{"id":351,"date":"2011-06-07T10:44:45","date_gmt":"2011-06-07T14:44:45","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/?page_id=351"},"modified":"2025-04-23T15:13:41","modified_gmt":"2025-04-23T19:13:41","slug":"chapter-15-the-dating-scene","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/?page_id=351","title":{"rendered":"Chapter 15: The Dating Scene"},"content":{"rendered":"<h3>Jaunts &#8216;Round the Corner<\/h3>\n<table class=\"floatleft\" border=\"0\" width=\"300\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"5\">\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td rowspan=\"2\" width=\"60\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\" size-full wp-image-9464 alignleft\" src=\"https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/06\/musicnotes-tiny.gif\" alt=\"musicnotes-tiny\" width=\"50\" height=\"auto\" \/><\/td>\n<td width=\"414\"><strong>Sweetheart<br \/>\n<\/strong>Frankie and the Knockouts<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><a id=\"mbmaplayer_1375886788807\" class=\"{skin:'black', animate:false, width:'120', volume:0.2, autoplay:false, loop:false, showVolumeLevel:true, showTime:true, showRew:true, downloadable:false, downloadablesecurity:false, id3: false}\" href=\"https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/06\/Frankie-And-the-Knockouts-Sweetheart.mp3\"><textarea class=\"map_params\" style=\"display: block; padding: 3px; background: #444; color: #fff; text-decoration: none;\" disabled=\"disabled\">map :: {skin:&#8217;black&#8217;, animate:false, width:&#8217;120&#8242;, volume:0.2, autoplay:false, loop:false, showVolumeLevel:true, showTime:true, showRew:true, downloadable:false, downloadablesecurity:false, id3: false}<\/textarea><\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<p><strong><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright wp-image-10130\" src=\"https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/06\/skates-300x192.jpg\" alt=\"skates\" width=\"335\" height=\"214\" srcset=\"https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/06\/skates-300x192.jpg 300w, https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/06\/skates.jpg 491w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 335px) 100vw, 335px\" \/>Spring 1981 turned a new leaf in my development\u00a0<\/strong> \u2014\u00a0I believe I morphed from \u201ckid\u201d to \u201cyoung adult.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>At 14, I was roller-skating on Willow Street pretty regularly and a boy in my class, Mike S, lived around the corner.<\/p>\n<p>We eventually developed an interest in each other, and suddenly this lent a bit more thrill to my skating jaunts. We also had Homeroom together in school, and I noticed something blossoming there. He began to get more flirty.<\/p>\n<p>It was a strange and mildly electric feeling, this mutual attraction that neither one of us acted upon at first.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_6665\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-6665\" style=\"width: 335px\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\" wp-image-6665\" title=\"I Want My MTV\" src=\"https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/06\/i-want-my-mtv.jpg\" alt=\"I Want My MTV\" width=\"335\" height=\"375\" srcset=\"https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/06\/i-want-my-mtv.jpg 347w, https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/06\/i-want-my-mtv-268x300.jpg 268w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 335px) 100vw, 335px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-6665\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">The Buggles herald news of an unwelcome fate to the radio star<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>This school year was starting to get fun. I hung with a bunch of really nice kids, including Beth, Deena, Bridget, Anne, Celine and Karen.<\/p>\n<p>We all went on school trips with our grade to Great Adventure,\u00a0 the 9th Grade picnic at Thompson Park, and Washington, D.C. Mike and I were eyeing each other at all these events; he was with his friends and I was with mine.<\/p>\n<p>On the D.C. trip, we were placed on separate buses, so we missed each other on the ride down and back. But we made up for it before and after. He said I was beautiful on that trip.<\/p>\n<p>Since I was the first in our social group to experience romance of any sort, we gossiped with that girlish giggly speculation about this young Jude Law look-alike who was of sudden interest to me.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/youtu.be\/b0NEzcVw2CY\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><em>Sweetheart<\/em><\/a> by Frankie and the Knockouts and <em><a href=\"https:\/\/youtu.be\/0C4Xx83FB2M\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">All Those Years Ago<\/a><\/em>\u00a0by George Harrison are the two musical winners for this time of my life.<\/p>\n<h3>First Kiss<\/h3>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright wp-image-2227\" src=\"https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/06\/me-mike-6-218x300.jpg\" alt=\"Me and Mike - 9th Grade Semi-Formal\" width=\"400\" height=\"550\" srcset=\"https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/06\/me-mike-6-218x300.jpg 218w, https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/06\/me-mike-6.jpg 500w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px\" \/>By late May 1981, Mike and I were hanging out often. One evening after the sun went down, we were in my back yard talking and pretty much relishing that \u201cfeeling.\u201d\u00a0It was getting time for him to leave, as homework beckoned.<\/p>\n<p>As I started for the gate, he stepped forward and said my name. I hesitated and that\u2019s when we had our (and my) first kiss.<\/p>\n<p>It felt unfamiliar and nice and very intimate at the same time. I thought, This guy really likes me. I&#8217;ll venture I gave him the same impression.<\/p>\n<p>It lasted just a few seconds, then Mike stole off into the deepening shadows. I thought about what I would tell my friends at school the next day.<\/p>\n<p>That night as I got ready for bed, Mom was in the room and she turned off my light for me. I let her know what had happened that evening, and we had a lighthearted, frank talk about it. I\u2019m sure Mom expected this eventually \u2026 and as hoped, she was completely cool about it.<\/p>\n<p>Of course, Deena and my other pals wanted details. \u00a0The 9th Grade Semi-Formal was approaching, and Mike asked me to go with him; it was to be our First Date.<\/p>\n<h3>Big Night<\/h3>\n<p>Mom took me shopping for a knockout dress (appropriate for 14, of course) for the occasion. We went to a nice boutique, and we chose a flattering white spaghetti-strap flowing below-the-knee number with plum and purple accents.<\/p>\n<p>Somehow, we found the PERFECT open-toed shoes to match. We went out for Chinese food afterward. Mom always made everything so special.<\/p>\n<p>The night of the dance, Mike\u2019s mother brought him over for pictures in my back yard, and both moms snapped away.\u00a0Mike wore a gray pin-stripe suit and bestowed upon me a pretty corsage.<\/p>\n<p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/06\/musicnotes-tiny.gif\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\" size-full wp-image-9464 alignleft\" src=\"https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/06\/musicnotes-tiny.gif\" alt=\"musicnotes-tiny\" width=\"50\" height=\"61\" \/><\/a>Turn It On Again<br \/>\n<\/strong>Genesis<\/p>\n<p><a id=\"mbmaplayer_1375807700359\" class=\"{skin:&#039;black&#039;, animate:false, width:&#039;120&#039;, volume:0.2, autoplay:false, loop:false, showVolumeLevel:true, showTime:true, showRew:true, downloadable:false, downloadablesecurity:false, id3: false}\" href=\"https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/06\/Genesis-Turn-It-On-Again.mp3\">Genesis &#8211; Turn It On Again<\/a><textarea class=\"map_params\" style=\"display: block; padding: 3px; background: #444; color: #fff; text-decoration: none;\" disabled=\"disabled\">map :: {skin:&#8217;black&#8217;, animate:false, width:&#8217;120&#8242;, volume:0.2, autoplay:false, loop:false, showVolumeLevel:true, showTime:true, showRew:true, downloadable:false, downloadablesecurity:false, id3: false}<\/textarea><\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_2225\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-2225\" style=\"width: 400px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-2225\" src=\"https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/06\/me-mike-7-222x300.jpg\" alt=\"Me and Mike - 9th Grade Semi-Formal\" width=\"400\" height=\"538\" srcset=\"https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/06\/me-mike-7-222x300.jpg 222w, https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/06\/me-mike-7.jpg 500w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-2225\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">My first date, with Mike for the 9th Grade Semi-Formal<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>I pinned on his carnation boutonni\u00e8re\u00a0as we posed and smiled with some giddy embarrassment. Mom drove us to the school; Mrs. S was to pick us up after the dance.<\/p>\n<p>The typically bland fluorescent-lit school cafeteria assumed a dreamy, romantic glow, with candles\u00a0 and white\u00a0 tablecloths on each of the little round tables.<\/p>\n<p>I found Deena and another of my friends, Beth, sitting at our table, chatting animatedly. A DJ played popular music in the background. As of this update, my friend Celine reminded me that the theme of the event was <em>Stairway to Heaven<\/em>.<\/p>\n<p>Mike and I were visibly \u201ctogether\u201d that evening, as we slow-danced and kissed often. Deena told me she was \u201cso happy things are working out with you and Mike.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>His sidekick, John B (more like gum on his shoe, as I saw it), was dateless and hanging around with some other guys who went stag.<\/p>\n<p>It was a time of real enchantment in my short life, and I had a wonderful time.\u00a0I remembered the previous year, as an eighth-grader, peering into the cafeteria the Friday afternoon before the dance, intrigued by the cotillion-like setup awaiting that evening\u2019s lucky attendees.<\/p>\n<p>And now here I was, with a new boyfriend, a part of that excitement.<\/p>\n<p>Mike once told me his dad had made reference to me with a wink: \u201cShe\u2019s gonna be a looker, that one \u2026\u201d (OK, keep them dungarees zipped, Mr. S.)<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><a title=\"Chapter 16: Adi\u00f3s Junior High; Romance Blooms\" href=\"https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/?page_id=365\">Chapter Sixteen: First Love<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-13050\" src=\"https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/drum-avatar-thumbnail-sm.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"75\" height=\"75\" \/> <a title=\"Return to Memoirs\" href=\"https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/?page_id=13681\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">Return to Chapters<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Jaunts &#8216;Round the Corner Sweetheart Frankie and the Knockouts map :: {skin:&#8217;black&#8217;, animate:false, width:&#8217;120&#8242;, volume:0.2, autoplay:false, loop:false, showVolumeLevel:true, showTime:true, showRew:true, downloadable:false, downloadablesecurity:false, id3: false} Spring 1981 turned a new leaf in my development\u00a0 \u2014\u00a0I believe I morphed from \u201ckid\u201d to \u201cyoung adult.\u201d At 14, I was roller-skating on Willow Street pretty regularly and a boy &hellip; <\/p>\n<p class=\"link-more\"><a href=\"https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/?page_id=351\" class=\"more-link\">Continue reading<span class=\"screen-reader-text\"> &#8220;Chapter 15: The Dating Scene&#8221;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":14239,"parent":4,"menu_order":16,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-351","page","type-page","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/351","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=351"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/351\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":17813,"href":"https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/351\/revisions\/17813"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/4"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/14239"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=351"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}