It was the Friday of the third week of school of my senior year and there was a home football game that evening. I’d had lunch with my best friend, Harry Logan and we talked about going to the football game that evening and to the dance afterward to look for girls. Neither one of us is a good dancer but we definitely could put on a good pretense on the dance floor with a willing partner.

Part of my problems with dancing was that I had a slight limp from a football injury in my freshman year. Harry didn’t have any injuries but, I think that he was just unsure of himself around girls.

Anyway, I picked him up and we went to the game and sat in the bleachers along with some of our other friends. Our team won the game by one touchdown and we were all happy with the results of the game. I thought that the team had been very well coached but the opposite team gave us a really tough game. Fortunately, we won the game with our better coaching making the difference.

After the game, Harry and I went to the school dance as we had previously planned. The school sponsors a dance in the old gym after every football and basketball game of the season.

The old gym used to be the main gym before the new athletic building was built with a much larger basketball court and for use for the boy’s Phys Ed. Activities. The old gym was used for the girl’s Phys Ed. and other activities such as the school dances.

In order to get into the dance we had to show our student identification card and all the music was played from records and piped through the PA system of the gym. Anyone could buy soft drinks and snacks like cupcakes, candy bars and peanuts at the regular prices. Needless to say there was no alcohol allowed on school property as anyone caught with alcohol would at least be thrown out of the building and maybe even worse.

When Harry and I came into the gym we walked down to the mid-section of the bleachers and went up to the fifth level bleacher seats and took a seat there. We thought that would give us a good view of the dance floor so that we could look for girls. The music was already playing and the dance floor was less than half full with more people streaming in from the game.

When I had surveyed the dance floor I looked around and near the other end of the mid-section a girl was sitting on the second level bleacher with three or four other girls standing in the aisle in front of her talking to her. A little while later the girl was still sitting there alone and the other girls had drifted out on the dance floor. Some were dancing with other boys or with other girls.

A little while later I happened to notice that she was moving her head and shoulders in time with the beat of the rock & roll music and then later she was swaying to the tune of a slow song as though she was actually out on the dance floor dancing with a partner.

I thought it was unusual conduct until I noticed that the arm braces of metallic crutches were standing propped against the first level bleacher seats where she could easily reach them.

About that time two groups of people were passing in front of the girl and two of the boys one of whom must have accidentally kicked her crutches and they fell to the floor out of her reach. She turned her head looking at the guys that had knocked her crutches over with a terrified look on her face.

I knew exactly what was going through her mind as I had been in her same situation when my crutches were out of my reach and I didn’t know what I was going to do to retrieve them until someone picked them up and handed them to me. I was so relieved that someone would do that for me.

She was already bending down in a futile effort to reach the crutches but, I knew that there was no way she could without falling off of her seat onto the dance floor. I decided that I was going to get her crutches for her. I just stepped down each of the bleacher seats and to the aisle, walked down to where the crutches were laying, picked them up and handed them to her.

As I handed her the crutches I said, “I saw you trying to retrieve these and I wanted to get them for you as a payback for all of those people who got my crutches for me in the past. I could see the terror in your face and I wanted you to feel relieved and much more comfortable during the dance, Cheryl.”

A bright smile of relief with a relieved expression of thanks spread across her face and she said, “Thank you so much. I can’t thank you enough. I really didn’t know what I was going to do without my crutches. How do you know my name?”

“Well, Cheryl, my buddy, Harry said he thought that he recognized you from one of his classes and he thought your name was Cheryl. My name is Dean Travis, by the way.” I turned around and waived to Harry to come on down to sit with us.

Cheryl then asked, “Dean, you’re not using crutches now what happened to you and how do you not have to use crutches any longer?”

“I was on the football team and during the game I was running the ball when I was hit from the side and behind and it tore up my knee. The pain was so bad I thought I was going to die or at least I was wishing I had died.

I was laying there on the field moaning and crying when they brought out a stretcher and carried me off of the field. They took me into the dressing room and the doctor gave me a shot of morphine and I was out for the night. Then they sent me to the hospital.

They took X-Rays and the doctor wanted to take me right up to surgery to start repairing the damage. By that time my Mom and Dad had come down and the orthopedic surgeon was there to assess my case. Mom was crying and holding me and Dad was talking to the doctors. They had iced my knee down and they finally decided to take me up to surgery.

They kept me drugged up for what seemed like days. And I was kept in bed for many days. I don’t know just how long it was until I could finally get into a wheel chair. But, I couldn’t even begin to put any weight on my leg. They had put my leg in a cast and after a few months I was allowed to walk around with those big wooden crutches that came up to my arm pits.

That surgeon was a cracker jack. My Mom was afraid that they may have to amputate my leg just above my knee and then Mom and Dad thought that I would have to be on crutches the rest of my life. After they took the cast off, that surgeon said to me, “I think that we have saved your knee, son but, you know you are never going to play football again. If you do we won’t be able to save your knee again.”

“They let me start using crutches like yours and I had to use them for a year until the doctor said that I could put them away but, I had to be very careful of my knee and not let anything injure it again. Otherwise I might have to use those crutches for the rest of my life or at least a cane.

The coach came by to see me and he asked, Travis how soon are they going to let you get back out on the football field for us? We need you to come back to practice so you can play.

I told him, “Coach, the doctor told me that I couldn’t play football again. he said that they saved my knee this time but, there won’t be another time if it’s injured again and I would be on crutches for the rest of my life.”

He got red in the face and said, “Well, there goes our season this year. We have a six foot two 195 pound running back and he can’t ever play football for us again.”

He left shaking his head but, there was nothing anyone could do about the situation. But enough of that, Cheryl, what happened to you that has put you on crutches?”

“I was still in elementary school and was playing on the Jungle Jim when something happened and I was hanging from the bars by my legs. Two of the teachers came over and got me down off of the Jungle Jim. Like you said about yourself I was in severe pain and when they took me to the hospital they gave me a shot. I was out for most of the night and they put both of my legs in a cast.

I had to stay in bed for several days then they let me get up and get around in a wheel chair. Several weeks later when they took the cast off I had to stay off of my feet for a couple of weeks and then I could walk around using first the wooden crutches like you did and then they let me use these metal crutches that I have now.”

“Cheryl, I saw you rocking to the music and then I saw you swaying to a slow song like you had an invisible partner. I think that you would like to be out there on the dance floor wouldn’t you?”

“Yeah, I would, Dean. But, there is no way I can dance with these crutches.”

“I’ll tell you what, why don’t you let me be your crutches while we are out on the dance floor? I’ll hold you and you can rock or sway to the music but, you won’t have to move your feet. Would you like to do that with me?”

“I’d love to do that with you, Dean but, I don’t think that you could hold my weight all that long while we are dancing.”

“Well, let’s try it and if either one or both of us get tired I’ll bring you back here to sit and relax, Ok?”’

“Ok, but, let me take one of my crutches for my right hand for a little support anyway.”

We got up and went down to the floor level and she left one of her crutches on the first level seat. I took her in my arms and held her tightly. We were right on the edge of the dance floor and I kept my body between us and the rest of the dance couples on the floor. A slow song was playing and we began to sway to the tune and the rhythm of the song. It was like heaven holding her young warm soft body in my arms.

When I looked at her pretty face, Cheryl had the biggest and brightest smile I had ever seen and she was enjoying herself immensely, even though we had not moved our feet all of the time we had been out on the dance floor. Her eyes were shining and sparkling as brightly as two spotlights. Seeing the smile on her face and her sparkling eyes was worth a million dollars to me and I think it may have been worth a million dollars to her too.

I told her, “I think that you are the prettiest Girl here at the dance tonight, Cheryl. This appears to have made your night tonight. You have the prettiest most beautiful eyes and the sweetest smile on your face that I have ever seen. You have the most alluring figure of any of these girls out here on the dance floor. I’m so glad that I could help you do this tonight and I want to do that for you again, too, at the next school dance.”

Cheryl then asked me, “Why are you doing this for me, Dean? You don’t have to do this for me.”

“Honey, I don’t have to do this for you but, I wanted to do it because I had wished someone had done something similar for me when I was on crutches and seeing the look of pleasure in your eyes and the smile on your face has been worth a million dollars to me. I will remember you and the smile on your face for a hundred years.”

I looked at her eyes and she was looking at someone behind me. When I turned my head I saw several of her girlfriends in a semicircle clapping their hands and saying things like, “Go for it Cheryl.” and “You go Girl.” “Have a good dance, Cheryl.” Her smile just got even bigger and brighter.

Then the music changed to a rock song and Cheryl was rocking to that music. Her girlfriends changed their chant to, “You’re rocking now Cheryl.” And, “Have a rocking good time Cheryl.” “We love you, Cheryl.” “We’re proud of you, Cheryl.”

When that record ended her girlfriends all gathered around her patting her on the back and told her how proud they were of her. She asked, “Can we sit down and rest for a little while now, Dean, Please?”

I helped her over to the first level seat and we both sat down. Her bright smile returned and it was worth the million dollars to see how happy she was. They only played one more set of songs and then they announced over the speaker system that was the end of the dance for the night.

I asked her, “Do you need me to take you home tonight, Cheryl?”

She replied, “My girlfriends brought me here and they were going to take me home but, I’d like for you to take me home, Dean, if you want to.”

“Ok, you stay here in the building while I go get my car and I’ll pull up in front of the sidewalk for you to get into my car. I’ll ask Harry to wait here with you until I bring my car up out in front of the building. I picked him up this evening and I need to give him a ride home, too.”

I went to the parking lot, got my car and drove up in front of the building. Walking back up to the building I saw Cheryl standing just outside the door with Harry. We helped her to my car and helped her get into the car. I then drove Harry home and dropped him off at his house.

We then proceeded on to Cheryl’s house and I parked at the curb. I told her, “You just sit right there and I’ll come around to your side to help you get out of the car. I helped her get out of my car and I walked her up the side walk to her front door. The next thing I had to do was to help her get up the three steps to her front door.

Before she went into the house she said, “Thank you so very much for all that you have done for me tonight, Dean. I can’t tell you how much I enjoyed what you have done for me and I hope that we can go to the dance again.”

Cheryl, the game next week is going to be out of town so would you like to go to the movies with me next Saturday night? If so I want you to choose the movie you want to see.”

“Oh, yes, I sure would Dean. I’ll look at the movie schedule and see if there is a movie we will both want to see.”

“Ok, then would you ask one of your girlfriends if they would like to go to the movie with Harry as his date and double date with us. Harry is kind of shy around girls and I’d like for one of your good friends to go with him to the movie and give you and your parents a feeling that you will be safe and protected when we go to the movie Saturday night.”

“Ok, I’ll get my best friend Judy Baker to go with him.”

“That’s great, I’ll talk to Harry and have him see her at school or call her at home if you will give me her phone number. Have a good night, Cheryl.”

Before I could turn to leave she put her arms around my neck and kissed me on the cheek. Then she said, “I think that you are very sweet, Dean, and good night.”

I walked back to my car thinking what a sweet Girl Cheryl is. I’m sure looking forward to taking her to the movies on Saturday night.

On Monday, Harry and I met for lunch as we usually do. During lunch I told him, “I’m going to take Cheryl to the movies Saturday night.” I saw his face kind of fall and I quickly followed that up with a question, “How would you like to get a date and go with us on a double date, Bud?”

“Hey, Man, I don’t know of any girls who would like to go out with me, Dean, so I don’t think that I can find a girl to go out with me.”