The jubilant pregame arena atmosphere was in stark contrast to the almost monastic cloister of the home team locker room. Richie finished getting dressed, oblivious to the teammates surrounding him, faced his locker, and said a prayer, not that he would be victorious, but that he would play his best. Then, along with his fellow student athletes, he sat in front of his locker with the fingers of his right hand nervously drumming on the wooden bench, awaiting Coach Allen’s pregame speech. Unlike Richie’s head football coach, Coach Tomasco, who was both a pregame and halftime yeller and screamer, Coach Allen didn’t waste any unnecessary words. When he finally appeared in front of the team, they stood up and waited for him to speak. He looked around the confined space, making sure to have eye contact with each of his players, and then in a normal voice, he said two words, “Combo D.”
Chelsea’s unbeaten, cocky basketball team entered the court for their pregame warm ups and to their surprise, the overly enthusiastic home team crowd went absolutely silent. Eerily quiet, the visitors went through their loosening up drills; the only sounds being the pounding of the various leather basketballs as they hit the hardwood floor and the occasional banter amongst their fellow teammates. For all intents and purposes, Chelsea’s Men’s Basketball Team might as well have been warming up in an empty arena. Richie gathered his fellow ballers at the top of the steps leading into the gym and waited. Unusual to his and his teammates' ears, there was no cheering emanating from inside the arena. Waiting anxiously for a few seconds until he heard the opening chords of the Rooftop Singers, someone opened the gymnasium door, and Richie and his teammates raced through it just as the “Walk right In, sit right down” refrain played. The crowd anticipating their entrance exploded as one, while the psyched-out Chelsea players stood there and watched. The game was over before it even started. Momentum wore maroon and white that night, and played Combo D!
Richie took his time dressing; they had blown Chelsea out by 20 points in a total team win. The team manager, Terry Terloff, came around with the after game stats, and like he did after every game, Richie waved him off. In track, where Richie was a sprinter, it was all about the individual times and statistics, but football and basketball were team sports, and so should they remain. He had played a solid game, and that was all that mattered.
Decked out for the evening’s activities with black slacks, a white collar shirt, and a black and grey wool sweater, Jimmy shouted to Richie as he passed by his locker, “I’ll see you at the dance.” Richie nodded his head as he gave Jimmy a conspiratorial smile that suddenly appeared on his face out of nowhere. High School dances, unlike the junior high and YMCA dances, were few and far between. It probably had to do with the driving age in Pennsylvania being sixteen and the freedom it brought to the students whose social schedule was no longer tied to the school’s. Richie gave one final look towards the mirror, checked his button-down light blue shirt, repositioned his royal blue sweater, and put his oversized hands in the pockets of his chinos, thumbs out. Not McQueen, he conceded, but perhaps he could pass as his sidekick. Showtime, he said to himself and booked it towards the gym.
Big game, big victory, and a big crowd were the setting for the Winter Wonderland dance. Organized by the junior class and hosted by Marvelous Mark, an afternoon DJ from one of the Top 40 AM radio stations in Philly, his presence brought a city feel to suburbia. Each undergraduate class had carved out their dance section in the gym, and to the surprise of his fellow classmates, Richie bypassed the juniors and headed straight for the seniors.
Waiting for him was Sally Dill; this year’s homecoming queen had blond hair, which she wore in a modified Bob cut, Pacific blue water eyes, small facial features, and full lips. She was talking to two of his teammates, the Burris brothers, and their dates, the McQuaid sisters. All four were identical twins. Both Burris brothers were starters and played forward, Johnny a shooting forward and Billy a power forward. The McQuaid girls were on the cheerleading squad, athletic and vivacious, and their dry sense of humor was in direct contrast to the slapstick comedic antics of the Burris twins. When all four of the twins were together, it was impossible to tell them apart.
Billy spoke first. “You lost,” he said in a kidding fashion. “Juniors are over there. You still have another year to go before you graduate.”
Johnny, not to be outdone verbally by his wisecracking brother, jumped in, “Richie, you wouldn’t be bird dogging one of our female senior classmates, would you? That just wouldn’t be right.” as the two male twins spontaneously broke into their version of the Everly Brothers “Bird Dog,” to the delight of the McQuaid twins and Sally Dill.
Richie, used to the wisecracking 6’ 5 “ twin brothers, waited for their off key musical rendition to end before responding. “I like crossing boundaries, especially if two people are destined to be together.” Richie then reached for Sally’s hand, grabbed it, and headed for the dance floor, as the Burris and the McQuaid twins, along with other members of the senior class and Sally’s female friends, stood by and watched. Of course, the first dance, much to Richie’s chagrin, was a slow one as Marvelous Mark announced, “For lovers only, from the King himself, Can’t Help Falling in Love.”
Richie, awkward at first, took Sally’s right hand in his left and put his right arm around her waist with their bodies barely touching. He looked like he was at Miss Jones' mixed couples dance class for elementary school students. Sally responded immediately by pulling their lead hands and arms close to Richie’s chest, and their bodies even closer together, the way lovers dance. She then put her face next to Richie’s, ensuring that all who had an interest couldn’t miss the lovers’ charade. Richie could feel Sally’s breasts pushing against him, and her heart beating, while her lower body moved rhythmically to Elvis’ voice, and even though it was for show, Richie couldn’t help but respond. Unexpectedly, Sally whispered in Richie’s ear and said, “I find younger men irresistible. Will you marry me?” Richie countered by saying, “Yes, I have the ring in my pocket, and at the end of this song, Marvelous Mark is going to perform a civil ceremony in front of the entire school.”
Sally threw back her head, away from Richie’s cheek, then looked questioningly at Richie and asked, “How big is the diamond? How many carats?
Before Richie could answer, the song ended, and both faux lovers laughed as the eyes of their classmates tried to read into their body language and conversation. As they left the floor, Richie noticed Jimmy and Estelle walking off the dance floor hand in hand, delivering their part of the bargain as agreed.
Later, in a secluded section of the gym, the four coconspirators met. “How goes it, Estelle asked as she laughed. Continuing, “I didn’t know the two of you were dating? How long has this been going on?”
Sally responded, mimicking her various girlfriends, “You've got to be kidding. I never would have guessed. You never said a word about Richie. Does your Mom know? How long? Is it serious?” Sally just shook her head and smiled as she said, “It suddenly dawned on me that every move in high school dating is choreographed. Before A is asked out, B checks to see if A is willing to go out with B through a network of friends. If so, the dating process proceeds, and if not, then it dies. Not one single dating move is spontaneous. Each move, on the teen romance chessboard, is well thought out ahead of time, with the end game in sight. What we collectively did tonight was break the junior high rules of dating by just showing up with a date, without seeking anyone else’s prior approval or advice. We must be the talk of the school.
“Maybe we should keep the arrangement permanent, “Jimmy interjected. “Estelle is a hell of a dancer. He said this all the while looking at Sally.
“Perhaps we should,” Sally responded. “Richie seems more adult than most of the guys I know.” All four of them laughed as their bodies started to sway to the rhythm of Dion’s “The Wanderer,” playing in the background.
As the head conspirator, Richie interrupted the music by once again going over the plan. “Next Saturday, the four of us will go into the city for a Palestra doubleheader. Jimmy, you drive Estelle, and I’ll drive Sally. We’ll meet at the Chelsea Mall, by the movie theatre, around 5:30 pm. I’ll take my car to the game so the four of us can drive in together, unencumbered. It’s foolproof. Nothing to worry about.” Silently, they shook their heads in agreement while Sally and Jimmy looked at each other, and Estelle and Richie did likewise.
Just before Marvelous Mark introed the last song, ‘I Can’t Stop Loving You,’ by Ray Charles, Sally and Richie decided to leave the Winter Wonderland Dance. Ignoring the inquisitive looks of their fellow students they said their goodbyes, leaving behind a faux winter scene for a real one.
Sally laughed as they made their way towards the privacy of Richie’s car. “What do you think, did we pull it off?”
“Can’t speak for the female side of things but judging from the looks of approval from my friends and other guys, I’d say we did.”
Sally studied Richie for a few seconds, then said, “We don’t make a bad couple, you and I. Then, looking more closely at Richie, in a way that she had never done before, she inquired, “Did you ever date anyone older than you?”
Richie chuckled out loud, “You mean date an older woman. Yeah, down the Jersey Shore, last summer. She was a lifeguard, two classes ahead of me. She didn’t figure out my age until halfway through the season. By then, it was too late. Broke up with her when I left for football camp in August. Lives in Highland Park, N.J. She’s a freshman at Rutgers.”
“Serious,” Sally asked.
“As serious as it gets for a summer romance.”
“Are you going to see her next summer"?
Richie didn’t answer at first. “Hard to tell, she’s now a college girl and I’m still in high school. Honestly, that was a magical summer, tough to recapture." Then, looking at Sally, Richie asked, “And you. Date guy’s older than you?”.
Sally, not wasting a nanosecond, answered. “Of course. Guys date girls in their same class or a class below them. Girls do the reverse; they go out with guys their same age or a class or two above them.
Richie’s tone suddenly changed, going from lighthearted to one of regret. “I’m going to miss your class when you graduate.” He said it as his Ford Galaxie Convertible turned onto Wanamaker Way, drove another 500 yards, then pulled into the Drive In section of The Hot Shoppes, on his right.
Richie waited until they gave the carhop their order. They were smart to have left the dance early because the drive-in spots were filling up quickly. Reaching over, he turned down the radio and said to Sally, “You know I’m a ‘Tweener.”
“What’s a ‘Tweener,” Sally asked. “Is it contagious”?
“Nice line,” Richie said, laughing. “No, a ‘Tweener’ is someone older than the classmates in his current class, yet too young for the class ahead of him. In other words, a ‘Tweener” missed the cutoff date to start his initial school year and was held back for next year’s class. If there hadn’t been a cutoff date for school enrollment, I would’ve been in your class. My guess is that’s why I relate so well to the class ahead of me. It’s also why I’ve excelled in sports and have always played with the class above me. Honestly, I relate better to your class than I do my own, and it’s why I wish I were graduating with you and the rest of the senior class.
Sally let out a deep sigh, “Well, Mr. Tweener, when it’s your turn, you’ll find it’s going to be difficult to leave behind all your high school friends; classmates that you’ve known since grammar school. Getting ready for college, you’ll ask yourself, Will I fit in? Honestly, it’s a little scary, but at the same time exhilarating: a new environment, new challenges, and new friends. I can’t tell you how often I wonder about what comes next. Will my high school success, and the respect I’ve earned from students and faculty, be transferable at the next level”?
Richie didn’t say a word; he just listened as the carhop brought their food.
Once they finished eating, Sally continued, ”Richie, when you go to college, everyone will know who you are, what do they call you...a blue chip football or basketball recruit? You’ll have immediate recognition, and from that, I would guess instant friends, from teammates, faculty, and a student body that will adore you and your athletic skills. In many ways, I envy you.
“Really, funny you should say that, because in many respects, Sally, I envy you. You’ve been admitted to a prestigious women’s college based on your academic achievements, college boards, and your school activities, especially the ones that help others. You're free to choose your career path, knowing that the only expectations you'll have are your own. On the other hand, I’ll be a hired gun. A scholarship athlete whose free education is based on my ability to perform. I don’t resent it. In most cases, I welcome it. Whereas your college experience will be defined by what you learned during your four years, mine will be judged by wins and losses, rankings, and championships.
“I never thought of it that way. Then, shifting around in her seat, Sally looked directly at Richie and said, “You know what made this year so special”?
“No"? Richie tilted his head to the right, uncertain as to where the conversation was heading.
“You. Spending time together, driving back and forth from my house to the high school or vice versa, laughing, listening to music, and being honest with one another.” Sally suddenly leaned over and kissed Richie on the cheek. You are the closest thing I have to a boyfriend. Let me rephrase that, a boy who is a friend. I can tell you things that I wouldn’t dare tell anyone else. You listen; give me your honest opinion, always responding in a curious, non-judgmental tone.
Richie didn’t say another word. He just nodded his head, paid the bill, turned up the radio, and slowly pulled out of the Hot Shoppes onto Wanamaker's Way before saying, “Ditto.”
STOP