First Date

It was 1961 and I was in the seventh grade at Olympus Junior High. I felt very grown-up when I was asked on my first date to our school's dressy night dance. (Yes, unbelievably in those days the school board allowed date-dances in Junior High.) It didn't matter that I hardly knew the boy who asked me, a skinny, geeky guy with thick horned-rimmed glasses. I'll call him Freddy.

I was going on my first date at the age of twelve.

My mother worked at ZCMI, a department store at the first Mall in Salt Lake City. She bought me a drindl-style jumper with a frilly white blouse and a new pair of black, patent-leather Mary-Jane shoes. I bristled at the idea of nylon stockings (I don't think I even wore a bra at the point), but knew it was part of growing up. Gratefully, she didn't allow me to wear high heels at that age.

The night of the dance arrived and Freddy's father drove. They picked me up at 7:00 PM sharp. As I slid into the large front seat between the dad and my date, the radio began to blare "On the Street Where You Live" from My Fair Lady. I was so embarrassed I wanted to cry and hoped that neither one noticed the irony except me.

The song droned on throughout our ride to the Junior High as Freddy Eynsford-Hill serenaded the lovely Eliza Doolittle. It was a song with which I was very familiar since we had an LP of the Broadway soundtrack. I thought we'd never arrive at the dance.

And oh! The towering feeling
Just to know somehow you are near.
The overpowering feeling
That any second you may suddenly appear!

The gymnasium was decorated with crepe-paper and the lights were low, but the dance was totally uneventful as we waltzed two-feet apart in a large circle. We didn't talk much. Neither of us knew what to say. The ninth graders were dancing much to close for comfort. ICK!

After the dance, Freddy's dad picked us up. (Had Mr. Eynsford-Hill been waiting in the parking lot the whole time?) Freddy's best friend plus date (J and B) got into the back seat of the car for a ride home.

Freddy asked his dad to take us to Paul's Ice Cream Parlor for an after dance treat. We went inside the parlor and sat at a table. Of course, Mr. E-H remained in the car.

None of us had any money except Freddy, but he proudly announced he was paying and we could order anything on the menu---as long as it was under 25 cents! J, B and I each ordered a single-scoop ice cream cone while Freddy ordered a giant banana-split!

We finished our cones quickly, then sat for twenty-minutes watching Freddy gorge, gobble, slurp and devour his gooey, yummy, decadent treat.

As I arrived home, I remember thinking, "I hope I don't have to go on a date for a long, long time!" Looking back on it now, it's a funny story. Then it was a painful event, something to endure like the dentist's chair.

What was your first date like? How old were you? Was it fun or agonizing?