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| Ronnie was a good worker ! |
Because the business had picked up and servicing cars and
tending the pumps was too much for me I hired a young man named Ronnie who
really needed the work.
He had to get married and the reason for that had just been
born. They were living with his parents but he still needed some money for his
little family and was willing to work hard for me.
I began to trust him for he seemed to be honest so I let him
close up on Saturday giving me time to clean up for my date. I had fixed an old car I bought for almost
nothing and it ran pretty well so I was off to pick up Annie.
She was ready but asked me to come in and meet her parents.
I had already met her father at the station but not her mother.
Her mom looked
me over with a stern eye and I felt as if she had stripped me naked with her
eyes. I didn’t have any secrets or wrong motives that she was aware of. It took all my nerve to stand there when what
I wanted to do was run for my life.
If I had a smidgen of an idea in the farthest recesses of my
mind of doing anything relating to ‘the nasty’ (as the boys called it) that picture
had been vaporized by one stern look of hers.
After that experience I (my thought processes) was as white
as the driven snow.
Annie said, “Alright Mom, knock it off,” then I realized
she knew of her mom’s power of disarming her daughter’s young men.
As we left I told her your dad I can handle but keep your
mom away from me.
Annie wanted to know why?
I told her that it was because I was totally embarrassed
while we held a cordial conversation she spoke of things I didn’t have a clue
as to what we were talking about.
She said most people are overwhelmed when Ma talks to them.
When I heard the words, “Goodbye mother we have to go,”
those words were the most desired words I ever heard. Even the name of her mother Guinevere scared
me.
After we left and was on our way I said, “I don’t know if I
have enough strength to dance with you after meeting your mother tonight.”
Annie laughed and said, “Mom has that effect on young men
but you’ll get over it. She gave you her best shot and you remained standing so
I’m proud of you.”
When we arrived at the dance I was glad she hadn’t said
anything about my car for it was just saved from the junk heap. I had thrown a
blanket over the seat so her party dress didn’t get dirty and went around and
open her door like I saw in the movies.
When the smart mouth boys saw me with Annie, I could see
they wanted to say some course remark, but I gave them a stare that said shut
up.
A couple of the better off guys came and asked Annie for a
dance but she said she had promised this dance to me. So went the night, we
danced and talked and danced some more till it was time to go.
I asked her if she wanted something to eat and she declined
the offer and said it would be good if we went straight home. I walked her to
the door and again wanted to run for I didn’t know what to do at the door.
When
we got there she turned and said she enjoyed the evening and wanted me to come over
on Tuesday night.
I said I would and then she did a strange thing. She reached
over and put her hand on my cheek and held it there for just a second and then
gave it a gentle pinch… then she was in the house.
That sure gave me something
to think about between then and Tuesday night.
To Be Continued
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