Making it in Chesterville - Chapter 4



Annie said Jimmy Needed a Dance Lesson

Waiting for Tuesday

It seemed like Tuesday would never get here but finally it arrived.

Annie had called me and said to come over as soon as I got off work.

I told her I should go home and take a bath for the occupational odors associated with working on cars was as bad as a fishmonger, well maybe not quite as bad.

She told me to do my best to clean up, but just come on and she could see the real me.

That evening I washed up the best I could and changed into clean clothes I had stashed for tomorrow and sped to Annie’s house.

I rang the bell and she said, “Go around to the garage and I’ll open the door for you, use the door on the side.”

Boy, I thought she must think I really must smell bad if she is making me stay in the garage.

When I got there she said, “I want you to listen to my car and tell me if it is running okay.”

She had a nice roadster I had never seen but I started it up and it was running a bit sluggish so I asked for a screw driver.

Just a bit of adjustment to the carburetor and it smoothed right out. I turned it off and asked if that was all she wanted.

She said, “No silly come on in I have a sandwich for you.”

I went in and there was a sandwich with a drink and some chips… and a pickle.

I asked if she was going to join me and she said she ate with her folks before they went out.

She said, “We have the house all to ourselves till ten when they will be back.”

Those words conjured all kinds of thoughts in my head.  All the words the guys at the station had said came flooding up into my mind.

I had to wash the food down for I could hardly swallow.

She said, “Now then, you are in desperate need of some dance lessons. I wouldn’t mind going to another dance but not with that guy I just went out with so you’re here to learn how to dance.”

I about fell through the floor, boy did I get the wrong idea. I felt like cursing those guys for putting all those ideas in my mind and I could see it was going to be a battle to keep them from coming up from time to time.

She said we have two hours to transform you into Fred Astaire. I didn’t have any idea as to who he was but I figured he probably could dance better than me.

I must say I learned a lot about dancing in the two hours and at a quarter to ten she said class is over so scat my folks will be here in fifteen minutes.

I waited for about ten seconds to see if she was going to pinch my cheek or anything but no such luck.  

She just repeated scat and began pushing me out the door.

As I was driving down their street I saw her folks returning home and thought we cut that to short.

I called her on Friday to see if she wanted to go to the dance with me and she stiffly said, “No, I have a previous engagement, goodbye.”

Boy that was cold, brr.

An hour later she called me and said she had to go out with a guy her parents liked and had set up a date for her to go with him.  She went on and said she didn’t like him but her parents did and they were standing next to her when I called.

Her father had answered and knew it was me on the line, and that was why she was so chilly. She said she would come into the station Saturday and fill her roadster with gas and we could talk.

I said, “Okay,” but was thinking, “What was it we could talk about.”

Friday had been a busy day and I still had some mechanical work to be finished.

I sent Ronnie home and locked the doors. A half hour later someone was beating on the door and through the glass I could see it was Annie. She said she had been over to a girl friend’s house and decided to see if I was still here.

I was very glad to see her and told her so. It was warm so I got us some cokes and we sat in the office. She said she had been accepted in a girl’s school whose name I had never heard of before. She would be leaving in a few days and wanted to see me some before she left.

She had told her parents that she like me a little and wanted to see me before she left. Her parents objected but finally gave in.

She told them I had treated her like a gentleman and wasn’t like the guy they wanted her to date. She came out and told her parents that her date with him was nothing more than wrestling matches and she had to fight him off.

They said they couldn’t believe it for he was from one of the finest families in Chesterville.

She told them believe it or not she was telling the truth and besides he was going with several other girls at present and only went with her because his parents made him.

To Annie it seemed they had a hard time deciding which was worse the guy that all but raped her or the guy who worked in the service station.

Anyway she told them she wasn’t going with that guy anymore and she was going to see me.

We talked a while and she said before I leave I want to show you a dance step you are having trouble with and we worked on that for a couple of minutes before she left.

As she was leaving, I wanted to kiss her goodbye so bad I was hurting in side.

She started out the door and then leaned back in and gave me a gentle kiss. She laughed and said along with your dancing we need to work on your kissing and left speedily in her roadster.

I was so embarrassed I was still red an hour later. It was at that moment that I understood her parent’s feelings toward me for their daughter deserved someone better than me. Better cultured, better educated, better prospects, and with more money than me besides I smelled like oil a good part of the time.

We went dancing on Saturday evening and I told her I wanted to see her on the morrow. She said alright, Sunday afternoon would be fine and to meet her at the soda fountain.

I'll Be Thinking of You !

When we met, before I had a chance to say anything, she said her time to leave had been moved up and she was leaving tomorrow and had to rush home and finish packing as soon as I told her what is was on my mind.

I had a long speech but this didn’t seem to be the time for it.

I said, ‘Well in that case I guess I should say goodbye and wish you well. You will write me and let me know how you are doing won’t you?”

She said, ‘I sure will but I expect to be very busy with all of my activities and studies so don’t be disappointed if I don’t write often.”

To Be Continued