SENIOR PROM---LATE 1950'S V. 2.0

 Caution: This is a fiction story and has some mild sexual content. If such content is offensive, please close this Post. It is included not for sensationalism or personal titillation but to make this story much more realistic and an appropriate reference to the time of the story.




                          THE LAST SHALL BE FIRST

She was a healthy 10 pounds north of chubby. She supposedly cursed. She supposedly smoked. She supposedly once finished off a six-pack of Falls City single handedly following the football Homecoming. Needless to say Beth Ann Martin was not a member of the Queen’s Court. Her initials, B-A-M, made it convenient for crude boys to call her BAM-BAM for her supposed proclivity for “going all the way.” 

She knew there was not even a one in a million chance she would be invited to the senior Prom. Enter Ted McGuire. Ted was an excellent student; fair, but not great athlete; and skinny for a lad of 17. His social skills were less than fulfilling. With two weeks to go before the Prom, he had resigned himself to just sit this one out.  

All of this changed when the high school principal, Eli Kiker, sent a mimeographed note to all seniors that stated attendance at the Prom was a requirement for graduation.  A few unattached seniors found themselves in a full court panic mode. Beth Ann, Ted, and a car load of other seniors ate lunch at Frankie’s Place, a nearby hamburger joint.

Call it fate, Providence, or just luck when Beth Ann and Ted found themselves seated beside each other on the counter stools the day after the principal’s unexpected decree. Ted waited until his hamburger and coke arrived and holding the burger as some sort of social shield asked Beth if she had a date to the Prom.

Loud silence followed his inquiry. He thought Beth Ann was thinking up a polite way to turn him down. She looked him directly in the eyes and said she did not have a date and she would like to go with him. Both immediately exhibited a toothy Pepsodent smile. Further, it appeared to Ted that Beth Ann was about three seconds from a tear.  

Beth Ann’s family went into overdrive. This was big, really big for the entire family. She had never been invited to something as nice as a Prom. With Dad’s concurrence, Mom took 17 dollars out of the family’s saving fund which was hid in a Ball canning jar in a kitchen cabinet drawer. (All should be reminded this story occurred in the late 1950’s.)

Mom and Beth Ann could not find any gowns in the local area to compliment her ample figure. They made the 50 mile round trip to Spenser in the family 1950 Ford Pickup and located a used pastel blue strapless evening gown, matching shoes, and appropriate foundation apparel. The gown, with alterations, cost $20 for everything. Mom always carried a five dollar bill as her Mad Money in her bra.

Brother Samuel was charged to cut the knee high grass around the house and remove the two large cedars which hid the entrance to the dirt lane to their modest house and barn.

Dad himself took on the seemingly impossible task of filling the multitude of potholes in the dirt lane. The lane had every appearance of an aerial bombing range. He hitched his Case 1950 VAC tricycle model tractor to three old railroad ties lashed together with hay bailing wire. After his second tank of gas he lost track of how many trips he had made up and down the lane. Each circuit produced a slightly smoother surface than the one before.

Principal Kiker dismissed the seniors at the end of classes on Wednesday to decorate and prepare for the Prom. More girls than boys appreciated the extra time for nails and other beauty improvements. Beth Ann’s Mom gave her a Toni cold wave permanent late Thursday evening. She slept Thursday and Friday nights with her hair wrapped in toilet paper. Beth Ann’s family did not have a telephone and even if they did it was highly unlikely any of the girls would have called her to trade Prom night secrets.


As Saturday night approached, the four members of the Martin family took great pride in what they had achieved. Beth Ann’s Dad said at the Saturday noon lunch that the way they all worked together for Beth Ann was something very, very special.  

Ted’s Prom preparations were rather simple. His Mom took his tux and formal shirt to the cleaners on Monday and picked it up on Thursday morning. She ordered a light blue bracelet corsage and all Ted had to do was pick it up Saturday morning.  

The Prom that was 12 years in the making was finally here.

As Ted drove his Dad’s ’57 Olds down the manicured dirt lane he gave himself a pep talk of attempting to appear happy Beth Ann was his date. After all she was doing both of them a big favor of meeting the last graduation requirement.

No doorbell to announce his arrival, just knuckles against wood. Mrs. Martin met Ted at the door and welcomed him to their home. She introduced Mr. Martin and Beth Ann’s brother Samuel to Ted. Just like in the movies she went to the base of the stairs and said that Ted was there.

Beth Ann walked down the unvarnished wood stairs and commenced smiling at Ted. Ted was nearly speechless: Beth Ann looked great, in fact she looked more than great. Her hair was like the other girls at school. But it was her low cut strapless gown that captivated his hormonal attention. He had never seen a real girl suggesting so much of the two objects he had heretofore only fantasied about. As he slipped the corsage onto her wrist, he was certain she had somehow lost a lot of weight between Wednesday and Saturday night. As they walked to the recently washed and polished Olds he was rendered weak kneed by a fragrance he never encountered before. He could not contain himself and in a boyish voice told her she smelled good, really smelled good! She smiled and gripped his hand tighter.

When they were out of sight of the house she slide over and entwined her left arm with his right arm and she thanked him for inviting her to be his Prom date and for making the past week the best her family had ever enjoyed. Now it was Ted’s turn to get misty eyed. Before he could say anything she told Ted that he had probably heard a lot of bad things about her and most of what he may have heard was not true. For several minutes of silence these seniors continued on to the senior Prom. Ted was in a real fix; if he said that he had heard about her wild girl behavior she would think that was the real reason he had invited her to be his date; on the other hand if he said he had not heard the stories she would know he was lying and trying to just gut out the rest of the evening. Before he had time to reply, the Olds came to a halt in the Gym parking lot and they got out and each made a few hand swipes on their hair and entered.

As they entered, some of fellows gave Ted a slight nod and one even made the A-OK sign.  Some of the girls held their programs to their mouth and said things neither Ted or Beth Ann could or even wanted to hear. They carried on some small talk with the other couples at their table but they both were very happy to have what amounted to lots of time alone. It was the slow dances they both enjoyed, especially Stardust and Love Letters In The Sand. Both started to experience something that transcended just two teenage bodies in close proximity. He held her very close and whispered in her ear that he was very glad she was his date. She gave him a knowing squeeze of his  hand. Their smiles told everyone this evening was so much more than a square filler for graduation. After the band completed their last set, Ted and Beth Ann said their obligatory goodbyes to Principal Kiker, Mrs. Haines, senior class sponsor, and the Prom Queen and King and slowly walked hand in hand to the Olds.

(Some additional background information may help amplify what was soon to happen. Ted probably had only kissed a half a dozen girls before tonight and those kisses looked more like the third grade variety than senior class material.) As he was preparing to unlock the car door for Beth Ann he gently placed both hands upon her peaceful face, framed her mouth with those hands and gave her a kiss that was entirely new to him and served to take Beth Ann’s breath away. For what seemed like several minutes the two new young lovers stood silent and just hugged each other very, very close.

When they returned to Beth Ann’s home, both Mr. and Mrs.  Martin were waiting for her in the family living room. Beth Ann surprised Ted when she told him her Mom had baked a cake for them and invited Ted to come in. Questions about the Prom came at machine gun speed. Beth Ann gracefully and enthusiastically  answered every one. Beth Ann walked Ted to his car whereupon several more heartfelt kisses and embraces followed. As he drove home the last line from Casablanca resonated in his head and heart, ”Louie, I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship.”.

GLENN <><

JUST WEST OF YESTERDAY