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  Pep rallies during game week were held in the gym and Joe marveled that the prettiest and best developed girls always ended up as cheerleaders. They glided through the school in their short little uniforms and the erections they induced were like a military salute. Thank God for dark pants, Joe thought.

  The rest of the week leading up to the “big date” with Mary Lou flashed by like a blur. The U of M game started at 1 PM and would, of course, be a sellout with every inch of the 100,000 seat stadium packed with fans of the maize and blue. That would be a good thing as the temperature would be in the low 30’s but thankfully no snow was forecast.

  Mary Lou gave Joe a note with her phone number and address which was surprisingly close to the school and the Food Giant. After talking to Phil it was decided that Phil would pick up his date then swing by for Joe and finally Mary Lou, who gave Joe the bad news that her dad wanted to meet him before they left for the game. Oh well, Joe thought, if this works out he would hopefully be seeing a lot of her family.

  Phil was the consummate planner and when he picked Joe up on Saturday morning he had prepared a thermos of hot chocolate and packed a couple of heavy quilted blankets into the back of the VW. His date was a natural platinum blonde beauty named Linda who attended his A/P Math class. As it would ultimately turn out, this would be their first and only date but expectations were high.

  The VW pulled up in front of the small brick ranch and Joe jumped out to pick up his date. The house had a detached garage in the back and a Rambler sedan was parked in the driveway. Joe stood on the porch, gathering his courage, then pushed the doorbell.

  Mary Lou opened the door with a huge smile and invited him in. The whole family was seated in the small living room and Joe quickly sized them up. Mr. Donaldson was a giant…easily 6 foot 4 and skinny as a rail. Mrs. Donaldson was a tiny little woman and looked like a dwarf next to her husband. The little sister was sitting on the floor, totally disinterested in the events that were unfolding.

  “Dad, this is Joe from school.” Mary Lou introduced her date. Her father stood up, towering over Joe and extended his hand.

  “Nice to meet you Joe. So are you driving to the game?” No bullshit time wasted here. He wanted to know to whom he was entrusting the safety of his daughter and seeing the VW at the curb would be a hell of lot more reassuring than Joe’s ’57 Chevy.

  “No sir,” Joe stammered. “We are doubling with my friend Phil and his date Linda. That’s his dad’s Volkswagen out front.”

  “Well alright then. Try and get her home at a reasonable hour,” dad answered. And that was it. Mom just smiled and said hello and out they went. Joe was surprised at the lack of questions but expected more of an inquisition the next time he picked her up.

  Joe and Mary Lou settled into the small back seat and it was impossible to not make ample body contact which suited them both fine. The drive to Ann Arbor would take a while and give the couple time to get to know one another. “Do you think your folks liked me?” Joe asked, not having a clue.

  “I’m sure they did,” Mary Lou answered. “My dad is not very talkative so don’t read anything into his abruptness. I haven’t really dated much, just the occasional school dance like Sadie Hawkins. This is a big sign of trust for him.” Joe just smiled and carefully put his arm around Mary not sure if she would pull away…she didn’t.

  The stadium was huge and the seating nothing more than long benches in circles around the field. Their seats were so far up that the players were specs moving about in some curious symmetry. As high as they were seated, the wind was biting and they clung to each other for warmth beyond the hot chocolate. Mary Lou didn‘t really understand the game but was enjoying herself just being with Joe and he was feeling the same way.

  The game ended with a home team victory and the two couples walked to a nearby restaurant for a post-game burger. Joe picked up the tab as he had paid nothing for the tickets and felt guilty. He also wanted to impress Mary Lou with his generosity. Things were going well, he thought.

  As the sun descended, the temperature dropped as well and the walk to Phil’s car took forever. Joe and Mary Lou jumped into the back seat of the little bug as Phil cranked the heater all the way up. Unfortunately, creature comforts were not paramount to the design of this vehicle and it took forever to get the frost out of the air. Thank God for the blankets Phil brought along.

  Joe and Mary Lou wrapped themselves in the warmth of the quilt comforter and each other until their mouths met in sweet ecstasy. They wished the ride home would have taken forever as they explored each other’s body through the thick garments they were wearing. Joe was well aware of Mary Lou’s strict Catholic upbringing and eased off the throttle when she let him know he was getting too aggressive. Phil and Linda made small talk, letting the backseat lovers focus on each other without interruption.

  Mary Lou’s house was the first stop and Joe walked here to the door, his long black trench coat hiding the erection that had blossomed on the ride home. As they reached the porch, the light came on and Joe could see her dad peeking through the curtains. No passionate good night kiss was in the works but the pump had been primed pretty well in the back of that VW.

  Phil dropped Joe off next and the two friends shared a smile that pretty much summed up the day. Well done my brother!

  CHAPTER 5

  The following week Joe picked up right where he left off with Mary Lou. The two classes they had together were now points of embarkation for Joe to walk her to her next class then race to his, arriving late most of the time. After work Joe would cruise past her house with his cut-out roaring and she would peak from her bedroom window and wave.

  At home Mary Lou talked non-stop about Joe, going on about him having a job at Food Giant and how great he made her feel. Her mom was neutral on the subject but dad sensed a potential problem in the works, particularly when Joe called to ask her out on a second date.

  At school the two were inseparable. Joe would stay late to watch Mary rehearse with the school choir and madrigal group and his heart almost leapt from his chest with pride. How could this angel be his? He would drive her home from school when their schedules allowed and her mom would allow him in for a soft drink and chat before dad got home.

  Their “formal” dates usually were a movie and burger and her dad got his chance to interrogate Joe when he came in to pick her up. After several of these discussions he learned that Joe was an only child (BAD), from a Catholic family (GOOD), whose mother worked at Hudson’s department store (BAD), he was half Italian (NEUTRAL), worked at the Food Giant (NEUTRAL), and wanted to attend college (VERY GOOD). All and all, the scales weren’t tipped against him but barely.

  As Joe’s birthday in October approached, their dates moved to the local drive-in theater where the windows of the ’57 Chevy would steam up so bad no one could look in or out. Good times. On Saturday’s, Mary would visit Joe at the Food Giant if she could get use of the family Rambler. When Joe would look up and see her standing there it was all he could do to keep from hugging her right in front of everyone. The store manager took note of these visits and would make sure he strolled by after a few minutes to send Joe the message to get back to work.

  Mary earned pocket money by babysitting and Joe would show up with pizza and beer after the kids were asleep. These clandestine “dates” were under her parent’s radar which reassured them that she was keeping this boy at arm’s length and maintaining adequate time and attention to studies. Because Joe’s car was so conspicuous, he took care to park it as far away as was practical in case her parents were out and about.

  Mary’s best friend, Joyce, was an underclassman and lived right around the corner. She also attended French class with Joe and she became his friend as well. One evening after work, Joe had two tires blow-out in a pouring rain. The closest safe harbor was Joyce’s house and she welcomed him in and they ordered pizza and teased each other all evening. Joe was never sure if she had any feelings for him but he sure enjoyed her friendshi
p and even got her a prom date the following year.

  As Joe and Mary’s relationship was heating up, he was becoming less and less acceptable to her dad. Joe didn’t help his case any, one night after work. Cruising down her street, his normal route from the store to wherever, he dropped a cigarette just as he was approaching her house. As he reached down to find it, he had to divert his attention from the road and ended up hitting a car parked directly in front of her house. Because he was going so slowly, the impact hardly made a sound but, his front bumper became locked with the other car’s rear bumper. As silently as he could, Joe tried to dislodge the bumpers and get the hell out of there. He checked his integrity at the door as he jumped up and down on the locked metal without success. Finally he had no choice but to go to Mary’s door for help.

  Her dad was unsympathetic, particularly when Joe found out the car he hit belonged to the family’s insurance agent. Luckily, the insurance man was a lot more understanding than her dad and together, he and Joe were able to dislodge the locked bumpers. Neither car had any damage and Joe was able to bug out of there without further discussion with Clarence. For the next week he stayed away from her street and she understood why.

  By now everyone at school viewed Joe and Mary as a couple…going steady! Joe was a generous guy and bought her gifts for no reason and they became legendary exchangers of notes so that even when they were apart, they could read short love letters to each other. In fact, exchanging notes became the most common way to make it through a boring class and Joe had a long list of buddies that used this protocol.

  While society was just beginning to opt for large, enclosed shopping malls, that phenomena had yet to descend on Lansdale where the “Wonderland” open-air mall was the only real place to spend a day strolling among the various shops. Next to the drive-through burger joints, Wonderland became the most popular place for Lansdale teens to hang out, even in the coldest days of winter. Joe and Mary were no exception. With Mary’s birthday a month to the day after Joe’s, this is where Joe shopped for the perfect gift. He chose a diamond heart-shaped pendant which wiped out his modest savings but she was his girl…HIS girl and the sky was the limit.

  Mary was scheduled to sing with the Concert Choir the week before her birthday. Joe decided he wanted to see the sparkling symbol of his love around her neck against the blue velvet choir robes they would be wearing so he gave it to her just before the performance. Damn she looked good, he thought and through eye contact, he knew she was singing to him.

  A couple of days later, Joe had walked Mary back to her class after lunch and was racing to study hall when the intercom cracked with the announcement…”the President’s been shot!” Joe was late, as usual, but no one cared about anything but the words trickling in from Dallas. Less than an hour later it was official, President John F. Kennedy had been gun downed in the streets of Dallas. For Joe and Mary, it was the end of innocence.

  It was also Joe’s dad’s birthday and his parents wedding anniversary. Joe and his mom had been planning a surprise party for weeks. The events of the day, however, clouded whether they should go on with the party. They weren’t even sure if all of those invited would bother to come, but they decided to go on with the event and Joe picked up the food on his way home from school. Unfortunately he had to work that night but hoped to get off a little early to join the party which would be in full stride if everyone showed up. Phil and Larry would also be at the party.

  Although it had been sunny all day, the rain rolled in around 7 PM and would last throughout the night. Joe got home around 10 PM and the party was roaring. Everyone invited came, including Joe’s friends from school and the boys proceeded to indulge in beer, wine, rum and coke, you name it.

  By midnight the party was still in full force but Joe and his buddies came up with a special way to acknowledge the loss of the president. The three well oiled amigos piled into Phil’s VW and headed to his house to retrieve a very special item…his dad’s bugle. Fortunately his parents were fast asleep and he snuck in and returned with the treasured horn.

  With the moon roof open, impervious to the misting rain, they proceeded to Mary Lou’s neighborhood to herald a unique and totally irreverent version of Taps. Up and down the streets they drove, taking turns trying to blow something identifiable…a lost cause. Finally, as the booze began to wear off they decided to call it a night. As they passed the Food Giant heading to Joe’s house, Phil noticed they had acquired a follower, trailing close behind them.

  Joe told Phil to turn and head into the park, hoping the tail would not follow…but he did. The boys new it would be impossible to out run the large sedan behind them and it eventually caught up and cut them off, forcing an immediate termination of the chase. The three boys sat in silence, watching as the driver of the chase vehicle got out and slowly walked up to their car.

  The man was in his pajamas and robe but his FBI credentials gleamed in the moonlight as he held them up for Phil to see. Phil rolled down the window to accept whatever fate had in store. “Do you boys know that our President was killed today? Is this how you honor his memory?” His voice was tempered but he did not want to hear any lame ass excuses.

  Phil saw his dream of Annapolis fading fast. He begged the FBI Agent to forgive them for their stupidity, using Joe’s dad’s birthday as the backdrop for their actions. If he called the police they would surely end up in jail and who knows how that would play out. Fortunately, he was satisfied that he scared the living shit out of them and sent them on their way…sober as a church mouse.

  No one left their TV sets the entire weekend following the assassination. Joe talked to Mary on the phone and did his best to hide the tears streaking down his cheeks. Incredibly they were on the phone when a figure emerged from the shadows as Oswald was being transported and they actually witnessed Ruby firing the shot that opened the door to decades of debate over who really was responsible for Kennedy’s death. Watching little John-John salute his father’s casket was an appropriate ending to the darkest days of Joe and Mary’s lives.

  CHAPTER 6

  As December unfolded, Lansdale embraced all that was Christmas. Homes and parks were lit up with festive lights and the Wonderland Mall became a real winter “wonderland” with loads of people descending on the shops and department stores, sloshing through the snow without complaint.

  As was often the case, Joe and Mary were wandering the stores in search of gifts and inched their way into Woolworths to check out the new records on sale. Many of these records were being played over the store PA which certainly could stimulate sales. Joe was looking for the latest Ventures album when the air exploded with sounds he had never heard before. He and Mary stood frozen as they heard…”Oh please, say to me, you’ll let me be your man.” The Beatles had landed…at least their music had, with them to follow in February.

  Just as Kennedy’s assassination had changed lives forever, so did the Beatles change the music world…forever. Their songs slowly invaded the radio turf previously dominated by Motown and the Beach Boys. Hair grew longer almost overnight and teen boys rushed to get a pair of “Beatle Boots” the minute they hit the stores. Music stores sold out of guitars instantly, with every pimply kid looking for a Gretsch, Hofner or Rickenbacker electric. Johnny Vincent drug out his little used silver Stratocaster and began learning the early Beatle tunes.

  Around the same time, class rings began to arrive. Joe was eager to follow tradition and give his to Mary to wear as the official symbol of their going steady. Mary had picked a similar style as Joe and picked hers up first. Joe followed a few days later and while huddled in his Chevy at the drive-in, he asked her to wear it. Her response was a strong hug and kiss and she was now branded as his for all to see…including her parents.

  The following school day, Mary was sporting his ring on her finger. She achieved this by wrapping the ring with yarn to match the color of her outfit that day…yellow. This was the accepted protocol of those going steady, and every morning the color
of the yarn changed as did her outfit. She liked to wear black or navy knee socks so those were the dominant yarn colors in her ring repertoire.

  Joe’s parents asked Joe to invite her for Thanksgiving dinner and she accepted. Joe was not at all disappointed that her family did not reciprocate…anything to avoid the tension of one on ones with her father. Joe’s dad was a heavy drinker, pretty much an alcoholic, but was able to stay reasonably proper if he didn’t start too early. Today he was trying his best to be funny and attentive to his guest but it did not come naturally. Joe’s mom was covering Mary up with attention and, if she was good enough for Joe, she was good enough for her.

  Joe’s dad had a new Super 8 movie camera and used it liberally before, during and after dinner. The light was blinding but necessary to illuminate the frame and Mary didn’t seem to mind at all. In fact, she was able to get Joe to eat beets, something he detested, and it was all captured on film. Clearly Mary hit a home run with Joe’s family and they would love her just as much as their son did. She was perfect.

  During the weeks leading up to Christmas, the young couple were now madly in love and had no reservations saying those words to each other every chance they could. Joe was forcing his friends to the sidelines but they understood and remained loyal. Even Larry, the store manager, gave them some space when she visited.

  The biggest event of each year for the church was Christmas and Clarence was spending every waking minute in preparation for the holiday services. Mary wanted Joe to attend Midnight Mass with her, and her dad had too much on his plate to say no. As it would turn out, this would be the last time Joe was a welcomed part of the Donaldson family.