I can’t really explain why, but I have always loved playing basketball. It really makes no sense seeing how I am so short, not very fast, and quite frankly, not very good at it… but it has always been my favorite sport to play. My best friend David ‘Tater’ Turner – A Great American and I spent many weekends in my back yard shooting hoops. I wish I could find the energy today that I had back then playing ball.
One Friday afternoon after school, Tater and I were playing ball when a conversation about Prom came up.
“Are you going this year?” he asked.
“I kind of doubt it” I replied.
I really didn’t want a repeat of what happened last year with my Prom. I have already mentioned that I had a great time at Katie’s prom, but mine was a complete disaster, and I was miserable for just about the whole time I was there. Plus, you add the fact that I had absolutely NO prospects for a date, it just made sense to me to skip it.
I explained this to Tater at length, and he responded with a simple retort-
“It’s only a Dance dude. You should go and have fun, who cares about last year or even if you have a date or not”.
He had a point, but I really wasn’t interested in going.
We kept playing ball for a little while longer until my Mother interrupted us. She yelled out the back sliding glass door that I had a phone call.
“Hey Dave, it’s Tank from the station”.
Tank Sherman was the morning guy at the station I worked part time at, and hung out at full time.
“Do you remember a girl that came in the other day to pick up a CD? Her name’s Jessica” he asked me.
“Not really Tank, why?”
“Well she told me she thought you seemed pretty cool, and gave me her number for you to call her”.
At this point I thought this was some practical joke. It definitely sounded like a set up. I was really hoping he wasn’t recording this to use as a bit on the Morning Show for the station. I already knew I was lame and couldn’t find a date, but I didn’t need it broadcast on Mix 96 for the entire world to hear, especially those who went to my High School.
“Um.. I really don’t remember a Jessica, Tank. Are you trying to pull my leg?” I asked skeptically.
“No dude, not at all. I’m just passing on the message from her onto you.”
“Dude, you’re not recording this are you? Because that would not be cool whatsoever.”
“Simmer down Myers” he said with a laugh.” I’m just calling to give you her number that’s all. I’m not using this for a bit, but I wish I had been recording it now”
So he gave me the number, and after thinking about it for a few minutes, I gave her a call. She seemed like a pretty nice girl over the phone, so I agreed to meet up with her later that night. At that point in my life, I wasn’t aware of the three day rule to where you wait three days before calling a girl after you get her number. To be quite honest, I didn’t know any of the rules when it came to dating. All I knew is I could either -
A. Spend the night hanging out with Tater watching ‘Ford Fairlane’ – Starring Andrew Dice Clay, for the 20th time
or
B. Meeting a girl that may be hot and let me make out with her.
Option B won in my decision making process.
So I made the drive out to Red Springs, a small town about 15 miles outside of my small town of Laurinburg NC. I was going to have a blind date with a girl I had met only once (except I really didn’t remember it).
Is it a blind date if you don’t remember meeting the girl the first time?
We met at the local McDonalds to hang out for a bit (her idea, not mine). So over a double cheeseburger and fries, I got to know the girl who won the Bel Biv Devoe CD from the radio station. She was a junior at Flora McDonald private school. She was pretty with long brown hair and brown eyes. We liked a lot of the same music, movies, and other things that are important to teenagers when they are getting to know someone for the first time. We sat and talked for over an hour about various things such as school and friends and things like that.
When it was time to leave, I walked her to her car and on a whim… I asked to go to Prom with me. Nothing really romantic about it, I just asked in a nonchalant fashion.
“Hey, my prom is coming up in a month or so… how would you like to go with me?”
To my surprise, she said yes on the spot.
So within the matter of 24 hours I went from not going to my Prom, to thinking about going, to having a date with a girl I had only spent an hour with at McDonalds. It wasn’t exactly a page from a John Hughes/Cameron Crowe 80’s teen movie, but it worked.
Like David ‘Tater’ Turner-A Great American said – “It’s just a dance”.
Still I couldn’t help but to wish that I was taking someone else. I wished I was going with Megan Alba Biel. Like I said, it wasn’t exactly a page out of an 80’s John Hughes film… If it was, it would go something like this.
Unpopular Guy falls for beautiful Popular Girl in his Science Class. Girl is way out of boy’s league, but he still dreams about her all of the time. He is tired of watching girl get hurt by guys who take her for granted, and do not see her the way that he sees her. He wishes she could see how wonderful she is in his eyes, and possibly give him the chance to treat her like a princess.
Unpopular guy has best friend with funny name that keeps him company, and cheers him up when he is let down again and again in his unwavering desire to have Popular Girl notice him.
Then in a chance encounter, the couple is forced to spend some time together, and she starts to see a different side of Unpopular Guy.
Sound familiar so far??
In an 80’s John Hughes/ Cameron Crowe movie… the ending would go something like this-
After the chance encounter, Unpopular Guy and Beautiful Popular Girl go to huge school function, where Popular girl is ridiculed by one or two of her snobby friends, but the majority of the school are happy that Unpopular Guy and Beautiful Popular girl are happy together. Cut to scene where a few of her friends are seen wiping tears and clapping as they know she has found her prince charming in the most unlikeliest of guys. The couple slow dance to a cheesy pop song in the middle of the gym with everyone watching, and Unpopular Guy says something corny to make Popular Girl laugh, and they kiss for the first time as the credits roll.
That is how I pictured it happening between MAB and myself.
When I realized that wasn’t going to happen, I didn’t entertain the thought of going to my Senior Prom. But fate has a way of doing things for a reason. I promised Megan Alba Biel that I would make the most of my Senior Year, and I did.
I went to Prom with a girl I barely knew, and I wound up having one of the best nights in my entire High School career. I’ll tell you all about it next time.
Love Y’all
d
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Tater is a funny name??????
Who knew.
By: Tater on February 8, 2009
at 12:47 am