It was the summer after I graduated high school, I was working in the Womens clothing department at Walmart! I was excited to have my own little sliver of independence and I was open to dating as many people as would ask me out! Back then I gave everyone a "chance." (oh if I only knew!) There were not many people working at Walmart who shared my same values so when I met Larry I thought it would be ok to become his friend. Larry worked in the big appliance section and I had seen him reading his scriptures in the break room. I thought, he looks like a nice man maybe I can talk to him. I personally believed that he was about 35 years old and that he would be a nice "older brother" figure for me as I sometimes worked the late shifts.
Well, we did become acquainted with each other and he asked me on a date, I asked him how old he was and he informed me that he was not 25 ( I was ten years off). Well, I thought about it, and me being the young naive girl that I was I accepted his offer for a date. However, it was the week before we were to go on the date and he called me after I had gotten off work to finalize things. we talked for a bit and then I told him I was tired and that I needed to get to bed. He being the "sweet" person that he was, offered to sing me to sleep...I promptly refused but he was persistent and so I felt in order to get him off the phone I would have to comply. Heaven help me, he sang for ten minutes straight making up the words and the tune as he went! I did my best to hold my riotous laughter in by halfway swallowing my pillow to my face. And when he was done I was careful not to make a sound so that he would believe I was asleep. He bid me goodnight and hung up the phone.....a scary realization was hitting me in that moment...I had a date with him.
The night of the date came and I was to meet him in the Walmart parking lot. (after the fiasco a few nights earlier I didn't want him to know where I lived) when he arrived he was wearing the same hawaiian shirt that Dad sometimes wears to family barbecues. I thought this was a wonderful start to the date...It was approximately six o'clock. He took me miniature golfing, it was nice because we didn't have to be in too close of proximity to each other. And I was armed with a steel putter in case things got shifty. Miniature golf lasted 20 mins... and then they took my club away. we got back into the car and he informed me that he had a surprise for me. I froze as he began to reach....luckily into the back seat (whew!!!) He pulled out a volume of poetry the size of an Oxford dictionary and said " I know that you like poetry, why don't you have a look at this", "GREAT!!!" I thought, "Now I don't have to carry on a conversation!" I read intently for about ten minutes when he pulled into the parking lot of the D.I. He looked at me and said, "for this next part we can either stay in the car or we can go outside." My mind raced and I said, "lets go outside it's a really pretty night." (and it was right next to a busy road, that way, if he tried anything there would be cars full of eye witnesses! )
I got out and I sat on the grass (outside the D.I) and he began to rummage through his trunk and when he surfaced he was carrying a 3 ring binder with loose papers threatening to fall out of it. He sat next to me and said "I have one very special surprise for you tonight"....I could not imagine what. He opened the binder and inside was every poem he had written in high school. He began to read one to me...it was super sappy and was obviously a love poem dealing with a lot of physical touch and remembering the persons scent. when he was done he asked who I thought he had written it for. I remained stoic and naive as he told me solemnly that he had written it for his grandmother. most of the other poems were religious, and not to bad. But then the "big one" came out as he pulled out a poem written for both a man and a woman. He asked If I would like to read it together...and opted not to and was thankful afterward as the poem consisted of these two people confessing their deep love for each other.
After that he and I agreed that it was late and that we should probably call it a night, it was by this time 8:00. He drove me back to my car and tried to strike up a meaningful conversation by asking me all sorts of questions. then he informed me that it was my turn to ask him a question... I in all my 18 yr old stupidity asked the question..."what is something you normally wouldn't say on a first date?" he replied that he had been put into a hospital, and I said that it wasn't that bad..people go to the hospital all the time right?....he looked at me again and his voice got deeper and he replied "not that kind of hospital"
I realize that this whole situation arose from my own stupidity. and I realize that this guy really was doing the best he could with what he had. And I'm sure he is a really good person. He just didn't know quite how to plan a date and I was too young and too stupid. Hopefully I have grown up a little since then. but the experience taught me that i need to be more cautious.
This is advice to all women! Don't say yes to any Kenmore guy who stares at you through the Maytags! and don't ever ask the question "What don't you normally tell someone on a first date?"........ trust me you are not going to like the answer!
