My Family: Chapter 55

My first crush was on a guy 13 years older than myself. I didn't think I was ever going to fall in love. He lived a cross the street from Aunt Hannah and would come over to talk to Uncle Andy. I didn't pay him any attention until one day Aunt Wanda and Uncle Andy told me he was only coming over to the house to see me, so I started to pay attention to him.  I could see his house from my bedroom I had at Aunt Hannah’s.

But he had a girlfriend who lived in the apartments and he took her out on a date every day. I would watch him leave to pick her up and still be watching his house from my window, while lying on my bed, when he came home. He was twenty-seven and I was fifteen. All we every said to one another was hello.

Aunt Wanda lived in the apartment over the dance hall, and I could see the apartment building where his girlfriend lived and sometimes I would be at Aunt Wanda's when he dropped her off at home and start back up the alley. Aunt Wanda and I would race down the steps and sit on the bottom step pretending we were there the whole time as he passed by. He would stop and talk to us for a few minutes.  After he left, I would  be in seventh heaven for the rest of the night. It wasn’t to be because one day he moved to Ohio.

Here’s the story of how I gave Shirley’s wedding dress away. Remember she was dating Dave? Well, they decided to get married. I was living with Aunt Hannah at the time but I would go home for short visits.  While at Aunt Hannah’s, I met a girl who was around my age and lived down the alley. She needed a dress to wear to an event - I don't remember where she was going - but I told her I had a dress she could have. I hardly ever wore the dress because my parent’s neighbor bought it for me when I sang on the radio with the class. That was the only time I believe I wore it. 

However, I forgot the dress was no longer mine it was now Shirley’s. Shirley made me give it to her either because she did my dishes for me or because she didn’t go to the movies with me. Anyway I didn't know it but Shirley was going to wear the dress when she got married which just so happened to be the same weekend I gave it to my new friend to wear. Shirley was desperate, she had no wedding dress and I believe Dave’s sister either brought her a dress or loan her one. If she knew where I was (I moved frequently) she could have come and I would have gotten the dress back for her.