The Hayride, Chapter Two

Posted in Love Letters | 4 comments

Show Boat Drive-In Bay City TX

As President of the MYF (Methodist Youth Fellowship), Frank decided to plan some fun events for us all. Since Frank’s Dad owned hay trucks, Frank decided it would be fun to have a hayride.

After borrowing his Dad’s hay truck, Frank loaded it with bales of hay placed around all sides so that everyone could sit on top of the hay bales then lean back on the sides of the truck. Frank got in the truck and then headed to my house to pick me up. Then, we drove to the church to pick up all of the other MYF members.

When we arrived at the church, everyone was anxiously waiting, then climbed on board the back bed of the truck, sat down, then Frank and I got back into the cab to the truck. Frank was the driver, and I was his passenger “shotgun.”

“The Hayride.”

After the MYF members, friends, and dates were loaded securely on the truck, Frank drove the truck across town and then turned on to Old Van Vleck Road. We had only gone about two miles when the skies opened up, and it started to rain. Frank found a place to pull the truck into, then turned the hay truck around and headed back to the church, driving as fast as he could.

When we arrived at the church, all of the passengers in the back of the truck quickly unloaded. They all sprinted into the church. Frank turned to me, then told me that the hay would get wet and asked me if it would be alright if he backed the hay truck into my parent’s garage. I told him that I thought it would be okay with them. My parents had gone out of town but would be back later in the evening, but I knew they would not mind.

Frank and I headed to my folk’s house that was only about eight blocks from the church. When we got to the house, the garage door was open. Since it was a two-car garage with only one big door, Frank backed the truck onto the driveway then started to back into the garage.

After Frank’s door cleared the garage door opening, he opened his door a little to look back as he backed the truck into the garage because he could not see through the truck’s back window. After all, the stacked hay got in the way of the truck rearview mirror.

When Frank had backed in as far as he thought enough so as not to hit the back wall, he opened the door until it was touching the wall on his side of the garage.  Frank turned off the ignition then took his foot off of the clutch.   Suddenly the truck jumped backward, and the open door stuck into the sheetrock wall that the door was touching.

Oh, my goodness! I was horrified. My parent’s house was not even a year old, and now we had put a hole in the sheetrock in the garage. Frank looked at me, and he could see the panic on my face. Frank smiled at me then calmly took my hand then told me, “Nancy, I promise you, I will fix it.”

Frank and I got out of the truck, pulled the door out of the sheetrock, then shut the driver’s side door, then we went into the house to wait for my parents to return home.   Frank and I sat on the couch then tried hard to make small talk with me, but all I could think about was that hole in the sheetrock, and I was trying not to cry.

Finally, the time passed by, and we heard my folk’s car drive up outside. Of course, the rain had stopped about two minutes after the catastrophe to the sheetrock. Frank met my parents at the door and told my Dad what had happened to the wall in the garage, and then he told Dad that he would return the next morning to fix the wall. Frank apologized for what had happened. Dad accepted his apology, they shook hands, and Dad told Frank he would see him the next morning.

Frank returned the next morning with sheetrock, sheetrock tape, nails, paint, and any other tools he would need to fix the wall. Frank fixed that wall, and it looked like nothing had ever happened to it. I was so proud of him. I was reminded again how much he owned my heart, and  I knew my heart would have to continue to grow to hold all of the love I would have for him inside it.

After our first date, Frank had given me his senior ring to wear on my hand.  I would wrap the back of it with strips of white surgical tape until it fit my finger, then paint the tape with a pretty color of nail polish.  Of course, this left a large half-moon of tape behind my ring finger, but that was how we wore our boyfriend’s rings in 1968.

Frank and I were doing everything together. He would pick me up, take me to school, and then pick me up after school. I could not wait to see him every morning and after school. I could tell that he felt the same way.

My senior year was becoming the best year of my life. Frank and I would go on dates but nothing expensive because I knew that he was paying for his college. He would ask me if I wanted to go out to eat, but I would tell him I just wanted to be with him, and I did not need to go out to eat and spend his hard-earned money.

Our dates usually consisted of Frank picking me up at my house. Then we would drive into Bay City, stop at Cains to get a Cherry Dr. Pepper, sit there visit with our friends for a while, then we would make the main drag in town with the windows down listening to Frank’s eight-track player playing his tapes which were usually The Righteous Brothers who were Frank’s favorite group.

Of course, we would also listen to the radio with all of the popular songs in the spring of 1968; then, if a good movie was playing at the Showboat Drive-In movie, we might go there. If we did go to a movie, we would always go to a store first and buy two cans of black olives to eat at the movie because we both loved black olives.

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4 Comments

  1. This chapter had to be the beginning. I say that for having read a truly familiar account of what seems to lead up to all lasting relationships! The recognition of a person’s unique grace. A statement which is meant to ask you to see the imperfect within us all, followed by an act which forces the the truth of our own feelings upon us! Phew…sure glad to get that out of the way, now we can explore everything about us, honestly!
    I’m unable to explain why I enjoy the way you write. Except to say as a former boyfriend, I appreciate every moment you question or are pleased by the feelings you experienced! It’s a valuable insight to share the workings of the mind from the girlfriends perspective! Especially before becoming one to the other! Of my late grandma Manning, I’d inquire why she never dated or spent time in other men’s company after my grandpa and her husband had passed. She’d say, ” Once you’ve had true love Denny…there’s really no point in questioning it!” Your story, Nancy…might very well be the access which will help so many to look for the elementals of true love, they may already have. Nice work!

    • Thank you so much. I can not tell you how much your comment means to me. My youngest grandson said your exact words, “I like the way you write”. I will bare my heart and soul to you in this book then he will also bare his through the letters he wrote to me. Frank and I became one so quickly that it made my head swim. I have always thought from the moment we met that God had planned our union before we were born. Even now, my heart grows with love for Frank. He lives and experiences life through me now as one heart and soul. Please keep reading and sharing. It only gets more humorous and better through the years.
      God Bless You,
      Nancy

  2. Ahhhhh…the memories…I was a member of Bapist Youth Fellowship for a while. Like you we did a few hayrides, shared soft drinks….talked….the memories you have brought to life!

    • Kim, we had a lot of fun back then. I really hope that kids have good honest fun like that nowadays. I am so happy this stirs good memories for you. Thank you so much for reading and commenting. I feel very honored.
      God Bless you,
      Nancy

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