The Party
This is a story about how an innocent, naïve, young man can be trapped by a woman.
Sadly enough, the story is true.
In October of 1963, I was invited to a party. I wanted to go but I declined the invitation because I was going to college and my grades were good. I intended to keep my grades high by avoiding diversions such as parties.
I received a phone call, “You have to come to the party. Good old Carl is leaving town.”
I had known Carl for years, so I reluctantly went to the party.
Well, truth is, I didn’t go reluctantly. I went willingly because spending my time with study, study, study just isn’t in my nature.
So there I was, at Carl’s small cottage.
The living room wasn’t very large and the seating wasn’t adequate but that was compensated for by an adequate supply of hooch.
People were sitting on the floor, so a mattress was dragged in. What I am telling you is that I was on a mattress with two babes.
Carolyn
The party was going pretty well when there was a knock on the front door.
It was a gate crasher. He was a short, non-descript little man, think shrimp. The door would have been slammed in his face except for two reasons.
Reason one was that he had a large bottle of bourbon.
Reason two was that he had brought along a rather attractive woman. I mean a good-looking broad. Long legs and tall, especially in those high-heels. It was a rather odd-looking couple.
What I am saying is, she was hitting at six feet tall.
What I am saying is, The Shrimp almost came up to her ears.
I have always had a soft spot in my heart for a damsel in distress. In other words, this lovely creature had to be saved from The Shrimp. It was a task I felt obliged to perform.
My first problem was getting The Shrimp out of the way.
The pair found seats on a couch. Luckily, when the woman sat, her great gams were only about three feet from me, where I was sitting on a mattress which was on the floor. Had I been a cad, I would have looked at her legs.
Okay, okay, I’m a cad.
I Was Sure of Two Things
Anyway, The Shrimp solved my first problem when he arose to get a drink.
I wasn’t sure how all of this would work out, but I was sure of two things.
Thing one was that The Shrimp wasn’t going to start a fight with me.
Thing two was that I was determined to meet that woman. You know, only to save a damsel in distress.
What I am telling you is that, when The Shrimp stood, I arose right quickly and sat next to her.
The Shrimp did not return.
I had a feeling that she wasn’t upset. I think it was a relief to be away from The Shrimp.
We exchanged names and had a conversation.
And, praise the Lord, she was not only pretty, she could hold a conversation and she was quite intelligent.
Carolyn had everything I ever looked for in a woman. In other words, I was instantly crazy about her. How can a woman do that to a man?
We started dating.
I was 24, Carolyn was 21, and we were both a bit crazy, so what came next was bound to happen.
On the last Friday in November, after we had known each other for a full six weeks, we decided to get married in two weeks.
Friday the Thirteenth
The next day, Carolyn informed me that in two weeks, it would be Friday the thirteenth.
We looked at each other, laughed, and decided that it was all so crazy, we may as well throw in Friday the thirteenth to add to the craziness.
You see, it had to be a Friday so that our honeymoon could be an entire weekend in our apartment. Assuming we could find an apartment.
I found an apartment, but that apartment is another story in itself.
Anyway, after I paid 50 bucks for rent, we had a total of 50 bucks when we married on Friday, December 13, 1963.
As crazy as all of this sounds, it must have been the right thing to do because we were married for a long, long time.
