Chapter 4

Since the first day of class, Doug had been trying to strike up a relationship with Mary Stendall, a beautiful blond in his English composition class, who was from High Point, NC. She was, after Doug, doing the best work in the class. Doug had gotten her to go for a Coke after class twice but it became apparent that she was going to be true to her boyfriend from High Point, a football player at East Carolina University, and wasn’t going to date anyone else. Mary would find out over Christmas break that her boyfriend was screwing at least two girls at ECU and upon her return to Chapel Hill became one of the easiest girls on the UNC campus. Unfortunately for Doug, Mary wasn’t in any of his new classes, and he wasn’t aware of her change of heart until much later.

For all his worldly ways, Doug was reticent around females. He would never be so forward as to force himself on a girl. He always remembered his momma’s admonition to treat all women like ladies whether they acted like it or not.

By the time Doug had given up trying to get Mary to go out with him, it was deep into the school year and the second week in December before Doug called Alice. She said she was glad to hear from him and agreed go out Friday night.

December in North Carolina is rarely colder than sweater weather and sometimes it’s downright warm. The night of Doug’s and Alice’s date was pleasant requiring only sport coat for Doug and a sweater for Alice. When Doug took Franklin Street out of Chapel Hill Alice had no idea where they were going but didn’t ask and waited to be surprised. They drove to downtown Durham where Doug parked.

Alice looked around for a college beer joint but Doug took her hand and led her onto the crowded sidewalks of Christmas shoppers. They walked the streets looking in store windows decked with Christmas decorations and children’s toys and other goodies. They watched as the shopper’s expressions changed from joy to dread the longer they were out.

After a full cycle of widow shopping they went into stores to do battle with the shoppers. Doug gave a display NFL Electric Football a spin and Alice checked out the Barbie School House and Mattel talking dolls. They both tried out the slot car set that came with four lanes and four individual controllers. Alice almost peed her pants laughing at Doug as his car kept flying off the track. Doug got even on the Rock-Em-Sock-Em Robots. In another store Alice lost track of Doug only to find him with a Roy Rogers guitar around his neck entertaining a group of small children.

As they tramped the streets going from store to store, they felt the spirit of Christmas in the shoppers. There were the families with little wide eyed kids looking at the toys and the shininess of all the new things, haggard looking husbands shopping for their wives, husbands and wives working as a team and looking like they had been run through a wringer, with arms loaded down with bags as they pushed through the crowd to locate that last toy. Barbie’s cousin Francie and her mod gear or the GI Joe Space Suit and Space Capsule.

After nearly three hours of nonstop Christmas chaos Doug said, “How about some ice cream? There’s a place over there,” pointing at the end of the block, “that makes their own and it’s really good.”

Surprised at the offer of ice cream Alice said, “Sounds great. How do you know about these places? You’re not from North Carolina are you?”

“No, I’m from Richmond, but one of the lacrosse guys that I work out with is from Durham and he showed me this place when we came over one day for him to drop off his laundry with his mamma.”

“Do they have fudge ripple?”

“They don’t have the same flavors every day but they always have vanilla and chocolate and butter pecan and maybe fudge ripple. We’ll see when we get inside,” Doug said opening the door to the small ice cream store. “Yep, there it is, fudge ripple along with ten other flavors. I’m getting mine in a cone but they have little Dixie cup-like things if you’d rather have that.”

They both got cones with two scoops. Alice got fudge ripple and Doug, butter pecan. He had thought about the rum-raisin but decided against it. They licked and ate as they walked back to the car not having finished when they reached it. “Is it all right to get in with ice cream?”

“Sure, it has leather seats, besides it would be okay even if it had clothe seats. It’s just a car.”

They were nearly half way back to Chapel Hill by the time they finished the last of their cones and wiped their faces. “That was excellent ice cream Doug. I’m so glad you thought of it.”

“I’m glad you liked it. I think it’s pretty good. I try to go by there whenever I’m in or near Durham.”

They were quiet for the remaindering few minutes of the trip back to Alice’s dorm. She didn’t know what Doug expected when they got back. Was he, like so many of her dates, going to try to make out, get his money’s worth? She had success in resisting others but she never looked forward to having dates end that way.

“Well here we are,” Doug said and got out and came around to open Alice’s door for her. He took her hand as they walked to the dorm door. “I had a nice time Alice I hope you enjoyed it.”

When Alice realized that Doug wasn’t expecting a reward for a nice evening Alice was almost speechless but managed to blurt out, “Oh, I had a wonderful time Doug. Maybe the best since I’ve been in Chapel Hill. I really did enjoy the evening and the ice cream was super.”