Above are pictured two of my favorite people ever. They raised my eternal companion and best friend.
My parents and siblings moved from Hazelton to Buhl, Idaho between my sophomore and junior year in high school. I was working on a hay crew in Montello, Nevada at the time. The ruse did not work, however, and I was reunited with my family, much to their chagrin, at the end of the summer just in time for my junior year in high school.
I was raised with five sisters so the mysteries of womanhood were mostly solved for me. I didn't really date or hang with girls much as playing sports and hanging with the guys was more fun and less effort. That all changed when I walked into first period English class the first day of school. There was a girl sitting in the second seat of the middle row that captured my heart at first sight. (Yeah, I was trying to think of another way to put it...but there it is.) Sometime soon thereafter, in the hall by her locker, I used the suave ploy of holding her pencil hostage in order to get pertinent personal information from her with my sophisticated charm and wit. (Loud snickers and guffaws.)
We started dating but not exclusively. I did walk her home every day from school and ate my bagged lunch at her house at lunch time. I am not sure her parents knew what to think of me.
Is that enough preface to get to the main point of this treatise? Good.
I began to be invited for Sunday dinner with this girl and her parents. We would be adorned in dressy casual and drive over to Twin Falls for dinner (the first time I underdressed but learned fast). I would drive their 1964 Chrysler 300 with my girl next to me. Ted and Kitty would ride in the spacious rear passenger compartment. I had to be careful as cruise control did not exist and the Chrysler would hit 90 miles an hour without effort. I learned to be aware of being sensitive to the other people in the car and make sure the music, temperature and style of driving were comfortable to all.
At dinner, through experience and conversation, I learned to behave in a civilized manner, eat with the proper utensils (there were a lot more knives, forks and such than I was used to), how to speak to the waitress and hold the chairs for the ladies. I was not allowed to pay but Ted let me know in his kind understated way that normally the non payer picked up the tip. Ted always tipped generously being sensitive to the low wages of many workers. Service or demeanor did not matter as he assured me everyone has a bad day at times. I paid attention to the way he was dressed: slacks whose crisp creases could draw blood, tasteful sweaters and shirts and beautifully colored wingtip shoes.
I really started to look forward and enjoy this quiet time with Ted and Kitty (and their daughter). I learned the art of conversation and started to keep up with current events so I could be part of the sharing. I think I was quiet for the most part to keep from sounding like a plow horse at a thoroughbred event. They never treated me as such but were always kind and understanding.
I think about these quiet times often as I miss Ted and his quiet, intelligent ways. I treasure the time I can spend with Kitty and enjoy her childlike simpleness. One year my father-in-law gave me a subscription to The Economist. Funny how he knew what would grab my rapt attention at the University.
That's all I have today. Enough for now.
