Part 2 of "A Terrible Little Story..."

(This picture was taken the night of my high school graduation in May of 1974. About 10 months before this story began.)

Part 2

There was this very upscale formal dance held each May at The New Mexico Military Institute (NMMI) in Roswell. Somehow Jimmy had a connection and he had often mentioned the dance to me and suggested that we might attend. It was done in such a way that it was almost like a carrot held dangling on a string. It would not surprise me to find out that he had semi invited a half dozen girls to this same dance, that was just Jimmy. Still, I would have liked to have attended that event if only to show off my more polished refined side.

Yes, I had one. Believe it or not I attended finishing/modeling school my sophomore year of high school. In fact did a little modeling every now and then. So I was very excited to have a venue where I could exhibit my father's well spent tuition money. To be totally honest, I really wanted to go to this dance.

Now you will remember from my last posting that I suddenly packed my belongings into my 1971 Mustang Mach 1 and moved to Santa Fe, New Mexico with a friend I had graduated with from high school. Glenda had moved there right after graduation and was home on a visit when she told me that there was a job available where she was working and twin beds in her apartment so she had plenty of room for me. I was restless, tired of Santa Rosa and very tired of Jimmy's games so I took her up on her offer.

Once I got to Santa Fe and got settled I began doing what everyone else from home did when they left home...I went home, to Santa Rosa, every weekend. Good grief! It's true, we all couldn't wait to leave but then we'd spend every day off and extra dollar going back home. But now something interesting was happening.

I became the "girl from out of town" which elevated me to an unexpected position in the scheme of things. Now Jimmy was dying to see me, to spend every moment of the entire weekend with me. No Friday night break-up and Sunday morning reconciliations separated by a variety of contenders for the coveted invite to the NMMI spring dance. Suddenly taking me to the dance was all he could talk about. We even discussed what he would be wearing so I could purchase a gown that would compliment his suit.

I recklessly allowed myself to become very excited about the dance. I began the long process of shopping for the perfect gown. Money was something I didn't have much of but I would find a way to pay for this dress I would never wear again. Yep - I was like Cinderella and I was headed for the ball. This lasted about a month or so.

Then I stopped hearing from him. This was a time before cell phones or affordable long distance calling so I couldn't call him. I'd go home but he wasn't around. He had stopped going back to Santa Rosa on the weekends and , as rumor had it, was making new friends in Albuquerque.

Whether he ever went to the dance I don't know. All I do know is that if he did, he didn't take me. Luckily I hadn't spent the money on the dress but I have to say I was confused and very disappointed. Then one day Glenda came back from her trip home with news of Jimmy... apparently one of his young Saturday night dates was late and I'm not talking about exceeding a curfew!

Okay - that did it! So some time passed and I began to meet guys from Santa Fe. As a matter of a fact I developed a little roster of my own. Beginning with my very first date in Santa Fe, a date for dinner, with a priest...yes, an interesting young priest who thought it was okay because I was a Baptist and it was just a dinner.....a local night club singer and former boxer, a sheriff's deputy, a few other assorted acquaintances and finally a disc jockey, Jose Ortiz y Pino, from the local rock station who had a side business playing for dances using his "disco machine". (Are you dying of laughter yet?) I ended up becoming engaged to the latter and moved to Galisteo with him for what would be a truly wonderful and equally depressing phase of my life. But just prior to moving in with him I was still living with Glenda and another girl when I had a surprise visit from Jimmy.

Glenda, LuAnna and I all lived together. LuAnna had her own bedroom and Glenda and I share a room with twin beds. One by one we all ended up working at the same hotel as desk clerks. LuAnna always worked the graveyard shift since she was the night auditor. This particular night in August I had told Jose that I wouldn't be seeing him that night because Glenda and I were going to supper, then shopping, planned to dye our hair, polish our nails and do a bunch of girly stuff. After supper and shopping we stopped by the hotel where we all worked to visit with LuAnna. She said she had a surprise for us. A couple of guys from Santa Rosa that were in town working construction had come in looking for a room for the night and she told them they could stay at our place.

Gee thanks LuAnna!

So Glenda and I went home and when we opened the door there, on the couch, sat Jimmy and some guy we had never seen before drinking beer, watching TV and resting their feet on our coffee table. Oh crap!

We were very cool toward them but they didn't pick up on the cue. Jimmy jumped up from the couch and greeted me with a hug, smiling that dazzling smile that had always gotten him just what he wanted. He asked me to step out on the balcony with him and once outside he wrapped his arms, his muscular tanned arms from working highway construction all summer, around my waist and tried to kiss me. I pulled away and made some kind of excuse like I was really surprised to see him after all this time. Without missing a beat he launched into how much he had missed me and how there was no one like me...blah blah blah. Never once did he mention the dance we never went to or his impending fatherhood. Finally he got around to the fact that we would be under the same roof for the entire night.

I can still see his gorgeous eyes sparkling when he asked "So Cara, where am I gonna sleep?"

I live for moments like this...

"Why Jimbo...." (yes I really did call him that) "...you're going to sleep in my bed of course." His smile widened and he asked "what about my buddy?" I stepped closer to him and cooed "He'll be in Glenda's bed."

Visibly shaken at the thought of this good ole' Jimbo was almost panting when he asked "are you sure she won't mind?"

Moving in for the kill I came as close as I could without touching him. "Oh, she won't mind a bit...." I whispered and then, like I had seen in so many movies, I leaned close and kissed him on the lips. A moist seductive kiss that hints of things to come and then continued. "...because she's staying the night with me at my boyfriend's house."

I left Jimbo standing on that balcony looking both bewildered and pissed. Glenda and I jumped in the car and headed over to Jose's apartment. She and I each put on one of his shirts to sleep in and sat on the couch all night watching old movies and laughing about Jimmy's audacity.