Chapter 5: A New Year

December 31, 1968

I was invited to a New Year's Eve celebration sponsored by the Chamber of Commerce. At first I declined, stating that I had my employees to entertain. When they were welcomed along with my mother, I quickly accepted the invitation. It seemed that I was a welcome new face in the downtown, and I was starting to be recognized among many of the businessmen of Bellingham.

The party caused some brief consternation for Shelly. She didn't have a dress and wouldn't attend without something appropriate to wear. Mom solved that quickly with a fast trip with Shelly to the new Bon Marche. There was no discussion and no debate. Shelly would have a new dress and that was final. Shelly had learned not to argue with my mother.

As I heard from them later, the two walked out of the department store giggling like a pair of schoolgirls. Bags loaded with two new dresses, two blouses, several pairs of nylons, undergarments, and two pair of shoes. Shelly was going to look like a modern young woman if mother had anything to do with it. The shoes weren't platform and the dress wasn't a "mini," but both were pretty sexy for this town. The rest of Shelly's attraction would be Shelly herself, on display.

The dance lessons were something else. Shelly had little experience with conventional dancing and was very unsure of herself. Mom wasn't much help. She and Dad seldom had the chance to dance, and teaching Shelly what little she knew was hopeless. It was Jurgen who came to the rescue. He knew how to dance and it was he who taught Shelly and Mom. I was surprised at how quickly my mother picked up the basics. She and Jurgen seemed to fit together like they had been doing this for years.

Shelly and I practiced as well. Not quite as smooth, but in the end, we were at least fairly sure we wouldn't embarrass ourselves. That lovely, full body of Shelly's was a real pleasure to hold on to, so I enjoyed every minute of practice. I got the impression Shelly did too.

When the two women walked downstairs on New Year's Eve to present themselves, Jurgen and I could only stare. They didn't just look completely different, they looked spectacular. Their dresses, their hair, their makeup ... Suddenly, Jurgen and I weren't so confident. These two women looked incredible and we felt a bit overwhelmed. Neither of us had ever seen the two women presented so beautifully.

Shelly's dress was short in the current fashion of young people. It was a colorful but subtle print with a low neckline that emphasized her large breasts. I had a very hard time keeping my eyes directed at her face. I was dressed in a blazer and slacks, a light blue wide-collared shirt and a very wide multi-colored tie.

"Holy cow, Shelly. You look fantastic," I exclaimed, as she bounced into the living room.

"Thanks," she giggled. She was swinging between nervousness and elation. She was slightly uncomfortable about the cleavage and the shortness of the dress. Mom had insisted the dress was fine and the salesgirl had said it was just right for a young woman of her age.

My mother was wearing a dark red knee-length sheath with a neckline that wasn't quite as daring as Shelly's, but was unusual for her. This was a whole new look for my mother. She looked terrific — very classy. Apparently Jurgen thought so as well. He was smiling from ear to ear as she approached him. He was wearing an older-style three button charcoal suit with a starched white shirt and dark red tie. He was, as always, immaculate.

As we escorted our ladies into the ballroom of the hotel, I felt we was truly now a part of the community. They had invited us here and when I looked around, I didn't feel out of place. These people had made it easy for us to become part of them. A number of the men walked over with their wives to introduce themselves to us. I was really happy that our "family" had been accepted so readily.

We enjoyed a very nice three course meal, each table supplied with wine, courtesy of the hotel. Shelly was particularly careful and sipped her single glass very cautiously. She wasn't cautious with the meal, however. She ate everything and more than once commented on how much she enjoyed the food.

The dancing started just after nine that evening and I waited until there were a number of couples on the floor before asking Shelly to dance. I followed Jurgen and Mom as they walked out onto the large dance floor. It took Shelly and me a few seconds to find our rhythm and remember the steps, but once we found the right pace, we were fine. We danced the first three numbers, holding each other at a distance as we hadn't yet felt at ease.

As I looked around the floor, I noticed that other young couples were dancing much more closely. Their bodies were in contact with each other and I wondered if I could encourage Shelly to dance closely too. She was beginning to relax as we spent more time on the floor. I could feel the tension in her to begin with, but I could also feel it gradually lessen.

I glanced over at my mother and Jurgen and saw them gliding effortlessly together. They were closer together than when they started, and the smile on my mother's face told me that she was enjoying herself. I turned to Shelly.

"Have a look at Mom and Jurgen," I said quietly.

Shelly looked around before spotting them and then smiled.

"She's having a good time, Rod. She looks happy. I'm glad."

"Me too. You think there might be something going on between her and Jurgen?"

Shelly laughed into my shoulder as she moved closer to me.

"It took you this long to figure that out?"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, your mom and Jurgen have been spendin' time with each other for the last two months at least." she said. "Don't look so surprised. They're both about the same age and single. Your mom is a really nice lady ... good lookin' and a real nice person. You're pretty lucky, you know."

"Yeah ... I guess I am. Jurgen's a good guy too. They look good together, don't you think?"

Shelly had a smile on her face that confounded me. It was as if she knew something that she was keeping to herself.

"Let's go sit a spell, Rod. My feet are a bit sore in these new shoes."

I led her back to our table and pulled the chair out for her.

We had no sooner sat when a well dressed man came over to the table and asked me for permission to dance with Shelly.

"Uhmmm ... sure ... I mean ... that's up to her," I finally managed.

Shelly looked at me and then at the man standing between us.

"Uh ... I'm kind of resting my feet right now," she said. "Maybe later?"

"Oh ... sure ... I understand. My name's Roger. Maybe I'll come back in a while for that dance," he smiled.

As he walked away, Shelly turned to me with a funny look.

"What was that all about? What did he want?"

I laughed. "Well, my best guess is he thought you were one of the best looking women at the party and he wanted to dance with you."

"Oh."

"Have you ever been to a party like this before?" I asked.

"Uh ... no."

"So ... all this is new, right?"

"Yeah ... I guess so. I didn't know what to say. What should I have said?" she asked, looking at me intently.

"Whatever you felt like. If you wanted to dance with him, just say yes."

"And that wouldn't bother you? I mean ... I came to the party with you."

"He just wants to dance with you, Shelly. I don't mind," I replied, not quite truthfully.

"Oh." She looked almost disappointed.

I poured Shelly another glass of wine and she sipped this one a bit less cautiously than her first. She was looking around the dance floor at the couples, paying attention to how they acted with each other as well as what the other younger women were wearing. Mother had been right, the women of Shelly's age group all wore short skirts or dresses and most had low necklines. Perhaps now she would feel less conspicuous.

At last, Jurgen and Mom returned to the table. They had been out on the dance floor for nearly twenty minutes and they came back smiling and talking to each other.

"Shelly, let's go to the ladies room while it's not so busy," Mom suggested.

Shelly looked a bit puzzled, but rose and walked with my mother toward the corridor leading to the washrooms.

"You looked like you were really having a good time, Jurgen," I said after a short silence.

"Ja. Your mother is a very good dancer. She is very ... schick?" he said, trying to find the English equivalent.

"Elegant! Yes, that's a good word. She is, isn't she. You'd never know she was a rancher's wife not that long ago."

"She is a very fine lady." Jurgen seemed lost in thought.

"Have you told her that?" I asked, taking a chance.

Jurgen looked at me in surprise. "No ... I would not dare."