There was a girl named Pam I knew from church when we were teenagers. We met when we were singing in the youth choir. She wasn't what you'd call beautiful, nor was she anywhere close to unattractive. She had a very pleasant, happy face, shoulder-length brown hair, and a nice figure. She was also slightly uncoordinated, quite honestly, in a way that I found, for lack of a better term, endearing. I got the impression from the start that she kind of liked me, and I liked her as well. What I liked best about her, beside the fact that she had a sweet personality, was that she was "churchy," and quite modest and conservative in how she dressed.
I, however, was quite shy with women. As things turned out, Pam actually asked me out first. When we were both nineteen, one weekend after church during Lent, over coffee in the social hall, she asked me if I'd like to accompany her and her parents to a Black Hills Passion Play in Lake Wales, Florida, about an hours ride away. I was like, "Yeah, sure!"
So the day of the passion play arrived, a Saturday. That spring, the weather was still nice and cool, almost chilly. That afternoon, around four or so, I arrived at her house. I was wearing a navy blue three-piece suit, heavily-starched white shirt, and a navy blue bow tie. From what I'd gathered, people would generally dress up for the passion play. I got to her door and rang the bell. Pam opened the door.
"Hi!" she said, blushing slightly. "Don't you look nice!"
"Hi!" I replied. "So do you!" Pam was wearing a dark grey skirt suit, very conservative and business-like. Under her suit jacket she was wearing a well-pressed, pleated-front white blouse. In keeping with her conservative style, she even had her stiff, white collar buttoned up. She took my arm and led me in to where her parents were just about ready to leave. We exchanged greetings before heading back out to their car in the driveway.
Pam and I both took our jackets off and slid into the back seat, then carefully folded our jackets in our laps.
As we pulled down the street away from her house, I kind of took Pam by surprise. There was perhaps a few inches between us as we sat in the back seat. Sitting to her right, I reached over with my right hand, taking her right hand and slipping it through my left arm. She looked at me, blushing, but slid over next to me, giving my arm a slight squeeze with hers. If her parents noticed, they maintained their discretion. We remained that way all the way to Lake Wales, making small talk the entire time.
So we arrive at the passion play and parked. Getting out of the back seat, I slipped my suit jacket on, then helped Pam slip her jacket on. The light was just starting to fall as late afternoon was sliding toward evening. Pam took my arm once again and we walked with her parents toward the performance area. We still had plenty of time before the performance was going to start, so Pam and I told her parents we were going to look around the grounds. We headed toward this garden area alongside a small lake. Other people were arriving as well, and even though most of the attendees were dressed up, or at least nicely, we got several comments about how nice we looked, and, "What a lovely young couple you are!" We both blushed. As we walked further into the garden area, I said, "I guess we're a couple!" Pam really blushed, but responded, "Yeah, I guess so!" We both kind of liked the sound of it.
We got down near the lake, stopping and looking out over the still waters that reflected the setting sun. Facing eachother, I placed my hands on either side of Pam's waist. Her hands slid up my lapels until her fingers reached my bow tie. She gently and carefully tugged on the ends as if tightening it, not that the knot could have been any tighter. I could feel my pulse quicken.
"I love how you look in your bow ties!" she smiled, and I could feel my face redden. "Very sharp and formal, and very romantic!"
"Well, thank you!" I replied. "Right now I'm kind of feeling as if I'm dressed for our wedding!"
Pam's face flushed red.
"Our wedding!" she repeated, gulping noticeably behind the stiff, white collar that snugly encased her neck and throat. "Mm, that sounds nice!"
Then we kissed - for the first time. Normally, I'd not have been that bold, but there we were, all dressed up, standing alongside a lovely lake, the sun setting on a nice, cool evening, with the words "our wedding" lingering in our ears and imaginations, not merely "a wedding," but "our wedding."
"Well," she said after a good, long romantic kiss, "you're in a suit and bow tie, but I'd need a bridal gown and a veil!"
"Well," I mused back, "while I'd not mind being wed to you as you are all buttoned up and in a nice suit, there's no way I'd deprive myself of seeing you as a very beautiful bride!"
She blushed again, and then we kissed again. When we stopped, both of us smiling into eachother's eyes, she took my arm again. I started leading her down the path the way we'd come. This time, however, I started humming The Wedding March. "Da-DUM-DUM-DUM! Da-DUM-DUM-DUM!" Pam started giggling almost uncontrollably. We ceased our mutual wedding fantasy - or at least put it on hold - by the time we joined her parents back at our seats in time for the performance. The rest of the evening, during the passion play and the hour-long ride back in the darkened back seat of her parents' car, arm-in-arm, smiling at eachother and stealing an occasional quick kiss.
I, however, was quite shy with women. As things turned out, Pam actually asked me out first. When we were both nineteen, one weekend after church during Lent, over coffee in the social hall, she asked me if I'd like to accompany her and her parents to a Black Hills Passion Play in Lake Wales, Florida, about an hours ride away. I was like, "Yeah, sure!"
So the day of the passion play arrived, a Saturday. That spring, the weather was still nice and cool, almost chilly. That afternoon, around four or so, I arrived at her house. I was wearing a navy blue three-piece suit, heavily-starched white shirt, and a navy blue bow tie. From what I'd gathered, people would generally dress up for the passion play. I got to her door and rang the bell. Pam opened the door.
"Hi!" she said, blushing slightly. "Don't you look nice!"
"Hi!" I replied. "So do you!" Pam was wearing a dark grey skirt suit, very conservative and business-like. Under her suit jacket she was wearing a well-pressed, pleated-front white blouse. In keeping with her conservative style, she even had her stiff, white collar buttoned up. She took my arm and led me in to where her parents were just about ready to leave. We exchanged greetings before heading back out to their car in the driveway.
Pam and I both took our jackets off and slid into the back seat, then carefully folded our jackets in our laps.
As we pulled down the street away from her house, I kind of took Pam by surprise. There was perhaps a few inches between us as we sat in the back seat. Sitting to her right, I reached over with my right hand, taking her right hand and slipping it through my left arm. She looked at me, blushing, but slid over next to me, giving my arm a slight squeeze with hers. If her parents noticed, they maintained their discretion. We remained that way all the way to Lake Wales, making small talk the entire time.
So we arrive at the passion play and parked. Getting out of the back seat, I slipped my suit jacket on, then helped Pam slip her jacket on. The light was just starting to fall as late afternoon was sliding toward evening. Pam took my arm once again and we walked with her parents toward the performance area. We still had plenty of time before the performance was going to start, so Pam and I told her parents we were going to look around the grounds. We headed toward this garden area alongside a small lake. Other people were arriving as well, and even though most of the attendees were dressed up, or at least nicely, we got several comments about how nice we looked, and, "What a lovely young couple you are!" We both blushed. As we walked further into the garden area, I said, "I guess we're a couple!" Pam really blushed, but responded, "Yeah, I guess so!" We both kind of liked the sound of it.
We got down near the lake, stopping and looking out over the still waters that reflected the setting sun. Facing eachother, I placed my hands on either side of Pam's waist. Her hands slid up my lapels until her fingers reached my bow tie. She gently and carefully tugged on the ends as if tightening it, not that the knot could have been any tighter. I could feel my pulse quicken.
"I love how you look in your bow ties!" she smiled, and I could feel my face redden. "Very sharp and formal, and very romantic!"
"Well, thank you!" I replied. "Right now I'm kind of feeling as if I'm dressed for our wedding!"
Pam's face flushed red.
"Our wedding!" she repeated, gulping noticeably behind the stiff, white collar that snugly encased her neck and throat. "Mm, that sounds nice!"
Then we kissed - for the first time. Normally, I'd not have been that bold, but there we were, all dressed up, standing alongside a lovely lake, the sun setting on a nice, cool evening, with the words "our wedding" lingering in our ears and imaginations, not merely "a wedding," but "our wedding."
"Well," she said after a good, long romantic kiss, "you're in a suit and bow tie, but I'd need a bridal gown and a veil!"
"Well," I mused back, "while I'd not mind being wed to you as you are all buttoned up and in a nice suit, there's no way I'd deprive myself of seeing you as a very beautiful bride!"
She blushed again, and then we kissed again. When we stopped, both of us smiling into eachother's eyes, she took my arm again. I started leading her down the path the way we'd come. This time, however, I started humming The Wedding March. "Da-DUM-DUM-DUM! Da-DUM-DUM-DUM!" Pam started giggling almost uncontrollably. We ceased our mutual wedding fantasy - or at least put it on hold - by the time we joined her parents back at our seats in time for the performance. The rest of the evening, during the passion play and the hour-long ride back in the darkened back seat of her parents' car, arm-in-arm, smiling at eachother and stealing an occasional quick kiss.
