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Always Kiss the Girl Part Twenty Four

July 8, 2009 by Dave Myers

“I don’t want to see you, hear from you, or talk to you again! Do you understand me? You could have ruined everything!”
Those were the last words she said to me before she hung up the phone.

I tried to sleep, but I couldn’t. I had been telling myself from the beginning of our relationship that there wasn’t going to be a happy ending. What I wasn’t expecting was for the ending to come so suddenly, and for it to hurt as bad as it did.

I kept replaying the events from earlier that night in my head over and over again.
She was right, I did let her down. My guilt was overwhelming, and the only thing I could think of doing was to get away. I wanted as far away from Kelly, school, the crappy single wide trailer I called home, I wanted away from it all, and I wanted to leave the next morning.
I called my parents and told them I would not be returning to school the next day. I told them that I was coming back home. They were disappointed, but understanding.

So that led me to lying in bed wondering, not only about what had happened, but what I was going to do next. I had never considered myself a quitter, but in this instance that was exactly what I was doing. I was quitting college, and mostly because of a girl.
I knew that I wouldn’t be able to forgive myself for doing so in the coming months after I got back home. I had to come up with a plan to justify my leaving school. I had to have something better to go home to, than the same life that I had before coming to college.

While I loved working at Oldies 96.5, I had grown tired of the format. I also felt like there was no room for growth. It was one of the reasons why I came to CCCC. I wanted more experience and the networking aspect of college to take my broadcasting career to a new level.
Now that I was leaving, I was afraid I was going to be stuck in the same old rut with nowhere to go.

The following morning, I wiped the sleep from my eyes. I was greeted by the familiar morning chill that my single wide trailer with little insulation brought every morning. I dodged the three trash cans full of water from down pour of the previous night, compliments of my leaky ceiling. I was so looking forward to leaving this dump, and the life I had lived for the past six or so months behind.
My bags were all ready to go. I hadn’t had the chance to unpack them. I had just returned to Sanford the night before after a long Christmas break. Within an hour of being home, my whole world had been turned upside down. All I had to do was load the car back up with my stuff, and drive.

Before getting on the road, I wanted to eat some breakfast. Over a bowl of Frosted Flakes, I did what I did every morning. I turned my radio on. It was almost always set 95.7 WKML. It was the country radio station that I had grown up listening to. WKML signed on the air in 1986, my parents and I hadn’t listened to any other country station since. I remember dreaming of working there as a kid.
Recalling such dreams from my childhood provoked me to pick up the phone. I called the morning guy Don Chase, who had been a KML for years.

“Good morning WKML” Don’s familiar voice said as he answered the phone.
“Hi Don, My name is Dave Myers. I’m from Laurinburg, and I have been working part time at Oldies 96.5 for a couple of years now. I have also been going to school at CCCC in Sanford as well. I’m looking for a change, and I was wondering if you guys were looking for any part time help?” I asked.
He told me they were always looking for good part time help, and to send them an audition tape and a copy of my resume. With that, my next step in my radio career was about to become a reality. It also gave me a reason to be excited about leaving Sanford, and to go back home. I was returning home, but making a brand new start.
Within a few weeks, I met first with the Program Director Mac Edwards. I had spent the better part of my teenage years listening to him on the air, and it was surreal to be meeting him in his office.

“Where do you see yourself in, let’s say ten years Dave?” Mac asked me during our one on one interview.
Feeling especially confident with how our interview was going, I replied –
“That chair you’re sitting in looks pretty comfortable to me Mac. I wouldn’t mind having your job”.
He smiled and said “Good answer”.
I knew I had the job.

I was lucky in the fact that I was allowed to keep working at my other jobs in addition to WKML. Everyone involved were very gracious and understanding.
So at that juncture, I was in essence working for three different radio stations. I did some weekend and some fill in work at Oldies 96.5, I still worked at AM 1460 WEWO running the board for NC State Games, in addition to my new found work at WKML. Between the three stations, it kept me very busy.
Keeping busy kept my mind off Kelly and what had happened in Sanford.

It is much easier to move on when you are constantly moving.

By the time spring came around, I felt like I was living a different life than the one I left behind in college. I was at a place to where I felt like I was starting to leave Kelly and everyone in Sanford behind. I was sleeping better at night without guilt or hurt feelings.

One day in the middle of March, I got a phone call from the business office of CCCC. I was told by that I had to fill out some paper work in order to make my transcripts available at a later date. I didn’t realize they needed my signature to drop out of school.
The next day, I drove up to Sanford to handle whatever business needed to be done.

Looking around as I pulled into the parking lot, I knew that I wanted to do whatever needed to be done quickly and leave. The last thing I wanted to do was to run into Kelly. Such a small school as CCCC made that fear very possible.
I didn’t know if she still was as angry at me as the last time we spoke, nor did I want to reignite any hurt feelings between the two of us.
My old instructor, Mr. Farmer met me in the business office. He expressed his regret that I had left without giving him the chance to change my mind. I basically told him a lie, and said that it had nothing to do with the program or anyone at the school. I told him that I was just really homesick, and wanted to move back home.
He called my bluff and told me that he knew why I had left, and that I was far to talented and smart to let one person sway my decision making process. It was a small school and rumors can fly and word can travel fast. It was naive of me to think that he, and everyone else wouldn’t figure out the real reason why I left.
I didn’t really know how to respond, so I just apologized for leaving so abruptly and thanked him for everything he had done for me. He told me that if I ever needed anything in the future, not to hesitate to call him. I told him I would keep in touch and shook hands as I left.

With the paperwork done, and the opportunity to speak with Mr. Farmer face to face, I felt like I had done all I needed to do. I made my way out to the parking lot. With my hand on the door preparing to walk outside, I heard a familiar voice…

“Hello Stranger” she said…..

Love Y’all
d

Get caught up with these previous entries in the series as well!

Part One

Part Two

Part Three

Part Four

Part Five

Part Six

Part Seven

Part Eight

Part Nine

Part Ten

Part Eleven

Part Twelve

Part Thirteen

Part Fourteen

Part Fifteen

Part Sixteen

Part Seventeen

Part Eighteen

Part Nineteen

Part Twenty

Part Twenty One

Part Twenty Two

Part Twenty Three

Posted in Love, Memories, life | Leave a Comment »

Always Kiss the Girl Part Twenty Three

June 22, 2009 by Dave Myers

Sometimes some of the simplest words in the English language are the hardest ones to say.

At the Christmas dance held by the SGA, Kelly and I slow danced and the words “I love you” danced around in my heart and on my mind for an entire four minute song, but they never came out of my mouth.
A few weeks later, I would find it just as difficult to say two simple, yet complex words that needed to be said.

Kelly Johnson and I got into our first real fight about a week before the SGA Christmas dance. I had become jealous of some attention she was getting from one of my classmates. Cooper and I had been roommates briefly, and the relationship didn’t end on the best of terms. Seeing the way he was looking at her while they were talking made me more than just a little jealous. He didn’t like me, and I damned sure didn’t like him.
My jealousy made her angry at me.
“You have no right to be jealous” she told me.
She was right, but I also knew that I didn’t trust my former roommate no further than I could throw him. I also knew Cooper could tell I had feelings for her, and he would make a move on her just to spite me. I foolishly told her all of this, which made her even angrier. The fight ended with her leaving abruptly and slamming the door behind her.

The following night when our tempers had calmed down, we talked about it and made up. It was silly for me to be jealous over a girl I couldn’t claim to be mine in the first place. I knew that, but it didn’t make it any easier. Everything was fine once we made up, and a few nights later we met up at the SGA Christmas dance.

Kelly and I had been seeing each other in secret for about three months by the time the SGA Christmas dance had rolled around. There were many reasons why the relationship between us wasn’t meant to be, but I had grown so attached to her that I had really begun to deny them all. That night, while dancing a slow dance in a nearly empty room, I almost told her that I loved her. I hesitated, because I knew she didn’t want to hear me say it.

After the dance, we went back to my place. I knew it was going to be the last time I saw Kelly before I went home for Christmas Break. We talked for a while, and both looked at the clock watching the minutes tick away. We both knew she would be going home soon, and neither wanted that time to come. After much small talk, the moment finally arrived.

“Well, I guess it’s time for our last kiss” she said to me as we stood under some plastic mistletoe hanging from the ceiling.
“It’s just a couple of weeks Kel, it’ll pass in no time” I said, stalling to say goodbye.

In an unexpected rush, she grabbed me by the back of the head and kissed me harder and more passionately than I had ever been kissed before. It left me exhilarated and slightly dizzy.

With her trademark smirk of a smile, she asked me “How was that for a last kiss?”

Playing a hand in her own game, I grabbed her by the waist and aggressively pushed her against the wall, causing a picture that had been hanging to fall to the floor. As the glass shattered on the floor, I pressed my body against hers, and I kissed her in a way that would ensure to leave a lasting memory.
Once the kiss was done I took a half a step back, still just inches from her face and looked into her eyes. I gave her my own cocky smirk of a smile. Her eyes were wide open, surprised by my passionate aggression.
“I don’t think I’ve ever seen you speechless Kelly” I said, never leaving eye contact.
She just smiled at me in approval, not saying a word.

With that, we said our goodbyes and I walked her to her car. We exchanged a long hug and then I watched her drive away. I was only going home for a couple of weeks, but I was already missing her as I saw her tail lights fade away into the distance.

I went home to Laurinburg to enjoy the holidays with my family. I missed Kelly a lot, but didn’t call her much as I knew she was busy doing her own family thing. We even said that it wouldn’t be a good idea for us to talk much during the holidays due to the complexity of our relationship. Still, two weeks without much contact with the girl you were falling in love with seemed like a long time.

One afternoon, my Mom told me to run to Harris Teeter. Our small town only had a couple of grocery stores, and the Teeter was the nicest store to shop in. In addition, it is always somewhat of a social experience when you shop there. It is almost a guarantee that you will run into some one you know. This day was no exception.

I was in the produce section looking at tomatoes when I saw a girl with blond hair. Her back was to me, but she instantly looked familiar. I immediately thought that it had to be Megan Alba Biel. My heart began that familiar pounding flutter that it had for her a couple of years before when we were in High School together. It was the same feeling I carried around with me for the entire duration of our High School days together.
When she turned around, I knew it was her. She was on the other side of the store, but I knew I had to find a way to casually run into her.
Along with the excitement of seeing her came a slight feeling of guilt. I felt bad feeling this excited about seeing another girl other than Kelly. While I couldn’t define what type of relationship we had, I’m pretty sure another girl shouldn’t fit into the equation. Besides, what were Megan and I going to talk about anyway?

Would I tell her about going to Community College in Sanford? Surely she went to a great four year University somewhere, and my going to Community College failed in comparison.

Would I tell her about the girl that I’ve been seeing (albeit in complete secrecy)?
How would I explain that relationship to her when I couldn’t fully explain it to myself? Besides that would surely lead to her telling me about some wonderful Frat boy she had met in college. That led to the next question I was playing around with in my head…

Would I want to hear about whatever boy that she surely was seeing in college?
Um… No.

Or…Would it be possible that she might not even remember me?
I mean, it had been two whole years! Life moves on, and I had not played as major of a role in her life as she had played in mine.

Somewhere in mid-stride in my venture across the grocery store, I talked myself out of going to say hello to her. I convinced myself that it wasn’t a good idea. A few minutes later I watched her walk to her car, load the trunk with a few items, and drive away. It was another example of how I had admired her from afar, and she seemed so untouchable.

“A girl named Kelly called for you while you were out”, my mother told me as I walked in the door, grocery bags in tow.

I sat the bags on the counter and immediately went to my bedroom to call her back. I was feeling really guilty about getting worked up over MAB at the store. I dialed her number, and all I got was her voicemail.

Not knowing what to say, I just left her a brief message.
“Hey got the word you called me, so I’m just calling you back. Call me later if you can”.

She didn’t call back that day, or any other day of the week that followed. I wondered to myself if it was karma getting me back for getting so excited about seeing Megan at the Teeter.

Christmas was wonderful. Everyone in my family enjoyed their gifts and the time we spent together. Once New Years was over, it was time to venture back to Sanford and get back to school.
The first thing I did when I got home was call Kelly. The phone rang a couple of times before she answered.

“Hello” she said with a strange tone in her voice.

“Hey sweetheart, it’s good to finally hear your voice” I said sweetly trying to figure out why she answered the phone so strangely.

“How many people did you tell?” she asked.

“What do you mean?” I answered, confused.

“YOU KNOW EXACTLY WHAT I MEAN!” she said angrily. “I know you told at least one person. I trusted you to keep it a secret, but you had to go and tell people about it.” Her voice was getting louder the more she spoke.

Completely caught off guard, I remained silent.

“THIS COULD RUIN EVERYTHING! I TRUSTED YOU, AND YOU LET ME DOWN! HOW MANY PEOPLE DID YOU TELL?” She repeated.

“Um.. I don’t know, who told you this?” was all I could come up with, still trying to get my bearings from this unexpected conversation.

“It doesn’t matter who told me, it’s the fact that you told others what was going on, after we agreed to keep it private. Do you know the ramifications of what could happen here? Do you even care?” she continued.

She had never spoken to me in such an angry tone, and what hurt the most was, she had every right to be angry. I had admitted my feelings for her in a drunken stupor to a friend at a party we both had held at my place. I also didn’t deny my feelings when I was called out by a classmate who I was helping decorate for the SGA Dance at Christmas. It could have been either one of them, or they could have told friends who had friends…etc.
My mind wandered back to when Kelly and Cooper were hanging out together. I wondered if maybe if he had said something. Though I had never said anything to him, I wouldn’t put it past him to make something up to put a wedge between us.
My mind raced through the possibilities, but in the end it really didn’t matter. Ultimately the blame fell on me.
As she went off on me with her anger, I kept mouthing the words “I’m sorry”, but they never came out. She was on the other side of town, and couldn’t see me trying to say what so desperately needed to be said.
I’m not sure if it was due to the shock of being blindsided by the accusations, or just sheer guilt and not knowing how to handle it. Regardless, she never heard me say “I’m sorry”.

“I don’t want to see you, hear from you, or talk to you again! Do you understand me? You could have ruined everything!” Those were the last words she said to me before she hung up the phone.

I had known all along that there wasn’t going to be a happy ending to all of this. What I wasn’t expecting was for it to end so abruptly. I hadn’t prepared myself for the inevitable.

I sat there in my living room floor, too in shock to cry and too angry and hurt to do anything else. I thought about what had happened.
I began to think about Cooper. I would have to see him the next day, and every day after for the rest of the year. He was friends with a lot of the guys I considered friends at the beginning of the year, and since had drifted apart from. I felt like a lot of them played sides between the two of us, and I was on the losing side.
I thought about how I was tired of going to class and being taught the same stuff Sammy (my old boss and mentor) had taught me when we worked together. The classes had begun to bore me, and I didn’t feel challenged.

I made an impromptu decision.
I made sure my voice sounded calm before picking up the phone.
It rang three times before she answered.

“Hello” she said.

“Mama, let me speak to Dad” I said.
“Is everything OK baby? She asked me.
“Everything is fine Mama, I just need to speak to Dad for a second” I told her.

“Hey Son, what’s up?” My father asked as he answered the phone.

“Dad, I’ve been thinking about this… Please don’t ask me to explain too much. But I want to come home. I don’t want to be here anymore” I told him.

Without any interrogation whatsoever, he simply said OK.

That was the last night I spent in Sanford. It began to rain that night, and I placed the trash cans in their proper places to catch the rain from the leaking roof. The place that I had proudly called home for nearly six months revealed itself to be as dumpy as I had denied it being for so long. I instantly hated the single wide trailer that I had once loved so. I couldn’t wait to leave it behind. I went to the freezer and got the bottle of Vodka that Kelly had bought for our party a few months before. I fixed myself a stiff drink to help me fall asleep and tried hard not to recollect her angry voice. I instead, opted to sleep in the dingy pink blanket that we shared for the first time in October.

Two simple words that needed to be said, I didn’t say.

I’m not sure if the outcome would have been any different, but the fact that she never heard me say them was something that haunted me long after that night.

Love Y’all
d

Get caught up with these previous entries in the series as well!

Part One

Part Two

Part Three

Part Four

Part Five

Part Six

Part Seven

Part Eight

Part Nine

Part Ten

Part Eleven

Part Twelve

Part Thirteen

Part Fourteen

Part Fifteen

Part Sixteen

Part Seventeen

Part Eighteen

Part Nineteen

Part Twenty

Part Twenty One

Part Twenty Two

Posted in Love, Memories, life | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment »

Always Kiss the Girl Part Twenty Two

June 3, 2009 by Dave Myers

Christmas is by far my favorite holiday. I love the the decorations, the cheesy holiday movies, the songs (the good and bad ones), I love everything about it. The weather is a cold, but the holiday season seems so warm.
In the winter of 1993, it was my first time living away from home. While I planned on going home during Christmas break to spend the holidays with my family, I wanted to celebrate Christmas with my new friends at college before I left. I especially wanted to spend some time with Kelly Nelson.
I had known from the beginning of our being together that it was a bad idea, but I had come to the conclusion that I had spent the majority of my young life worrying about the outcome, and not living for the moment. Kelly was helping me to not worry as much and gave me a sense of freedom and subtle rebellion that I had never felt before and I relished in it.

I was going to have some friends over for a small party and to help decorate my Christmas tree. Kelly told me that she was going to stop by the store on the way to my place to buy some orange juice.
“OK” I told her, not thinking anything about it.
Later that evening, she came over with a gallon of cheap OJ and a bottle of Absolut Vodka.
At that juncture in my life, I had only had one or two alcoholic drinks. I had grown up in a strict household that condemned drinking. I didn’t dare challenge that rule. However at that time, I wasn’t at home with my Mom and Dad. I was away at college, and I wanted to do what college kids do… I wanted to party.
Not long after putting up a rather pitiful looking Charlie Brown-like Christmas tree, we began to pour the drinks. I had my first ever Screwdriver, and it went down smooth. So I followed up quickly with another, and then another. The drinks got stronger as the night went on longer. Later that night, I was talking to one of my friends at the kitchen table when I slurred a drunken confession.
“I love Kelly” I told him.
“Yeah Man, she is a great girl. We all love Kelly” he replied.
“No, you don’t get it. I am IN love with Kelly. I know I shouldn’t be, but I am” I mumbled.
“Dude, she’s -” he started to say, before I cut him off in mid sentence.
“I know, but that doesn’t mean I don’t love her. We are perfect together.”
“What do you mean…together?” he asked.
I didn’t reply and stared into space. He patted me on the shoulder and walked away, not wanting to hear the rest. I didn’t finish my thought as I got easily distracted by another refill of my glass. By the time I had my last drink, I determined that I was drinking a screwdriver strong enough to screw a screw though titanium.
I woke up the next morning with a dry mouth, horrible headache, and a worse conscience. While recapping the night before, I realized I couldn’t keep a secret while drinking. My big mouth got much bigger with the influence of alcohol.

The SGA Christmas dance was a pretty big deal at school. We held it at a large facility with a huge dance floor, great catering, and a DJ that had every song you could imagine.
I was on the committee to help out with decorating and getting everything together. I was helping one of the guys hang some decorations when he asked me out of the blue –

“What’s the deal with you and Kelly?”
“We’re just friends, we hang out together and stuff. No biggie” I replied.
“That’s not what’s going around” he said.
“Rumors are just rumors” was all I could come up with to try to end the conversation.
“Say what you want to, but the smile on your face tells me all I need to know” he said as he walked away.
I felt guilty that my facial expression might have given away my feelings toward Kelly. The one thing that she had made me promise was that I wasn’t to tell anyone about us being together. I had already admitted to one person during a drunken stupor my feelings for her, and now without saying a word, I had revealed our secret again. The guilt stuck with me for a while as I finished helping out with the preparations for the big Christmas Dance.

After getting the place ready to go for the evening, I went home to change into nicer clothes and get ready for the evening. I wanted to look my best, because I knew Kelly was going to be there too. I wore a white dress shirt with dress pants and a splash of Hugo cologne. After spending nearly thirty minutes in the mirror trying to make my hair look just right, I was out the door.
I arrived at the dance a little late, but it wasn’t too crowded. I mingled with friends and waited for Kelly to arrive. The music was loud and made it difficult to talk to others. I was quite bored, tired and ready to go home when I saw her come through the front door.

She was wearing modestly low cut black blouse with her hair down, and smiling when she saw me. I felt my heart race just a bit as she walked through the crowd to see me. We had a friendly hug as to not look obvious to the others around us. I held her long enough entertain my senses with the perfume she was wearing.

“I didn’t think it was possible for you to look even more beautiful, but you do tonight” I said quietly.
“Huh?” she replied unable to hear me over the DJ playing ‘Jingle Bell Rock’ by Burl Ives.
“I said you look beautiful tonight!” I repeated.
“I’m sorry I can’t hear you…” she said.
“YOU LOOK STUNNING!” I said loudly, trying to compete with the music.
“I thought you said I was beautiful. Which is it?” she said with a sly grin. “A girl can’t hear she’s beautiful too many times” fessing up to her playfulness. Her lighthearted and flirty nature is one of the many things that attracted me to her.

We hung out together for the rest of the evening, while mingling with mutual friends. By the time the night was almost over, there were only a few people left at the dance. The DJ played The Temptation’s ‘Silent Night’ as the last song of the evening. The Temptations rendition of the Christmas classic is slow, rich and soulful. I took Kelly by the hand onto the dance floor to dance. She was hesitant at first, but realizing that it was almost an empty room, she gave in.

I held her close and sang in her ear.
“I love to listen to you sing” she whispered.
“I love singing to you” as I continued to serenade her, enjoying her body pressed close to mine.

It was at that moment that I almost said it. I almost let the song, atmosphere, and moment get to me. I had the words “I love you” on the tip of my tongue. Before I could get them out, I stopped myself. I knew that if I crossed that line, there was no going back. I also knew that even if she felt the least bit of the same emotion toward me, that she wouldn’t admit it. Whatever type of relationship we were having at that time, had unspoken lines that weren’t meant to be crossed.
So while ‘Silent Night’ played, I remained silent.

Love Y’all
d

http://tarheelinnashville.com/2009/06/22/always-kiss-the-girl-part-twenty-three/ Click here to check out the next chapter in the series!

Get caught up with these previous entries in the series as well!

Part One

Part Two

Part Three

Part Four

Part Five

Part Six

Part Seven

Part Eight

Part Nine

Part Ten

Part Eleven

Part Twelve

Part Thirteen

Part Fourteen

Part Fifteen

Part Sixteen

Part Seventeen

Part Eighteen

Part Nineteen

Part Twenty

Part Twenty One

Posted in Love, Memories, life | Tagged , , | 4 Comments »

Always Kiss the Girl Part Twenty One

May 14, 2009 by Dave Myers

“You know we can’t tell anybody about this…” She said between deep kisses and heavy breathing. With my fingers exploring forbidden places, and breathing heavily myself, I agreed.
At nineteen years old, and rounding the bases with her faster than Ricky Henderson, she could have told me to swear off Fried Chicken, Myrtle Beach and The Tar Heels, and I would have agreed.

There were many reasons why getting involved with Kelly Nelson was a bad idea. I’m not going to go into detail, but any type of relationship (no matter what the type) that begins with “we can’t tell anybody” is never a good thing.
However, I decided I was tired of doing the right thing. I was tired of being the ‘Nice guy” everyone else had deemed me. It was time to do something and not worry about the ramifications. Turn my conscience off, and do what felt right in the moment.

There was so much more to my infatuation with Kelly than just her physical beauty. She had a wicked sense of humor, and the type of personality that made you take notice when she entered the room, and made you instantly miss her the moment she left.
She was supportive, kind, loving, sexy, and above all else fun.
She brought out aspects of my personality that not many people had seen. My humor became more risqué, I didn’t think twice about giving a smart aleck comeback to any of her playful putdowns and jokes, and she helped me learn to laugh not only at myself, but at life in general. I wasn’t quite as serious and anxious when I was around Kelly.

I suppose every couple has a song that they consider ‘their song’. The song that will always be associated with Kelly for me will be ‘Linger’ by the Cranberries.
We took off on a road trip one sunny afternoon to Goldsboro NC. She wanted to show me her hometown. I don’t remember a lot about the tour, but I do remember having fun during the drive.
It was on this road trip that we discussed some of our fears and things that had impacted our lives.
She told me about the time she saw someone get in a car wreck and watched the man get thrown from the vehicle and die instantly. It happened when she was younger, and how that image has stuck with her for her entire life.
I told her about how I got caught up in a current at the beach when I was a small child, and my parents didn’t see it happen. It was the first time in my life that I felt helpless and thought I was going to die. I have been scared of the water ever sense.
In the middle of this deep conversation, ‘Linger’ came on the radio. Somehow the talking ceased in the car, and we began to sing along.

‘You’ve got me wrapped around your finger…. Do you have to let it linger?’

In early December, I was asked to be the intermission entertainment for a Beauty Pageant the SGA from school was sponsoring. I gladly agreed. It had been some time since I had been on stage, and I was anxious to perform. In the back of my mind, I replayed my performance at the Senior Talent show in High School. I played a song for a girl that didn’t even attend. I was going to make sure the girl I wanted to play for that evening was going to be there.

I told Kelly about the show, and she seemed as excited as I was. I couldn’t wait to have her see me on stage. It would be a room full of people, but in my mind I was only singing to her. I chose three songs to perform.
‘In A Song’ by Jim Croce, ‘Friends in Low Places’(per request of the Director of Entertainment), and finally I was going to do the same song I performed at the SHS Senior Talent show ‘Anymore’ by Travis Tritt.

When the night finally came, I was nervous backstage. Kelly came backstage with her friend Stacey to wish me luck. Stacey (like everyone else) had no idea what was going on between me and Kelly, so we had to play it cool. They both gave me big hugs and told me to break a leg.

When the intermission finally came, I took the stage on a tiny stool behind a microphone they had set up for me. I opened with the Croce song and kept my eyes closed throughout the song.
The amount of people that was in the audience was a bit intimidating, and I wasn’t anticipating it. I followed the Croce song with the Garth classic, and had the entire audience clapping and singing along. Once I realized that the crowd was enjoying the music, I became more relaxed and opened my eyes.
I closed my set with ‘Anymore’.
The first line ‘I can’t hide the way I feel about you… Anymore’ seemed almost eerie and out of place.
The lyrics seemed odd to sing out loud, because I knew that Kelly didn’t want to hear me say such things. She didn’t want to hear me say that I was falling in love with her. She and I kept eye contact throughout the entire song. I began to think I made a mistake in choosing the song, and was afraid she might get upset.

While I was in the middle of the guitar solo in the song, almost to the third verse, someone sneezed VERY loudly. On a whim, while continuing to play, I said “Bless You”. The crowd broke out in laughter, and a lot of the tension and emotion from playing the song seemed to ease. I got a standing ovation from everyone in the crowd when my set was over.
Kelly met me in the parking lot of the auditorium when I was on my way out. She gave me a big hug and told me how great I sounded. She didn’t say anything about the last song choice, so I didn’t bring it up. We talked for a while as I got ready to go home to Laurinburg for the weekend. Thinking the moment was right, I went in to give her a kiss. She gave me an awkward look and reminded me that we couldn’t kiss in public. My heart sank for a minute as I realized how difficult this was going to be. She grabbed my hand and urged me into the front seat of my car. In the darkness of the near empty parking lot, we kissed.

I turned on the stereo, and my Cranberries CD was playing.

‘You’ve got me wrapped around your finger….’

I knew she didn’t want to hear it.

I knew I shouldn’t have felt it.

I knew that there was no hope for a happy ending to whatever we were doing and feeling at that time.

In my mind, at that moment, there was no doubt that I was falling in love with a girl that could not love me the same way.

‘Do you have to let it linger?’

Love Y’all
d

CLICK HERE TO CHECK OUT THE NEXT CHAPTER IN THE SERIES!!

Get caught up with these previous entries in the series as well!

Part One

Part Two

Part Three

Part Four

Part Five

Part Six

Part Seven

Part Eight

Part Nine

Part Ten

Part Eleven

Part Twelve

Part Thirteen

Part Fourteen

Part Fifteen

Part Sixteen

Part Seventeen

Part Eighteen

Part Nineteen

Part Twenty

Posted in Love, Memories, life | Tagged , , , , , , | 3 Comments »

Always Kiss the Girl Part Twenty

April 22, 2009 by Dave Myers

My first place away from my parent’s house was less than glamorous. It was a single wide white trailer with a tin roof. The roof leaked slightly, but not bad enough to be inconvenient. A few well placed trash cans were all I needed to fix that problem.
The trailer was in the middle of a large farm. My front lawn was a tobacco field, and my back yard frequently had deer and other wild animals running through it.
I truly loved it.
I had moved into my new home in August of 1993. I moved away to attend Central Carolina Community College in Sanford NC. Sanford is known as the Brick capital of the US, and is a very rural small town filled with farms, lots of land, and bricks. Other than a brief period when I was four years old and my family moved to Illinois, it was the first time I had ever lived away from my hometown of Laurinburg NC.

On the weekends, I would go home and work at the radio station. The station had recently undergone a format change from Top 40 to an Oldies format. While I was burned out on playing ‘Good Times and Great Oldies’, I still enjoyed being on the air and working with Alan, my friend and boss. Plus while my parents (and student loans) paid for my schooling, I still had a car payment to make and I needed spending money.
It was nice to be home on the weekends, but I was really beginning to love the life I was making for myself in Sanford. Granted it was only 80 miles from my hometown, but it seemed like a world away at times.
Being away from home for the first time is scary for some, but I reveled in it. The freedom that came from being on my own was something that I never imagined could be so good. All my life, I had been surrounded by the same people and the same places. It was so refreshing to have a change of scenery.

I chose to go to school at CCCC upon the advice of many radio professionals in NC that praised the school’s broadcasting department, and its instructor Jerry Farmer. Mr. Farmer was widely respected by many in the radio field, and was known for his abilities not only as a teacher, but his willingness to help his students find jobs once they graduated. He was an older gentleman with white hair and a beard. Everyday in his class he would remind us that we were “In the right place at the right time”. I had respect for him from the minute that I first walked into his classroom. It was apparent that he was knowledgeable in the field, and that he shared my passion for it. I knew I could learn a lot from him.

In addition to classes, I decided to get involved in other things outside of the broadcasting field at CCCC. I became a member of the Student Government Association. I chose to join on a whim when I saw a flyer up in the Student Center. It was a chance to make some new friends, and to get involved. I regretted not doing more things like that while I was in High School, and it was my chance to make up for those lost opportunities.

One of the first functions the SGA had was a ‘Fall Carnival’. We had various games and activities scattered across our small campus. I was in charge of working in the concessions stand. It was there that I met Kelly Nelson. Kelly had long dark hair with an inviting and alluring smile.
It was unusually cold that night, and we shared the tiny heater in the concession stand to stay warm. She jokingly offered me her coat. When I said no, she offered to share the coat with me. I kindly declined the invitation, not knowing if she was being serious or not. Her sense of humor intrigued me as did her laugh. I had never met a woman so full of beauty, personality, and with such an enigmatic appeal. Needless to say, we hit it off instantly, and our laughter filled the tiny hot dog stand we occupied for the evening.

A couple of weeks later, I decided to forgo classes and drive an hour north to the state capital of Raleigh. It was time for the State Fair, and I hadn’t been to the fair in years. I drove up by myself with intentions of walking around, enjoying a few exhibits, and maybe ride some rides. An hour or two away from school sounded like a great way to spend an early October day.
Not long after arriving at the fairgrounds, I saw Kelly, or I should say that Kelly saw me. Though it had been a few weeks since we occupied the concession stand together, she remembered me instantly. I heard her calling my name from a far and waving me over. She was at the fair with some of her classmates and invited me to tag along with them.

We spent the rest of the day enjoying each other’s company. What was supposed to have been an hour or two at the fair turned into an all day, and an almost all night affair. We rode numerous rides and ate way too much junkie fair food. She was wearing a dark brown shirt under her jacket that brought out her eyes that day. I remember because I spent the better part of my day trying to covertly stare into them. I had taken a liking to Kelly Nelson, and I began to realize she had taken a liking to me as well.

Sometimes you know from the beginning that things aren’t going to work out in your favor. Such was the case with my relationship with Kelly. There were many outstanding circumstances to why a relationship with Kelly wouldn’t work. I’m not going to go into detail about why, but I knew from the beginning that it would be a bad idea to be anything more than friends with her. Still, I found myself completely captivated by her. With her enormous personality along with undeniable beauty, she had me in the palm of her hand from the moment I met her, and she knew it.

We began spending a lot of time together. Between activities with the SGA, having lunch together at school, and hanging out in the parking lot after class, my day was packed with Kelly… but I just couldn’t seem to get enough. One day I invited her and some of her friends over to my place for some dinner. Kelly said that she would cook.
At first I was somewhat embarrassed to have her over. It wasn’t exactly the most attractive of homes, but it was comfortable enough for me. I just hoped it didn’t start raining and I would have to break out the trash cans.

I honestly don’t remember any of her friends who came to dinner that night. It really didn’t matter to me who came, as long as Kelly was there. Any anxious feelings about my place were put at ease once she complimented me on the décor. I had told her time and time again that it wasn’t that nice. The first thing that she said when she walked in the door was how much she liked the place. I guess wood panel walls and shaggy carpet were considered rustic and charming… Who knew?
I didn’t have a lot of pots and pans at that time. Most of my meals at that time came from the microwave. She made due with what I had, and made a great meal. A little while after dinner, all of her friends went home, and that left me and Kelly alone. We talked for a couple of more hours, listening to music on my stereo. We talked about everything that was going on in our lives at the time, and I hung on to her every word. We ended the evening by listening to some classic Motown. Smokey Robinson sang that last song of the night, and I sat in awe of the gorgeous woman who was enjoying every note sang by the Smokey’s soft tenor voice. I walked her to her car and she gave me a kiss on the cheek before she drove away. I could tell after that night, it was going to be hard not to fall for her.

One night she called me up and asked if I wanted to go to nearby Fayetteville to go to the mall. I agreed, and she picked me up about 30 minutes later. We drove in the cold late October air. Once we got to the mall, we window shopped for a long time picking up a few things here or there. I was following her around the women’s department when she found a lacy piece of red lingerie. She held it up.

“So Mr. Myers, how do you think I would look in this?” she asked with a flirty smile.

“Um… great” was all I could think of to say.

It was exciting and a little intimidating at the same time to be pursued by such a strikingly beautiful and charismatic woman. I really wanted to keep our relationship platonic. I knew if we were to take it to the next level, it wouldn’t work. There were too many variables that were against there being a happy ending to anything other than friendship between us. She didn’t make it easy to keep that mind set.

When we were done with our mall shopping expedition, we went back to my place. Once again, we turned on the stereo and listened to music. Somehow we went from sitting on the floor in front of the stereo, to lying on the floor. The living room floor was carpeted, but not comfortable. She suggested grabbing a blanket to lye down. The only blanket I could find was a ratty old hand me down pink blanket, but I figured it couldn’t look any worse than the water stains on the ceiling we were staring up at.

When I came back into the living room, Kelly had changed the CD to Michael Bolton (it was 1993, and it was her CD… not mine). I laid the blanket down on the floor and we laid down together while listening to the music, and talking. Her perfume was enticing and I felt her body heat as she laid so close next to me. At one point, she reached for my hand while the music was playing. Her hand felt just as soft as I imagined. My mind was racing and struggling with thoughts of what I wanted to do, and what I should do. All the while, I was becoming more and more intoxicated by her.
Finally, I gave in. I couldn’t resist her any longer. I rolled over, almost on top of her, and gave her a deep long kiss. I had done everything in my power to talk myself out of this moment, but surrender was sweet as her lips touched mine. It was the softest kiss I had ever had. I felt the familiar butterflies begin to emerge in my stomach, and my heart was beating like crazy. I knew I was falling for her much harder and deeper than I should.
As I ran my fingers through her hair, I got lost in her eyes as we lay together, wrapped up in a hand me down pink blanket, listening to bad Michael Bolton music.
I knew that it wasn’t going to last forever. I knew that there wasn’t a happy ending to come. However at that moment in time I didn’t care about what the future held, I just cared about who I was holding in my arms that night.

Love Y’all
d

CLICK HERE TO READ THE NEXT CHAPTER IN THE SERIES

Get caught up with these previous entries in the series as well!

Part One

Part Two

Part Three

Part Four

Part Five

Part Six

Part Seven

Part Eight

Part Nine

Part Ten

Part Eleven

Part Twelve

Part Thirteen

Part Fourteen

Part Fifteen

Part Sixteen

Part Seventeen

Part Eighteen

Part Nineteen

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Always Kiss the Girl Part Nineteen

April 14, 2009 by Dave Myers

After my first taste of being on the air at Mix 96, I was instantly hooked. I knew from that moment on what my calling in life was. I had already fallen in love with radio, just by hanging around the station and making friends with everyone there. However, the adrenaline rush that came from opening up the microphone and having thousands of people listen was more than enough to erase any doubts that it was what I wanted to do professionally.
I spent the better part of my childhood listening to the radio, calling stations for requests and contests. My love for radio actually dated well before my first time visiting the station. Radio had been a major influence on my life, and had provided the soundtrack to my childhood, adolescent years, and more importantly my teens. By working in the broadcast industry, I felt like I had the opportunity to play a small part in other people’s lives the same way.

The remainder of 1992 into 1993 I spent numerous hours at the radio station working on my craft. I remained at AM 1460 WEWO running the board for various shows, as well as doing board work for the FM station Mix 96. I spent my early Saturday mornings running the ‘Rick Dees Weekly Top 40 Countdown’ and Sunday evenings running ‘American Top Forty with Casey Kasem’, followed by two hours of my own air shift. I also spent a few overnights working 12mid-6a on the air when there was a spot that needed to be filled. Between both stations, I worked crazy hours and often got little sleep, but I loved every minute of it.
My friend Chris had started doing a show on Saturday nights called ‘The Saturday Night Hot Mix with Shadow Haze’, and he allowed me to co host the show with him. So while that wasn’t my own show, it was time behind the microphone. We had fun with callers and joking around on the air. It was my favorite three hours of the week.

I also landed a gig at the local teen club ‘Rockers’ deejaying on Friday nights. It was easy money, and a lot of fun. It was there that I met a little blond girl from nearby Maxton, NC that captured my attention.
She was like me, in the fact that she had a soft spot for iconic figures from times before we were born. She was a huge fan of Elvis Presley, Marilyn Monroe, and James Dean. I had never known another girl like her. Her knowledge and passion for things Pop Culture fascinated me. I began a friendship with her that lasted for quite a while. The problem with our relationship was that in time, I wanted more than friendship, but friendship was all she wanted from me.
I was the go-to man she went to when whatever guy she was dating was treating her badly. “I wish he was more like you” she would often say.
I wondered if she knew how badly that cut me. She knew I wanted more than just being her friend, as we had discussed it on numerous occasions.
She often said things like –“I don’t deserve a guy like you” or “You can do so much better than me”.
She was so hard to read. She acted like she was interested in me, we spent hours on the phone together, she danced TONS of slow dances with me at the club I was working at, she gave me all the signs that she was interested in me… But she never was willing to take it to the next step. I could never tell if she was flirting, being nice, or leading me on. It might have been a combination of all three, but it kept me interested enough to keep coming back for more.

When 1993 came around, I had all but distanced myself from everyone I knew in High School. Everyone except of course, my best friend David ‘Tater’ Turner – A Great American. Most of my friends from high school had moved away to college, whereas I stayed back in Laurinburg to pursue my radio dreams. Tater went to nearby Pembroke University (now known as UNC-Pembroke), and remained in Laurinburg as well, so our relationship really didn’t change too much.
I promised my parents that I was just going to take one year off from school before going away to college. I felt like if I left the station at that juncture, that I would bring to a halt all of the momentum I was getting in the early stages of my radio career.

To be honest, I kept myself so busy working odd hours at the radio station that I didn’t really take the time to think about friends I had back in High School. The only person that entered my mind on a frequent basis was Megan Alba Biel. I didn’t know where she had gone off to school or anything about what she was doing, but that didn’t stop me for wondering. I thought once we both were away from high school, I would move on and stop thinking about her, much like the rest of the things tied to High School. But that was not the case. In my mind she still set the mark for everything that was beautiful, even if I couldn’t see her beauty on a first hand basis any longer.

By mid 93, things were starting to change even more around the station. I was getting more and more hours on the air. It was mostly fill- in work and lots of overnight hours, but I relished in every opportunity I had to turn on a microphone.
My friend Chris had taken a job in Philly working for a radio production company, and that made me a little sad, as we had become close. Then in June, almost one year to the day after my first day on the air at Mix 96, I found out that Mix was becoming ‘Oldies 96.5’. That was a crushing blow to me.
While I have a deep love for classic R&B, and other great oldies songs, it wasn’t a format that a 19 year old could really flourish in. I remained on as a part timer, but started to feel the urge to move on to something different.
I started asking around to various radio friends, both at the station I worked at, as well as other stations in the NC area where they would recommend me going off to school. Almost unanimously they said I should go to Central Carolina Community College in Sanford NC. College teacher Jerry Farmer had been teaching there for many years, and had high job placement, as well as a great network of radio professionals come from there.

I was burnt out on playing “Good times and Great Oldies”. I was also feeling just as burnt out being the eternal shoulder to cry on for the little blond girl from Maxton. It was obvious that relationship wasn’t going to go the way I wanted it to go. It was time to make a change and move away from Laurinburg for the first time. I was going to go to college and become a “Jerry’s Kid” (That is what Mr. Farmer’s students were lovingly and jokingly called).

I didn’t know it at the time, but the move would start a chain of events that would lead me to fulfilling a life long dream. It also meant that in time, I would have the chance to see a familiar figure that I had all but given up on seeing again.

Love Y’all
d

CHECK OUT THE NEXT ENTRY IN THE SERIES!
Get caught up with these previous entries in the series as well!

Part One

Part Two

Part Three

Part Four

Part Five

Part Six

Part Seven

Part Eight

Part Nine

Part Ten

Part Eleven

Part Twelve

Part Thirteen

Part Fourteen

Part Fifteen

Part Sixteen

Part Seventeen

Part Eighteen

Posted in Childhood, Love, Memories, life, radio | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments »

Always Kiss the Girl Part Eighteen

April 3, 2009 by Dave Myers

I came into the station like any other day in late May. I swung by Sammy’s office to say hello. It was there that I met my soon to be boss.

I had been secretly dreading this day since I first got wind that Sammy was leaving.

I was worried that I wouldn’t get along with my new boss, or maybe he wouldn’t have the faith in me that Sam did. I was also afraid he wouldn’t let me hang out at the station as much, or play around with equipment in an attempt to learn more about the business.

Sammy was much more than a friend, he was a mentor. His leaving meant a change in the dynamic of my role at the station. I just wasn’t sure what that dynamic might be.

“Dave I want you to meet Alan Hoover” Sammy said.

“Hey Dave, I’m Alan” Hoover said extending his hand for a handshake.

He was a shorter guy (Like Sammy and I), had red hair with a beard, and had a firm handshake.

The three of us hung out in Sammy’s office for a while, told jokes and talked music and girls. Alan’s energy was obvious and contagious from the first moment I met him. I could already tell I was going to like him on a personal level. I don’t remember details of our conversation; I just remember laughing a lot.

As sad as I was to see Sammy leave, I did feel a little more at ease once I met “Hoov” (as I came to know him). The fact that I met him with Sammy looking on also made me feel better. I don’t think Sam would have done the introduction the way he did, if he thought Alan wasn’t a stand up guy.

Chris Hudpeth had taken over nights once Sammy started doing afternoons a few months prior to his leaving. Chris’ on air name was Shadow Haze. He had become quite popular in the little amount of time he had been on the air at Mix.

Chris and I had become fast friends. We weren’t too far apart in age, and had very similar interests as well as the same type of sense of humor. Chris had also taken me under his wing, and would let me hang out with him while doing his show. He and Alan worked together at B100 in Wilmington NC. When I asked Chris about Alan, he had nothing but nice things to say about him. Chris made the transition easier for me, just by showing faith in me. The fact that he and Alan were close also put me at ease.

On the School front, things were winding down. I received my Cap and Gown along with Graduation invites. It was a sign that it all was really happening. Naturally the gown was too long, and the cap looked entirely too big on my head. I didn’t care, as long as I got my piece of paper.

The last day of school was uneventful. I think the majority of us were just anxious to have it over with. We all told each other we would hang out over the summer and keep in touch, like teenagers always do when it’s time to move on. Social media such as Facebook and MySpace were still more than a decade away from invention. The only communication lines for keeping in touch back then were either the telephone, or by mail. A teenage boy’s life is often too busy to consider either a valid option to keep in touch.

I knew that I was saying goodbye to many classmates and peers that I had known for the past 4, 8, and in some cases 12 years. I had made my peace with that, and was ready to move on. I was young, restless, and anxious all at the same time. My drive home from school that day was filled with thoughts of the unknown future, not of the past.

Sammy’s last day at the station was just a couple of days after the last day of school. It was a sad day for me. I was losing a good friend and mentor. We promised to keep in touch, not unlike I had promised classmates just a few days before. I told him thank you for all he had done for me. He assured me I was in good hands with Alan and Chris. He left a note for me that said “Keep that We-Wo thing HOT” (referring to the sister AM station I worked at). I didn’t know it at the time, but I was a few days away from having bigger fish to fry than just AM 1460 WEWO.

June 6th was a HOT day. It was also my graduation day. I wore my mandatory dark blue dress pants and white shirt with tie under my graduation gown. It registered in the upper 90’s that day, and we were to be filed into Pate Stadium under the sun to receive our diplomas. Most of my family were there. They all told me time and again how proud they were of me before going to the ceremony.

Our class song was “It’s So Hard to Say Goodbye to Yesterday” by Boyz II Men. A group of guys sang it A cappella, and sounded pretty good. They were followed by Owena Church who sang our National Anthem. I remember standing up, with my hand over my heart hoping I wouldn’t pass out from the heat.

Once we were seated, our valedictorian Suzanne Tompkins took the stage to begin her speech. She got about two lines into her speech when a train came loudly rolling by on the tracks directly behind the stadium. Principal Oxendine smoothly got up from his seat to tell Suzanne to wait a few minutes, and let the train go by. He said into the microphone that what she had to say was too important to have to compete with a train.

I felt it was appropriate that the train delayed the ceremony. It certainly had delayed me getting to school on time for the past four years. Once the train finally rumbled on its way, Suzanne started again. She spoke of where we had been and where we were going in a simple, yet poignant way. Thankfully her speech wasn’t too long, as I felt five pounds of much needed body weight starting to sweat away from me in my hard, hot, plastic seat in the middle of the football stadium.

When the speech was over, they started to give out the diplomas. A really sweet moment occurred when Jamie Lytch walked across the stage to receive his diploma. He had been fighting terminal illness for a long while, and wanted to be there to receive his piece of paper. We all stood up and gave him a standing ovation. That day meant more to him than to anyone else there. Seeing something like that put the day and our young lives in perspective. Jamie passed away not long after graduation.

When my name was called and I walked the stage, I heard my mother and father in the far way stands shouting. There is nothing like the feeling of knowing you made your parents proud. I accidently left my sunshades on while I walked across the stage, so I heard about that when we got the video tape of the ceremony later… But in the end, I don’t think my parents minded too much.

When it was all over, we gathered outside of the stadium to say goodbye to friends and to the school where we had spent so many days. I looked around for familiar faces to talk to, and to hug as we were finally free from the halls of Scotland High School.

In the distance, I saw a short girl with long blonde hair. It was Megan Alba Biel. I made my way over to where she was standing, but before I could get to her, she was surrounded by family and friends. I didn’t feel comfortable approaching her at that point, so I just stood there, admiring her from a far. I didn’t know what I would say if I had approached her anyway.

“Hey, I think I’ve been in love with you for the past four years” just didn’t seem like the right thing to say at that juncture.

“Have a great summer” didn’t seem to sum up my feelings either.

Besides, she was busy loving on all of her family and friends that she was way closer to than me. So after a few minutes, I walked away and joined my parents for the drive home. I was thinking at that time, that it was probably going to be the last time I would ever see Megan Alba Biel.

After dinner with my folks I drove to the station to meet Chris. We had made plans to go to Myrtle Beach that night. When I got to the station, I found an engraved picture frame for my graduation picture given to me by the staff at the station on my desk. They all had adopted me as their little brother of sorts, and it was heartfelt and appreciated. I’m telling you, there is nothing like the love you can get when your co-workers feel like family. Radio gets a bad rap from some folks, but I think it is at its best when you work in an environment like that.

Chris and I were getting ready to leave when Alan in stopped me in the hall.

He congratulated me, and asked what I was doing on the 12th. I told him I didn’t really have any plans. He then gave me the end all of graduation gifts.

“I want you to run the board at Mix from 12mid-3a, then I want you to go live on the air from 3a-5a.”

I was in shock, I had wanted to be on the air at Mix for a long time, and he was giving me the opportunity.

“Wow” I said, somewhat speechless.

“You’ve been here for nearly a year, and have many people who speak well of you…You’ve paid your dues, and I think it’s time you take the next step. I know you will do great” he said. “Now go to Myrtle Beach and have fun.”

And we did. So much fun, that I am not going to get into too much detail here. I will say that we drove many laps up and down Ocean Drive with two Yankee college girls who thought it was “SO COOL” that we were on the radio. Technically, I wasn’t going to be “ON THE RADIO” for a few more days… but those were minor details that got lost in the evening. Other personal details got lost in translation that evening too, but that tends to happen at Myrtle Beach. Grad night was a good night for me.

Four days later, I turned 18 years of age. We had a big ole birthday party at the Myers household. My best friend David ‘Tater’ Turner – A Great American was there, as well as many other friends and family. As much as I enjoyed June 10th, I was really looking forward to June 12th.

When the night finally came, I was nervous. I drove into the station with snacks and Mt. Dew’s to get me through the long overnight hours. I had picked up a NY Yankees cap to wear that night in honor of Sammy. He always had on a Yankees cap. Truth be told, I hate the Yankees… but it just felt right for that night.

I ran the board for the first three hours of the overnight. It was the first time I had worked in the Mix studio, even though I had spent the majority of my evenings during my Senior Year hanging out there. I made a few mistakes starting out, but that was to be expected my first time doing it.

When the three o’clock hour came, I trigged the top of the hour ID and started ‘Under the Bridge’ by the Red Hot Chili Peppers. I hit the red button, potted the microphone up and said –

“Mix 96, Carolina’s best music mix… Good morning, I’m Dave Myers and it’s straight up three o’clock in the morning with the Red Hot Chili Peppers on Mix 96”.

It was my first break ever on live radio.

It was a year to the day that Katie had broken up with me.

It was six days after my HS graduation.

And it was two days after my Eighteenth Birthday.

My life had change tremendously.

Everyone has moments in there lives where they can pinpoint that their lives changed. 3am on June 12th, 1992 was one of those times for me. I knew at that moment, no matter what the future held… that I wanted to remember that night. The past was in my rear view mirror as I forged forward onto an adult life that was going to be filled with dreams coming true, and a few regrets along the way.
With the end of every chapter in life, a new one begins. And a new chapter in my life had begun. Still, I did not completely lose grip of dreams from the past, and wonder what could have been. The future would be full of surprises.

Love Y’all

d

CLICK HERE TO READ THE NEXT CHAPTER IN THE SERIES!

Get caught up with these previous entries in the series as well!

Part One

Part Two

Part Three

Part Four

Part Five

Part Six

Part Seven

Part Eight

Part Nine

Part Ten

Part Eleven

Part Twelve

Part Thirteen

Part Fourteen

Part Fifteen

Part Sixteen

Part Seventeen

Posted in Childhood, Family, Love, Memories, life | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments »

Always Kiss the Girl Part Seventeen

March 26, 2009 by Dave Myers

I have never really been big on adapting to change. I don’t like it. If I am happy the way something is going, I don’t want anything to rock the boat. The months of May and June my senior year of High School were full of changes. It was a time that I should have been full of excitement, but the fear of the unknown had somehow taken away some of that excitement.

I found out that Sammy Simpson (my boss and friend) at Mix 96 FM Radio was leaving to take another job in a larger market. Sammy had moved from nights to afternoons a few months prior, so I wasn’t able to hang out with him quite the same way I used to. I saw him nearly everyday, and was still learning quite a lot from him, but it wasn’t the same.

I worked very hard on being the best employee I could be for the station. I worked for the AM station running NC State games and did any and everything else that was asked of me to do with pride.

My biggest fear was that corporate was going to bring in someone who might not see what Sammy saw in me. If I were to be completely honest, I was still in awe that I was allowed to work there, and to be a part of something that I put on such a high pedestal. In the back of my mind, I still felt awkward and grossly un-cool. Because of that, part of me felt like I didn’t deserve such a great opportunity. I was hoping whoever my new boss would be, that he would grant me the freedom that Sammy did. I also hoped he would make me feel as accepted and appreciated.

The station had become an escape for me. It was another world where I didn’t feel my status was always in question, like I did at school. Bottom line, when I was within the four walls of that musky small building, I felt like one of the cool kids that I had so longed to be while at school.

My remaining time in High School was flying by at a record pace. The weeks between the Senior Talent show and graduation was a blur. Final exams, plans for graduation night, confirming what college we would be going to… All of these things were the topic of conversation with my friends. In a time that would have been perfect for retrospection and appreciation for what we had been through together, we spent the majority of the time looking forward to the future.

When you are young, and the independence and excitement that comes with the future are within your grasp, you really don’t take time to think about the past. You don’t really learn to appreciate days gone by, until they are too far gone to go back to and you are too old to relive them.

Our Senior Yearbooks looked incredible that year. The Scottish Plaid cover had a Golden Seal on the front. It was loaded with pictures that not only captured the essence of the school year, but who we were at that time.

I passed it around to get it filled with signatures. Most of which were from girls who thought “I was so sweet”, and “Such a nice guy”, and all of the other things I didn’t want to be called at that juncture in my life.

A lot of guys I shared classes with told me how much fun they had getting to know me, and gave me their number to call so we could “hang out sometime’. I never called any of them, as I was not sure if they really meant it. Looking back I am sure some of them did, and I should have taken them up on their offer.

My best friend David ‘Tater’ Turner – A Great American, signed my yearbook briefly and touched on our ‘Brotherhood’. We were both born only children, but had grown up as brothers. There was no need for a lengthy paragraph or two. Our friendship would far surpass the halls of Scotland High School, and we both knew that.

Jason also had great things to say in his signing of my yearbook. He mentioned all of the good times we had through middle and high school. He complimented me on my acting, singing and guitar playing. (Truth be told, he was much better than me at both acting and singing. Thankfully, he didn’t seriously pick up guitar too). He touched on how things got rocky for a bit during the Katie drama, but we had come on the other side of it remaining friends. He was right, and I was glad we did.

My favorite signature came from a faculty member. I had asked my favorite teacher- Bob Bierbaum to sign it on the Video Productions page. It was a class that shaped me more than any other class.

Funny thing about me, while most kids become quiet and reserved when they are feeling a little awkward and shy, I had the tendency to get louder and talk even more. I had asked him to sign my yearbook on a day that I had been rather loud and showing off a bit in class. It actually was a blessing in disguise. Because of my actions earlier that day in his class, he wrote passionately, and gave me some of the best advice I had ever received.

“I hope that you have had the chance to see that video and broadcasting can be very creative and fun. It’s also hard work at times. That part, sometimes is not so fun. But it’s the only measure of a person’s character. Peer position and ‘Pecking order’ can seem important, but does nothing to build a future, or to allow yourself to express your capabilities and possibilities. I hope you take the time to invest in what you CAN be… and what you WANT to be in the future. NONE of these folks will be around within 2 years for you. Don’t waste any effort to meet their (incredibly) low expectations… Set high goals and be the achiever you’re destined to be! You’re worth the effort. Sincerely – Mr. B.

Bob Bierbaum was the best teacher I ever had. I had him in 7th grade as my English teacher, and then my Video Productions teach my Junior and Senior year in High School. Everyone has a teacher that helped shape them as adults, Bob Bierbaum was that teacher for me. I had never had a teacher put that much faith in me and to accept me the way he did. He filled that role for me in a way he would never comprehend. The words he wrote in my yearbook that year, they were painfully true and needed to be said. Part of me just wishes they would have been said to me at a much younger age.

Mr. Bierbaum is a lawyer now. The world has enough lawyers, but not enough great teachers. Bob Bierbaum was a great teacher.

In a matter of weeks, I was going to say goodbye to two men who had been both mentors and friends to me. Sammy was moving on and I was graduating High School and leaving my time with Mr. Bierbaum behind. I was the kind of teenager that needed that pat on the back and encouragement from time to time. Both of these men did that for me at a very impressionable age. I am a better man today because of the time they spent with me.

My yearbook was a good representation of my Senior Year. I had more signatures than I had in any other previous yearbook. I think that may have come from making more friends, and feeling more comfortable in my own skin my senior year. Plus, I had grown up. Some of my classmates had grown up too. The ones that did not manage to grow up simply didn’t matter to me as much as they once did.

I got tons of great signatures from many great people, but the only signature that I wanted and never received was Megan Alba Biel’s. It was strange how she seemed so untouchable within the last few months of school.

I had labeled her ‘untouchable’ when I was younger, meaning that she had set the mark for everything beautiful in my eyes. From the day I first saw her in Mr. Hedgepeth’s class, all the way to final days of school, she was THE girl I spent my time alone dreaming about.

But my definition of ‘Untouchable’ is different in this sense.

She was ‘Untouchable’, in a way that she was always seemed just two steps ahead or one step behind me. I would see her in the hallway, but she would be surrounded by friends. I would pass her in her car in the parking lot, driving away from school. She was even in the same restaurant when my folks and I went to dinner one evening, but the only appropriate interaction in a place like that was a simple smile and wave. She was everywhere, except the places where I could actually talk to her. Looking back, it seems almost poetic that I never got her to sign my yearbook. It kind of represents our relationship the latter part of that year.

I wanted to ask her for a dance at Prom, but I never could find her.

I wanted her to know that I sang my song for her at the Senior Talent Show, but she wasn’t there.

She was everywhere but where I wanted her to be… She was literally ‘Untouchable’.

I wasn’t ready to say goodbye to many people. It was especially hard to say goodbye to the people who had played such a prominent role in my High School years. Bob Bierbaum, Sammy Simpson, and yes…Megan Alba Biel had made the time I spent during my High School days special and memorable. In a matter of days, I would be at a point to where I might never see them again.

I don’t like change. I especially didn’t like change at the age of Seventeen. But like it or not, big changes were just a few days away for me. Some expected, and some were not, but all of which shaped the coming years of my life… More about that later!

Love Y’all

d

CLICK HERE TO READ THE NEXT CHAPTER IN THE SERIES!!

Get caught up with these previous entries in the series as well!

Part One

Part Two

Part Three

Part Four

Part Five

Part Six

Part Seven

Part Eight

Part Nine

Part Ten

Part Eleven

Part Twelve

Part Thirteen

Part Fourteen

Part Fifteen

Part Sixteen

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Always Kiss the Girl Part Sixteen

March 12, 2009 by Dave Myers

I was putting away my guitar when I saw Megan Alba Biel walking up the steps on the side of the stage. I had just given the performance of a lifetime, and had been anxious for her reaction. Trying to play it cool, I avoided eye contact with her and simply said hello.

“You were great out there” she said demurely. She was looking at me in a way she never looked at me before.

“Thanks” I said, still playing it cool.

There was a moment of silence, as if she were waiting for me to say something else.

“You look so passionate when you are playing music, I didn’t know you had that in you.” She said, breaking the silence.

“Well, I guess you don’t know me all that well.” I replied as I got up with my guitar in hand, looking as if I were going to walk away from the conversation.

“That’s a shame I guess” she muttered seemingly to herself.

“No” I said turning back around to face her. “ What’s a shame is that there are only a few weeks left of school, and we are just now having this conversation” I responded as I put down my guitar and walked closer to her.

I remained silent with every step I took closer to her, trying to read what she was thinking at the moment. I finally stood within arms reach, facing her, and trying to play hard to get.

“I think I would like to get to know you better” she said as she reached out to touch my right arm.

I stared at her for a moment, not saying anything.

I reached for her hand and pulled her closer to me. My aggressiveness caught her by surprise as her eyes widened with anticipation. Her face turned a slight shade of pink, blushing with both excitement, and slight embarrassment as I smiled in response to her reaction.

My left arm wrapped around the bottom of her tiny waist and my right hand touching the side of her face and I ran my fingers through her long blond hair. Her body felt soft and perfect pressed against mine as I held her close and traced the side of her face with my fingertips.

I was looking into her eyes, making her wait for the moment that I had dreamed about for so long…

I moved in closer feeling her breath on my face….It was hot and sweet.

I gave her a smile full of dimples as I placed both hands on the side of her face. She closed her eyes as I moved in even closer to her. Her mouth opened slightly and her lips were puckered as I……

“HELLO…. MR. MYERS….!!?!!??”

Mr. Beirbaum was snapping his fingers in front of my face as he woke me up from my daydream.

He was visibly upset at my lack of focus in his class that day. I was upset at him for disrupting what was going to happen next in my daydream. Thankfully, I wasn’t caught with my lips puckered. That could have been all kinds of awkward.

We were taping an episode of “Scotland Today”. I had lost focus after finding out that they were going to have a Senior Talent show. Dreams of me taking the stage and winning over Megan Alba Biel with a song had clouded my thoughts and I wasn’t doing my job up to par.

While we set up the next shot, the girl I shared hosting duties with, Lynn Littell , asked me if I was going to sign up for the talent show. She knew I was a drama/chorus geek, and thought that it would be right up my alley.

“Uh… maybe” I said, shrugging my shoulders, trying to hide my excitement.

I knew that this was going to be my big chance to get MAB to notice me as more than just the ‘nice guy’ she went to school with. I wanted to build on what started with our impromptu lunch months ago. It was something she probably had not thought twice about, but I had replayed in my mind over and over.

My game plan was simple, but brilliant. I was smart enough to know that any success I had had with girls in the past had generally spawned from my playing music. I might not have had a ton of luck with girls at home, but at Pirateland Campground in Surfside Beach SC, I was extremely successful.

Every summer we would hang out around the gazebo on the beach, and eventually, I would wind up taking a stroll down the beach with some pretty Yankee girl who liked how my accent was “so cute” and how I sang a song to them. For some reason, Yankee girls liked me. It worked every time.

So I viewed the upcoming talent show as a chance for Megan Alba Biel to see that side of me. Granted she had the same accent I had, so the Yankee angle wasn’t going to work in my favor, but maybe she would like the song I would sing to her. Surely that would spark something. There was no beach to walk along in my hometown of Laurinburg NC. If there were, I would walk 500 miles with MAB if given the opportunity.

I signed up for the show immediately after class, and began to plan out how I wanted my performance to go.

My song selection really wasn’t that difficult. I had learned to play a popular Travis Tritt song over Spring Break that was fairly popular with the beach crowd, and I thought it would be a perfect fit for the talent show.

The first line in the first verse of the song is – ‘I can’t hide the way I feel about you… Anymore’

The song goes on to tell the story about a guy who had held on to a one sided love for a woman for too long, and he couldn’t hold back ‘Anymore’. It said exactly what I didn’t have the nerve to say to Megan Alba Biel. I love songs like that. I was hoping she would love the song too. I have to admit, I was also hoping it would lead to a scenario much like the daydream I had in Mr. Bierbaum’s class.

When the big day finally came, I carried my guitar around with me at school to every class. The show was scheduled to start at 4pm, just a couple of hours after classes. We would use the time before show time to set up any audio needs, and to do a complete run through rehearsal.

At 245pm I entered the auditorium with my guitar in hand, feeling pretty confident. I saw many other friends and classmates getting there gear ready to rehearse as I found a spot on stage to get ready. Every one else had PA equipment, or DJ’ing equipment. I just had my Washburn acoustic guitar. The same guitar my Dad got for me my Freshman year. It was kind of poetic that I would use it to play at my senior talent show.

The line up included some of my drama friends from ‘Oklahoma’ who had started a band. I was talking to one of the guys from the group while I got my guitar out to tune it. Everything was going smoothly, and we were chatting away as I attempted to get ready. Everything was going smoothly that is, until I tweaked my D string to tune up… and it broke.

A look of horror came over my face the instant it happened. The guy I was talking to just started laughing. Apparently, he found the situation funny. I didn’t see the humor however. I searched all over my guitar case for a spare string, but there wasn’t one to be found. I started freaking out, trying to figure out what to do. I asked another guy that was there with his guitar if he had any spare strings, but he had none to offer. There was only one solution.

It was an hour before show time and my house was twenty minutes away. I ran to my car, guitar in hand and stepped on the gas as I pulled away from the parking lot. The security guard tried to wave me down as I peeled tires and drove away. I could deal with him later, I had to get home fast. I put my emergency blinkers on, and drove 65mph in a 35mph zone. I had to get home, change the string, and be back at the school in less than an hour. Thankfully I drove a 1986 Blue Mustang!

I ran into the house and rushed frantically to my bedroom. My folks had already left for the school to see me perform, so they weren’t there to hear me cursing profusely as I stumbled my way through changing the string. I got from the school to home and had the string changed in twenty minutes. I ran back out to the car and peeled rubber out of our driveway to get back to the school in time.

Again, with the emergency blinkers on, I drove 65mph the entire way back to the school. How I didn’t get pulled or in a wreck is beyond me, but my luck seemed to be improving as I pulled into the school parking lot. The security guard had gone home apparently, and I made it back into the building just as they were about to mark my name off the list of performers.

“I’m here!” I yelled across the room, as I heard them say that I was a no show.


”Well the show is starting now….. Get your butt on stage, your up!’ My drama teacher and director of the show Mrs. McCrummen literally pushed me onto the stage.

“What’s Up Class of 92!!” I yelled still going of the adrenaline rush of the events prior. My excitement was met with a couple of claps, but that was about it. Apparently, they didn’t share my enthusiasm.

I sat down at the end of the stage and let me feet hang below. I didn’t need a microphone or a chair to sit in. All I needed was their attention and my beat up Washburn guitar.

I looked out at the crowd. It was way more crowded than I expected. I was expecting to have butterflies, but oddly enough… I didn’t. I had been planning this moment for a long time, and I wanted to soak it all in. I sat there for a second, and then began to play.

I hit every note, and nailed every chord change (Well, all but one… but who’s counting?) My eyes closed throughout the majority of the performance, feeling every word that I was singing. I wasn’t thinking about the crowd, I wasn’t thinking about the hassle I ran into just minutes before the show started, or the fact that my parents were in the audience. The only thing (or person) on my mind while I was performing was Megan Alba Biel. I held nothing back in my performance. I kept my eyes closed almost through the entire song. By the time I strummed the last chord, I was anxious to open my eyes.

When I did open my eyes, I was greeted with a standing ovation by the entire audience. The crowd was filled with my classmates, peers, and friends… and everyone was on their feet. The feeling of acceptance and love I felt at that moment was humbling. Many of those in attendance probably hated country music, so they normally would not have appreciated that particular song. Many in attendance were kids I grew up with through out Elementary, Middle, and High School. Many were the so call ‘Popular Kids’ I had spent so many years trying to impress and feel accepted by.

At that moment, I felt accepted, admired and loved by them all. I had begun my High School career wanting to make more friends, and to move up the popularity chain. Status seemed irrelevant at that point, but I did feel as if everyone there was my friend. I can still remember the faces of the people who were there, and I do still consider them friends.

The only face I did not see was Megan Alba Biel’s. She wasn’t at the show. All of the time that I had planned on making a big impression on her, I never considered that she wouldn’t be there. That being said, I didn’t invite her either. I just figured it would happen, just like the movie scene I had been picturing in my head for so long. But it did not.

However what I did get out of that day far surpassed any dream that I could have ever had.

Everyone has moments where they can look back and say it summed up an entire season of there life. The Senior Talent show for my class of 1992 was that moment for me. When I think about my High School days, that is the moment I choose to think about the most. It meant more to me than any piece of paper I could ever receive.


Graduation was just weeks away, and we would be going our separate ways. Time was running out on many things, and I felt each second in the remaining few weeks. I wanted so badly to find a way to share the remaining moments with Megan Alba Biel, but I was running out of time and ideas on how to do it. Changes were coming, and they were coming quickly… I just wondered if any would involve my dream girl for the past four years.

Love Y’all
d

CLICK HERE TO READ THE NEXT CHAPTER IN THE SERIES!!

Get caught up with these previous entries in the series as well!

Part One

Part Two

Part Three

Part Four

Part Five

Part Six

Part Seven

Part Eight

Part Nine

Part Ten

Part Eleven

Part Twelve

Part Thirteen

Part Fourteen

Part Fifteen

Posted in Love, Memories, life, music | Tagged , , , | 6 Comments »

Always Kiss the Girl Part Fifteen

February 25, 2009 by Dave Myers

I hated school dances. As a matter of fact, just about every one that I had ever been to was pretty much horrific. As of my senior year, I had been to three school dances (not including my ex girlfriend Katie Coleman’s Prom at a different school). While I had fun at Katie’s Prom my Junior year, my own Prom that year was beyond terrible. I already went over all of that in a previous post, so there is no need to get back into that again. However, I will share with you my experiences at the two Middle School Socials I attended at Sycamore Lane Middle School.

My Fifth Grade year, I attended our Spring Middle School Social. I did not want to attend, seeing how I really didn’t feel like I fit in with a lot of my classmates. However, my parents were adamant about getting me out of my bedroom, away from my Hitachi 8100 boom box radio, and out the door to try to make new friends at school.

I didn’t have many friends my Fifth grade year (I met my best friend David ‘Tater Turner – A Great American, the following year). So I was stuck in the cafeteria listening to bad 80’s music in a darkened corner by myself, watching mostly older popular kids dance.

To my surprise, one of the Eighth Grade kids came over to me. He was a much bigger kid, whom I didn’t know whatsoever.

“Hey little man” he said (I hate it when people call me that). “You see that blond girl over there?” he asked, pointing to a really pretty older girl. “She has been checking you out all night… you should go ask her to dance”.

“Nah Man” I said, trying to sound somewhat cool. “I don’t think so.” I was really hoping he would go away. I noticed all of his friends looking at me as well. He wasn’t just going to go away.

“What? Why not?” he asked, mocking me.

“I just don’t feel like dancing.”

“Whatever man, I just know if I had a girl like that checking me out, I would do something about it,” he said, trying to convince me.

When I finally realized he wasn’t just going to go away, I gave in.

“Alright, I’ll go ask her,” I told him.

“Hi, would you like to dance?” I felt the eyes of the older kids burning in the back of my head as I avoided looking into hers. Her response was predictable, and yet even colder than I expected.

“Are you even old enough to be here?” She asked laughing with her girlfriends.

I turned around and saw the guy who approached me and his friends laughing as well. I walked away with my head down.

I called my parents to pick me up. When my Dad asked me how it went, I lied and told him it went great. I didn’t want to disappoint my folks and have them find out how unpopular I felt in school. Middle School was Hell for me.

My Seventh Grade social wasn’t so bad at first, as I mingled with a few friends that night (I tried to talk Tater into going, but he wasn’t hearing it). Every thing was going great until I went to sit down, and somebody (intentionally or unintentionally, I’m not sure) pulled the chair out from under me. I crashed my bony twelve year old butt to the ground, and was instantly humiliated. I hit the floor so hard, that it hurt to sit for the next couple of days, but I never let on. My pride hurt way more than my backside.

Obviously after those two experiences, and with the debacle that was my Jr. Prom, I had nowhere to go but up. Plans for my Senior Prom were going pretty well. There was one problem however, I wasn’t really feeling any connection with Jessica (My date for the evening). I always thought Prom was supposed to be a romantic night between two love struck teenagers, and I wasn’t feeling that way at all about Jess.

We had hung out a few times since I had spontaneously asked her to Prom, but there wasn’t any chemistry between us. I was really nervous about addressing the issue, and wondered if I should at all. I could have wound up without a date for the Prom, and it was less than two weeks away. Still, I didn’t want to lead her on, as that would not have been fair to her.

So over dinner one evening, the topic came up. Without going into to much detail, she basically told me she felt the same way. We both enjoyed hanging out with each other, but there was nothing romantic going on. It was a moment of relief when we both agreed to go as friends to the dance. With the pressure off for any romantic entanglements, I felt free to really enjoy and to anticipate the Prom, and not be nervous about anything. All of the anxiousness that I felt the previous year with Katie wasn’t an issue, as I didn’t feel the need to make it a ‘Perfect Night’. I was just going to a dance with a cool girl, and it couldn’t have been any sweeter.

I had told Jessica how miserable I was at the prom the previous year, and how all of my plans got blown at the last minute. We agreed to take a simple approach for our date. I picked Jess up a few hours before the dance and took her to my house for a dinner. My Dad had grilled out some expensive steaks on the grill, along with some baked potatoes and salad as side items. My Mother had decorated the dining room perfectly with candles and a beautiful white linen table cloth. They both left us alone to enjoy a nice dinner together. I couldn’t have been any nicer.

Not long after dinner, my best friend David ‘Tater’ Turner- A Great American came over. Tater was one of the 40% of students that decided to go to prom without a date.

“Too much work,” he told me later.

Jessica was gracious enough to let him hang with us for the evening (not that there was much choice in the matter). I had known her for about a month, David “Tater” Turner – A Great American had been my friend since sixth grade.

I must say, we all looked great. Jessica was stunning in a simple, yet elegant pink gown, Tater wore a black tux with a red bow tie and cummerbund, and I was happy that my tuxedo actually fit me this time (My tux the previous year incredibly uncomfortable). I wore a purple and paisley tie and vest with a black tuxedo. I was quite GQ for 1992. After posing for a several pictures taken by my father with his new 35 mil camera, we all hopped in my Dad’s Blazer (Tater didn’t want to ride in the backseat of my 86 Blue Mustang) and made our way to Scotland High School for the big night.

‘Midnight Masquerade’ was the theme that year, and our gym was decorated in silver in black. Party masks were all over the place and the music was loud and the atmosphere was festive. I had made up my mind to have fun that night.

“We only get one Senior Year” Megan Alba Biel told me, and I planned on making the most out of my senior prom.

Come to find out, Jessica was quite the dance partner that evening. It was a nice change of pace from last year, when all Katie wanted to do was sit a table and whine about the dinner we had eaten earlier. I didn’t dance at all at my Junior Prom.

The DJ played everything from C and C Music Factory, to Prince, to LL Cool J and Bobby Brown. With all of my inhibitions thrown out the window, I let loose and had more fun than I had ever had a school function before. I wasn’t trying to impress my date (we had established that we were just going as friends, so no pressure there) I didn’t care about how I looked to the popular kids. I just wanted to have fun, and that is exactly what I did. The atmosphere was so much fun that Tater even danced some. Little known fact – Most guys named Tater aren’t known for dancing in public. Jessica was a great date that fully enjoyed the evening with both me and Tater. She danced, laughed and sang along with us both.

I danced all night long. From the time we walked in the door until we left, I was on my feet on the dance floor. With every song that played, the more fun I had. I felt all of the weight from worrying about plans after graduation, worries about fitting in and my social status, worries about satisfying my parents, to simple mundane thoughts that clouded my mind on a daily basis just lift off of my shoulders.

That night, there were on worries. There were no moments of self-consciousness. It was just me, a girl, and the music. It was one of the most freeing experiences I remember ever feeling. It got to the point to where others around me noticed the fun that Jessica and I were having. They came to join in, and we all danced, talked and laughed together. I received many hugs and handshakes from a lot of my classmates through out the evening, many from folks who had barely even spoken to me in four years. I think they could tell that I was having a great time. I felt like we all were that night. Our time together was drawing to a close way too soon, and we were trying to soak every last bit of it up together.

While taking a break for a drink, I looked all around for Megan Alba Biel. I know I had come with a great girl as my date, but I couldn’t help but to wonder what MAB looked like that evening. I imagined her in a beautiful blue gown to accent her eyes. I am sure her blond hair was down, and looking perfect. I wanted to say hello to her, to tell her how much fun I was having, and in a perfect world, maybe even steal a dance from her. I spent much of the evening looking for her, but never saw her.

That was probably for the best though, as that would not have been fair to Jessica to ask another girl to dance. I realize that now as an adult sharing this with you, but to be honest the thought of fairness never crossed my mind that night. If I had seen Megan Alba Biel, I would have found a way to be on the dance floor with her. The way I was feeling that night, my confidence level was at an all time high. There was nothing that could have taken me down from that high. It was the best night of my entire High School career. It was a near perfect night, the only thing that could have made it perfect would have been having Megan be (even a small) part of it. I still don’t know what color prom dress she wore that night.

By the time Midnight rolled around, we were on our way home. I dropped Tater off at our house first to get his truck. As he was getting out of the Blazer, we all talked about how much fun we had. He gave Jess a hug and said goodbye. Jessica told me as we were driving away that Tater kept her laughing about all night. I told her that the night would not had been as much fun without him there. “Nobody can make me laugh like Tater” I said.

I put the car in reverse and drove toward Hwy 74 East, to Red Springs to take her home.

I walked her to her door, and thanked her. She had been the perfect date for a perfect evening. Under the porch light of her front door, I reached for her hand and pulled her to me to give her a kiss worthy of the evening that we had shared.

As I got in my Dad’s Blazer to drive away, I looked in my rear view mirror and thought-

“I wonder if Megan Alba Biel had a good time tonight?”

Like I said, Jessica was a great girl, but no chemistry. At that time, I only had eyes for one girl. It was just a shame those eyes didn’t get to see her that night.

The following Monday at school, I caught a little friendly grief from my classmates in Video Productions class about my dance moves. Apparently I wasn’t as bad a dancer as I had thought I was. As we prepared to tape the day’s ‘Scotland Today’, one of the announcements caught my attention.

“SIGN UP’S FOR SENIOR TALENT SHOW DUE BY NEXT FRIDAY”

Love Y’all

d

CLICK HERE TO READ THE NEXT CHAPTER IN THE SERIES!!

Get caught up with these previous entries in the series as well!

Part One

Part Two

Part Three

Part Four

Part Five

Part Six

Part Seven

Part Eight

Part Nine

Part Ten

Part Eleven

Part Twelve

Part Thirteen

Part Fourteen

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