Rabbit Hunting, Chapter Six

Time was moving very fast for us now, and we had so much to do before Frank would leave for Army Basic Training.  We only had eleven more days to spend together before Frank would go.

I knew some of Frank’s family from the church, but others who lived in close nearby towns wanted to meet me and were inviting us to their homes for supper.

An Aunt and Uncle of Frank’s who lived in Sweeny, Texas, were the first to invite us to supper. Frank and I had a great time at his Uncle and Aunt’s home in Sweeny, and after it got dark, we left their home then headed back to Van Vleck.

Frank and I drove out of Sweeny then he turned left off of Highway 35 onto the Pledger highway and then turned right onto Old Van Vleck road.  We were listening to the radio driving along when Frank asked me a question.

Next is the story of his question, my answer to that question, and the results.

“Rabbit Hunting”

Frank asked me, “Nancy, have you ever been rabbit hunting?”

Wondering what he was up to now because of memories of our “star gazing,” I replied, “No, Frank, I have never been rabbit hunting.”

We had not gone very far when Frank pulled the car over and stopped. Frank opened his car door, got out of the car, shut the door then since the driver’s side window was rolled down said to me through the driver’s window, “Slide over Nancy, you are going to be the driver.”

Laughing, I did as he told me then Frank said, “Nancy, you will need to slowly pump the brakes when I tap on the windshield while I sit on the hood.  The brakes have a little problem.  Also, Nancy Lou, you will be driving without the car headlights on.”

Shaking my head, I told him, “Really, Frank. Are you kidding me?”

Laughing and ignoring my question, Frank walked back to the trunk of his car, opened the trunk, got his gun, and a spotlight out of the trunk then he shut the trunk.   Frank walked back up to the car on the passenger side, reached in the rolled down the window of the passenger door while holding the cord to the spotlight in his hand, unplugged the cigarette lighter, and then plugged the spotlight into the cigarette lighter hole.

Frank placed the gun on the hood of the car and with the spotlight in his hand climbed up on to the hood. He then leaned back against the windshield, turned on the spotlight then placed his gun across his lap. Frank tapped on the glass of the windshield to get my attention and to let me know to put the car in drive and start moving.

Without the headlights on, I was straining to see the road. I was also trying to keep the car on the road when suddenly Frank tapped on the windshield.  I pushed the brake quickly to the floorboard, but the vehicle did not stop, so I promptly stomped the brake pedal again, which made the car come to an abrupt stop. Frank went quickly sliding off of the hood of the car, and then the car rolled a little forward.

I was terrified and horrified at the same time! Did I just kill him? Suddenly a bright light shone through the driver’s window and into my face, and it was the Game Warden.

As I looked into the light, I kept saying over and over, “I killed him! I killed him! I killed him!

I looked towards the hood pointing when a hand reached up on to the hood of the car and Frank pulled himself up from the ground.  I was thanking God, Frank was alive!

The Game Warden asked Frank, “Son, have you been shooting from the road?”

Frank looked at me and then looked at the Game Warden then said, “No Sir, I didn’t get a chance to.”

The game warden asked Frank if he was alright and Frank told him he was.   The game warden did not give us a ticket, but as he was leaving, he turned back and said to Frank, “Son, you might want to get a better driver!”

The Game Warden laughed all the way back to his car, which he had backed into a side road we had passed.  The Game Warden had evidently seen the whole ordeal.

On February 24, 1968, Frank and I attended the Sweetheart Dance at the High School Cafeteria. We danced and enjoyed talking to our friends but afterward went to a quiet place to be alone to talk.  We knew that this would be our last evening together before Frank left the next day for basic training. 

We talked until the wee hours of the morning, and I got home way past my curfew, but neither one of us cared.  We were fixing to spend ten weeks apart, which was nearly more time than we had been a couple, and we were both totally overwhelmed by the fact that we would be separated from each other.   

The next day Frank, his parents, brother, sister, my parents, brothers, and friends, went to the airport to see Frank and Jimmy off.  We watched them board the plane and take off.

Tears rolled down my face as the plane flew off, but I also knew that I was strong enough to handle the ten weeks ahead and Frank was too! 

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