The next day Bobby phoned Paula Wilton. Even though he had more willing sexual partners than any other young man his age, his thoughts kept turning to the lovely blonde. And the more he thought about her, the more he wanted to spend time with her.
"Hello?" The feminine voice on the phone was one Bobby didn't recognize.
"Hi," Bobby said. "Is Paula there?"
"Who may I say is calling?" The woman, whoever she was, wasn't very friendly.
"Ah...Bobby," he replied. "Bobby Draper. I...I'm a friend of hers."
"Hi, Bobby," Paula said when she picked up the phone.
"Hi, Paula," Bobby replied. "You want to go out tonight?"
"I'd love to," she replied, lowering her voice to a whisper, "I just have to figure out a way to convince my folks I'm going out with one of my girlfriends. They...they don't want me dating guys...you know..."
"Oh," Bobby said. "Look, I don't want to get you in trouble..."
"I can meet you somewhere," she said keeping her voice soft, as if she didn't want her mother to hear her.
"I have my jeep," Bobby said. "Where do you want me to pick you up?"
"How about the Jamestown Mall?" she asked. "Mom and Dad don't complain when I go down there. They think all I live for is shopping, anyhow."
"OK," Bobby said. "I'll see you at the mall in a little while." He put the phone down.
Bobby got the jeep keys and headed for the mall. He hoped he wouldn't have to look too hard to find Paula. It turned out he didn't. He parked the jeep and walked across the big parking lot to the mall's main entrance. Paula was standing just inside the entrance, looking a little nervous.
"Hi," she said softly when Bobby approached. She wore a light tan shirtdress that buttoned down the front and had a black belt around the waist. Several of the top buttons were open, exposing a considerable amount of her chest. When she walked toward him, he noticed that quite a few of the buttons on the skirt were undone as well, showing a lot of shapely tan leg. Bobby could understand why her folks worried about her. On the other hand, he was glad she'd come. It was time he started going out with girls closer to his age.
"Want to go for a walk?" Bobby asked. Not having a place to take women was a problem, he was rapidly discovering. He wished he had an apartment. "The park's nice this time of day."
"Sure," Paula said.
T. Arleigh James Park, named for the town's founder, wasn't far from the mall, so they started in that direction. It seemed natural for Bobby to take Paula's hand as they walked. He found holding her soft warm hand very enjoyable.
"You going to get in trouble for slipping out?" he asked her.
"No, not really," she said. "They think I'm at Donna's house. She'll cover for me if they call, but they won't. They never do."
"How come your folks are so strict?" he asked. His parents trusted him, and the idea of parents not being trusting was foreign to him.