It Could Have Been Just Another Date

by Charlotte Savage

t was four o’clock in the afternoon, in the year nineteen hundred and forty eight, when the door bell rang.  I was not dressed for company and there were curlers in my hair; I was still in my robe.  I called to my sister Tess to answer the door.

“Who is it?”  I shouted.

“It’s a package for you,” Tess answered, as she walked into the bedroom.   “A special delivery from a florist.”  She handed me a box wrapped in gold foil and tied with a wide gossamer ribbon that looked like spun gold.

I untied the ribbon and gently opened the box.  Nestled under layers of green tissue paper was a beautiful corsage made of yellow tea roses.  The miniature flowers, which happened to be my favorite, were so exquisite they left me breathless and I hardly believed that they were meant for me--though Joe had asked what color gown I was wearing.

My sister reminded me that it was getting late and I needed to get dressed.  I wore a lavender silk gown, with short puffed sleeves, a heart shaped bodice and slim skirt.  It had been purchased the previous month for a wedding in which I had been the maid of honor.

I placed the corsage on my dressing table and began to pull curlers from my hair while combing it into a short bob with a fringe of bangs on my forehead.  I applied a light dusting of make up, removed my robe and stepped into my lavender gown.  My shoes matched my gown and I wore a string of pearls around my neck and matching earrings.

I had just pinned the corsage to the gown when the door bell rang.  I took a last glance in the mirror and made my grand entrance into the living room just as my date came through the front door.  He stopped, looked me up and down and said, “Wow.”

Joe looked very handsome in his tuxedo and I said “Wow” right back at him.  Though of average height, he was slim, with dark brown curly hair and a winning smile.  His first look of approval when he saw me made me feel very special.

Joe was not someone I knew well.  We had dated a few times prior to my inviting him to my prom.  I knew he worked with his dad in their salvage business but he wasn’t much of a talker.  However, besides being handsome he was also the only one of my dates who owned a car.

We picked up another couple on the way to the Prom and arrived at the high school with a few moments to spare.   Most of my close friends had gathered near the entrance and I introduced them to Joe.

As we entering the Gym, now colorfully decorated in balloons and crepe paper, the orchestra began to play and the band leader invited everyone to dance.   Soon the dance floor was filled with twirling figures of girls in a rainbow of colored gowns and the young men in black tuxedos.  The hours flew by as we danced to popular songs of that era including Vaughn Monroe’s ‘Embraceable You’ and ‘It’s only a Paper Moon.’   I discovered Joe was an accomplished dancer and that made it all the more special.  We stopped now and then for some sweet punch and chatter.

After the prom the four of us went to a restaurant.  We girls were still starry eyed from going to our first Prom and we discussed the fun of the promenade as well as the honors bestowed on the President of our class and the crowning of the prettiest girl.

It was not until Joe and I arrived back at my home and we were sitting on the porch swing that he told me how special this evening had been for him.   I learned that he had enlisted in the navy during WWII leaving for basic training before the end of his senior year and he had not been able to attend his school prom. This evening had been every bit as meaningful for him as it had been for me and with a hug and a kiss on the cheek he thanked me for a memorable evening; just as my mother turned on the porch light.

Copyright 2015 Charlotte Savage all rights reserved.