To the people who know me this may come as a shock, but in truth, I’m quite shy, at least when I first meet people. I also am not a big fan of mass events or crowds of any kind. I have a friend who likes to go out with a crowd of people to dinner. He’s not happy unless several couples and whatever singles want to join in. And though I’ve gone to many such occasions with him and his posse, I feel mostly like retreating like a turtle into my shell because I never feel as though I hear or say anything that isn’t on a totally superficial level. No, I much prefer one on ones or just another couple to a crowd, especially since I’ve gotten old and find it difficult to decipher dialog over the din of loud music and hubbub in some restaurants. The same is true of parties, where I will often latch onto some poor soul and stick with that person for the entire event, or even of family (and I love my family and friends), or church dinners, or nearly anything along that line. Perhaps this marks me as selfish, but I don’t mind spending time alone. Since I’m such a loudmouth around people I know, it may be difficult to see me as I see me, which is as a pensive, introverted personality. In that light, much of my time at public events is spent as an observer, so the idea that there would be a lotta women at the square dance was more about experiencing the event through my eyes and ears than in a more interactive manner.
When the music and dancing began, I just roamed around for a long time. Every so often I’d sit with CEP in the bleachers, then I’d roam about a bit more without asking anyone to dance, and without any appreciation for the music. I fancied myself suffering, feeling sorry for myself and the pitiful conditions I imagined myself subject to, and wondered why I’d let Lawman and CEP talk me into a second foray to Squaresville.
About two hours in, I tired and went back to the bleachers for a sit behind where Lawman and his girlfriend and her friend sat. Lawman’s girlfriend turned and asked me if I had met her friend. Of course I hadn’t, so she made the introduction. I don’t remember the girl’s name (nor Lawman’s girl’s name, either), but I can remember how she looked, and I thought her quite attractive. I sat next to her and talked for awhile before asking her to dance. I’m incredibly white when it comes to rhythmic movement and there’s no way in hell I could ever impress anybody with that, but I wasn’t so removed from the rest of the pack, at least that night.
The dancing went on for a few songs before we retreated to the bleachers as another call dance started up (some of those songs had lasted 15 to 20 minutes in a sort of unconscious and boringly repetitious homage to lengthy rock songs). Lawman’s girlfriend’s friend and I talked together for the rest of the evening. I found her interesting to talk to, and again thought her to be good looking (her hair was frosted a little). She revealed that she was a sophomore at Greenback High School (I guess Lawman’s girlfriend was as well), and before we left the two girls had invited us to play basketball with them early the next morning (Sunday).
I felt a somewhat conflicted about the proposed basketball trip. First, I’d have to get up early and venture into the cold to play on someone else’s home court. That was a lot to ask. Then again, I knew that the girl I’d met and I had gotten along better than I would ordinarily have expected. Usually the girls seemed to leave me behind for CEP, so I was in unfamiliar territory. Lawman and CEP had definitely noticed the good vibes and had teased me (ridden me like a horse, in fact) all the way home, and I figured that they’d use any additional ammo generated by such a trip to ride me further (my skin was so thin in those days) because they knew the teasing really got to me (I’m no better in that I have picked on others in the same way). But I still hadn’t decided until the next morning when the fellows came by to pick me up. I begged off and they split. I figured that would be the end of it, but CEP came back by after the game. “She asked where you were. She’s got the sweet ass on you, man,” he said. That was kind of what I’d figured, but wondered if I’d made a mistake in not going. We’ll never know.
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