeah, DeeDee. You're a charity date, and if you don't know it, you're the only one in this school who doesn't.
She wilted, mouth open, and I'd bet she'd have at least one tear to shed later when I wouldn't see it.
"I ..."
"Don't worry, DeeDee. You'll have a good time, I'll see to it. Even a charity date deserves that, don't you think?"
She turned abruptly, hid her face, and walked away. I figured this served her right. Darren, one of my better friends deserved better than this from his girl. I planned to stop by his house on the way home and brief him on my plan.
That was easier said than done. Word that I was taking DeeDee to the Sadie Hawkins Dance the following week had spread like wildfire. And Darren was the one who suffered at the fire's first blast.
But once I got past his mother—after all, I could be seen as an interloper here—and got to him directly, half an hour later, I got him settled down.
"Darren, she shit on you. No doubt, man. You want a girl who would do that to you? You can do far better than her."
He shook his head, but it was one of those shakes that says 'I don't know.'
"Yes, you do! Take Merry Sue Jordan. She'd never do something like that, I guarantee. Or Keri Morton. Both of them are real good looking girls ... and nice and smart, too, even if they are just sophomores."
He shook his head.
"Come on, Darren. Just go out there and act available. Good god, man! You're captain of the football team. Stand up and be the leader of your life, too!"
He just stared blankly for a moment.
"Go ask Merry Sue. I know she's got no date because she's too shy to ask anybody. And Keri Morton needs a date, too. In fact, get them together—they're friends, you know—and ask them both. If anybody gives you a bad time about being with two of them, just say they're both so good looking, you couldn't make up your mind, then treat them both like that's exactly the situation. You'll look like studliness incarnate, and if you do your part, they'll look like royalty of the realm."
"But I ...?"
"Darren? Do it, already. If DeeDee comes back to you afterwards and you decide she'd be okay, then fine. If she doesn't, then you'll have two great looking, sophomore girls trying their best to thank you. Believe me, all the girls in our school will be wishing they could get a date with the captain of the football team who's so thoughtful as you've been toward girls who might need encouragement. You'll likely have to fight them off with a stick."
He gave a combined snort and muffled chuckle. "What about you, Jerry? And DeeDee?"
Well, that question still required some thought, but my present thoughts ran something like this:
"Oh hi, Mr. and Mrs. Goldstein. Nice of you to chaperone tonight. I'd like you to meet DeeDee Wertz? This Sadie Hawkins Day thing kind of snuck up on her—surprised her so bad she couldn't get a date so I'm just helping her out. I'm sure somebody will come along and figure out she's really not
that
bad."
Darren chuckled, and this time enjoyment hinted in his voice.
"Or maybe, DeeDee? Why don't you go have a dance with my friend, David, here. He doesn't mind giving a charity dance now and then, and his date won't mind because you're no threat. After all, it'll only be a charity dance."
Darren's chuckle grew more firm as he enjoyed this thought stream. "Oh, that'll be good!" he said slowly shaking his head.
"Sure will, and you just might like Merry Sue and Keri. If I didn't have to go with DeeDee, now, I might be hanging out myself, trying to get one of them to ask me. You can probably get them both like I said."
***
By the time the dance rolled around, I'd firmly briefed Darren and David and several other friends who would be going to the dance: At every turn, hit DeeDee over the head with her charity date status. Darren did get a double date (sort of) with those two sophomore girls, and without knowing so, they played right into my plan.
I bought a corsage for DeeDee, but told the florist not to worry if it wilted some, that I needed it wilted for a joke. So what I got was quite wilted.
When I gave it to DeeDee, I took it out of the box and said, "Sorry, it's wilted. But even so, it'll make you look better."