Chapter 23

My mind was racing as soon as my alarm clock went off. My life was getting so complicated. There were so many details to handle, none of them hard, just so many. I literally raced through my morning exercises, running then showering. I had a busy day ahead. Dressing in my normal chino’s and cotton plaid long sleeve shirt I got ready for a busy day.

At breakfast, I bit the bullet.

“I need to get my suit dry cleaned and buy a money order, but I have golf practice. Could you do it for me, Dad?”

After taking a sip of his black coffee he replied, “I will have time, I have to go downtown and rent a steamer to peel a lot of the old wallpaper off the living room walls on Detroit Street. How much do you want the money order for?”

“Eleven dollars,” I said while looking at Mum out of the corner of my eye.

She was busy buttering toast, but she turned around quickly.

“What is the money order for?” she asked quietly.

“For an industrial dryer for my hair, I saw one at the gold mine in California. It will prevent me from catching my death.”

“Is it like the ones at the beauty parlor?”

“Oh no, it is handheld. At least the barrel is that the hot air comes out of. I didn’t get that close of a look at the mine, so I don’t know how big the heater and motor are. It gives the RPM of the motor and watts of the heater, but they really don’t mean anything to me. The total weight of the unit isn’t included.”

She surprised me with, “Well if it works it will be God sent around here.”

I didn’t push my luck on that subject any further. I had the money ready and gave it to dad. My suit was rolled up in a bag for him to take to my Uncle Gene’s Bell Cleaners.

“Thanks, Dad, this will help a lot.”

He smiled as he said, “We have to have you looking good for your first date.”

He just had to say that, Mum now followed up.

“I have talked to Janet’s Mum. Today the dates for Tom and Bill will be made ticky boo.”

At times Mum talked real funny I think she meant everything was coming together.

On our walk to school, Tom and Bill pressed me for what I knew about their dates for homecoming. I told them not to do anything until I heard from Janet.

Today noticeably was cooler than it had been, it was getting near the end of September and we were due for the first killing frost. We would have to start wearing coats to school soon.

I heard lots of “Go Bellefontaine” as I walked through the hall. They were directed at me! This was traditional whenever we beat our arch-rivals in Urbana. I suspect if our trash men could pick up garbage faster than theirs it would be, “Go Bellefontaine.” Still, it was neat.

Janet looking fine in a navy blue skirt and white blouse cornered me on the way into the cafeteria for lunch.

“Ricky, tell Tom to ask Tracy, and Bill to ask Nancy to homecoming and dinner. They will both say yes.”

I walked over to the two guys and gave them their marching orders. Tom got an enormous smile, Bill looked worried.

Just then Janet came walking up with Tracy and Nancy. The two girls standing side by side looked like Mutt and Jeff. They were both good looking.

Tracy was tall, maybe five foot eight inches and slender with brunette hair and brown eyes. Nancy was considerably shorter, a little over five feet tall, blonde with blue eyes and a fair complexion. She was built like you wouldn’t believe it.

Tom who was several inches taller than Tracy couldn’t ask her out fast enough knowing that she would say yes. Bill stuttered at the much shorter Nancy but did manage to ask her out.

Both girls seemed to appreciate the pressure the boys were under and responded with a simple, “I would love to go with you.”

The girls had their lunch trays with them and joined us.

They started going over the details with the two guys. I thought I knew all the arrangements. That was when I found out all the women had been talking back and forth. That meant nine females; the girls and all our mothers were in on this operation.