Wednesday, August 25, 2010

Jealousy

This must have occurred in the 10th or 11th grade high school. It came back to me today.
I had a small motorbike, an English James, that could barely hit 45 mph, and I loved it. Often would go out for rides just to enjoy the feeling.
And I was in Verian Chaney's drama group — which my mother had signed me up for because I was too shy to talk to girls. One day Ms. Chaney ordered spontaneous acting: we were divided into groups and given an assignment to act out. I was with Ed Turner and his then-girlfriend, and an older girl who was fulsomely built... stacked like an outhouse, as we almost said. She was a year older than me, but went along with the stunt with good humor.
Ed designed the skit: we were two couples in a car parked on a dirt road somewhere. I was in the "back seat" with, let's call her Patsy, she of the impressive build. Ed and his girl were in the "front seat". They pretended to be smooching. Patsy snuggled against me and put my arm around her shoulders.
Blushing, I stared at the ceiling of the auditorium and said, "Hey, there's the Big Dipper....and...and...the North Star," and grew increasingly embarrassed as Patsy snuggled more insistently and Ed and his girl made loud smooching noises.
When Ms. Chaney finally released us, I went outdoors to ride my 'cycle home and discovered it gone.
Patsy's boyfriend Charlie — also a year older and much larger — had taken it for a joyride.
My Dad drove me around until we found the 'cycle, abandoned in the middle of a suburban street, the motor smoking because I'd had it locked in first gear and he drove it til it froze up.
Dad insisted we go talk to Charlie's father. I resisted but he insisted. At the front door, the man said hello, didn't invite us in, and said we had no proof that his son was involved. We retreated.
It cost a few bucks to get the 'cycle repaired, and I made a point after that of not befriending girls who already had boyfriends.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Who are you? I was in Verian Chaney's classes, too.

Ward Harkavy