First Date

My initial interest in Gloria was probably sparked by Marion Lovegrove's suggestion that I should pursue her. The strong implication seemed to be that Gloria would eagerly return my attention. In retrospect, I suspect that it was a blatant assertion of self-interested matchmaking since she and my brother were an item at the time and Gloria Lampiris was her best friend (ask Mom to tell the story of the teen meeting in our basement play land (ping pong, carrems, hockey, etc.) where she and Marion were discussing the cakes that had been brought for dessert). Whatever...I am forever indebted to Marion.

Although I had my share of girls I had fantasized having as a girlfriend, I figured that, being in 8th grade, dating was a distant pleasure far into the future. The seed Marion planted grew and while mowing Howda's lawn next door to our home at 1017 Kimball. The momentous moment happened as I moved through the side yard between Howda's house and our white picket fence. I assume the mowing was for money, though I have no recollection of being paid--hmmmm, maybe they still owe me.

I determined to float the idea of asking Gloria to the Spring Banquet (often called the "Promette," a popular formal affair put on annually by numerous area churches, and maybe Youth For Christ, promoted as a substitute for the "worldly" high school proms). I frankly suspected my parents would nix the idea, but I was determined to try. To my surprise, they readily agreed. With great fear and trembling, I telephoned Gloria and she agreed to be my date.

Because I had no car or driver's license, I asked my brother if we could double-date with him and Marion--he had already obtained use of the family car for the occasion. This idea was adamately declined and despite my immature rantings, tears, and appeals to my parents, the "double date" plan was dead at the starting gate. In retrospect, I wasn't very fair to expect his already arranged double date (I think it was with Bill Stankovich and Ruth Lovegrove, Marion's older sister) to be transformed into a triple date. The car logistics would've been challenging, not to mention the unattractiveness of taking your little brother along on a date.

The solution was to hire a taxi to pick me up and then Gloria, who, conveniently, came to her Uncle Charlie's house in town near the high school so I wouldn't have to pay the taxi to drive out Riverside Drive to the Long Ships Motel.

The evening was wonderful (from my perspective, however my inability to secure another date for many, many months may be an indication that Gloria was not particularly impressed) and I looked forward to a romantic walk from the banquet to her Uncle Charlie's. I don't think we had gone more than a block or two when her parents, brother and sister pulled up to the sidewalk and offered us a ride in the family station wagon. Too intimidated to express my true feelings ("you've got to be kidding! Are you insane?"), I agreed and they drove me home. I've never asked if that was a preplanned strategy in which Gloria participated. Perhaps now that we've logged 38 years together my ego could take the blow.