Opps! I did it again!

Neglecting Substack to work on Book Five: the Sacrifice & Storyworth

Book Five: The Sacrifice has taken over my life, and I’m having fun. I described it as a ‘hot mess’ to a friend right now, but a fun one. I have about 80,000 words so far. It continues the present day story of David and Gracie, who come upon a terrible car accident and rescue a baby and call for help for her parents. The historical story goes back to the late 1960s and early 1970s, during the war in Vietnam and we reconnect with Marie and Grace who both have sons in the military.

The war in Vietnam

My other obsession right now is catching up on my Storyworth entries. It’s maybe the nicest Christmas present I’ve ever gotten from my adult children. If you have parents, consider a subscription to Storyworth. It’s one of the best gifts you could give them and definitely better than a silly tie. In essence, you’re helping them tell the stories of their life by asking them a question every week. You select the questions from a list, or they can create an entry on their own. When they respond, you get a copy of the document. Then at the end of the year, you edit the entries, add photos, and they can create a book. You can also select “preview” to view the document as a PDF and download it to your computer or add to your Google Drive.

Storyworth, https://www.storyworth.com/home

One of the funniest questions was What is the Most Awkward Date You’ve Been On?

I was single for 15 years between marriages so yes, I had several terrible dates.

The first was a double date at Zeno’s with my childhood friend Debbie and her husband Gerry. They invited a man who was a friend from church and he seemed pleasant. Then he began talking about how he lived in a trailer in his dad’s back yard. We’re sitting there eating pizza and he solemnly talks about eating a lot of gruel. What is gruel?? By the end of the meal, I was ready to run away and my friends seemed apologetic. There was no doubt that I wasn’t ready for life with someone who ate gruel!

Zeno’s is a famous pizza place in downtown Marshalltown. Remember your Grandpa Harry was a carpenter and built something there back in the 1950s. I think he built a train track around the restaurant: a little train delivered the pizza, which is a great idea but they discontinued it at some point.

The second bad date began with a haircut at my friend Marty’s, over on Noble Street. She had a little salon on the front porch. Afterwards, I chatted with her husband in the kitchen, who was a former student. Her next appointment arrived and a few minutes later, she came out to get me. She introduced me to this man and I realized that his ex was dating my ex—Denny, a very sweet man from the church. So, later that day, this man phoned and asked me out and I said yes.

I knew we were in trouble when he picked me up a few days later. We began driving down Center Street, and he asked where I’d like to eat as we drove by half a dozen places. He was either very indecisive or wanted to please me. I finally said, “Hey, let’s try that steak house.”

We walked in, ordered our meals, and got our salads at the salad bar. We sat down and started making awkward conversation when I saw something over to my right—who was there having a meal but his ex and my ex? Yikes! Also, they were both sitting on one side of the booth. Who does that? It was like one of them was holding the other hostage.

They came over and sat down with us, Denny next to me and this woman next to my date. He seemed rattled at first. I could tell he was uncomfortable—did I imagine she was sitting too close and maybe had her hand on his knee? She declared something like “I can’t get over you!“

I said sweetly and a little sarcastically, “Yes, that’s apparent to everyone.“ Denny, bless his heart, seemed happy to see me and asked about my kids, oblivious to his girlfriend’s shenanigans. Then I find out that they’re getting married and she thinks my guy should come take the photos. He then says, “Sure, and I’ll bring Cherie as my date!” (And I thought, “No thank you!”) Finally, they left. Our meal came, we ate, and I chalked off yet another man who wasn’t over his ex. So much for a free meal!

The third—and worst—date started at Kmart. I had my car in their shop for work and was waiting for it to be finished. I sat down in the waiting area, and this man sat near me and started talking. After a few minutes, he asked for my phone number, and I gave it to him when I learned we had some mutual acquaintances.

He asked if I wanted to go see a movie, and I agreed. I was interested in seeing the Tom Hanks movie, Philadelphia, about a man with AIDS. He picked me up in an enormous truck and handed me a plastic rose, which I left at home. (I never got a plastic rose before. What do you do with it? It’s not like you put it in a vase and water it.)

We drove toward the theatre uptown and then he turned and we ended up across the street from the factory Fisher’s—in his ‘favorite parking spot’ for work. He put on some mood music, and we sat and talked for five minutes. It was weird, but I went with it. We then drove to the Marshalltown Theatre, the Orpheum. This was in the 1990s, and I was doing a lot of substitute teaching in the Marshalltown schools.

In the lobby, I saw several people, including my friend Michelle’s younger brother, who mouthed, “Why are you here with the old guy?” (He’d been in one of my classes at the high school). My date had grey hair, and I was still in my 30s. We sat down with our popcorn and drinks, and I looked around and saw more middle school and high school students I knew.

Before the movie even came on, we watched the previews, and I learned several awful things: he was very prejudiced against Blacks, Browns (Mexicans), and Gays. So we’re about to watch a movie with Denzel Washington, (a Black actor) as a lawyer and Tom Hanks playing a Gay man! Should be fun. When I got upset and cried, he asked if I wanted to leave the movie! I shook my head and got out a Kleenex.

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0107818/reviews/

Afterward, we walked out and got into his big truck, after passing more students who gave me a funny look. He asked if I wanted a drink, and I thought, yeah! We drove by his house, and I got nervous, thinking he was going to put the moves on me. Instead, he hit the garage door opener to show me he had a classic car and a motorcycle in the big garage. What do you say to that? I quipped, “They must love seeing you at the Motor Vehicle department.”

Then we proceeded to—Burger King! Because they have free refills. I was beginning to see why he was single. It got worse. A bus from Waterloo started to unload, and a lot of excited athletes and fans walked in—many of them Black. It began to snow, and I looked at my watch. I said I had to go home and grade papers.

He took me home and guess who was there? My friend Daryl in his big truck—an even bigger guy, Black, who said he was just stopping by to say hello. My date left, and Daryl came in for a few minutes. I was so relieved.

This was 1993. I’d met Mike at Hawkeye Community College the previous year when we were both hired as adjuncts. In another three years I’d get hired full time at Hawkeye, and two years later, Mike and I would reconnect. And something I loved about this man—he could match me story for story about crazy ex-girlfriends!

Cherie and Mike, 1999