It was bliss

Bobby and I spent that entire first week together if we weren't working. We had an incredible first date on the top of a mountain. The next day at work he sent me a dozen orange and yellow roses. He loved orange and I had mentioned that I liked yellow. I was floored. It was completely unexpected and I had never received roses before. My little, old lady coworkers were thrilled as well.

He asked me to go to Kings Island for the weekend. I didn't have to think too long about it before I said yes. I lied to my mom and told her I was staying with a friend and we took off on Friday and had a ball all weekend. We had matching t-shirts painted, we took an old fashioned tintype picture that hung in our house for years. People always thought it was our grandparents until I would point out that BOTH of them couldn't look like BOTH of us. I loved Kings Island more than I loved Disney World. The rides are much better.

When things got hot and heavy in the motel room for the first time between us the maid actually walked in on us. Apparently we had hung the "clean room" sign instead of the do not disturb sign. I was mortified. He thought it was hilarious.

We took our time driving home on Sunday. When he dropped me off he gave me a dime and told me, "that's in case you ever need to call me". (pay phones were a dime back then) I went into the house. My mom was waiting for me.

She went nuts. She demanded to know where I had been because she knew I was lying about being with my friend. I told her I had gone to Kings Island with Bobby. That didn't go over well at all. After an hour long lecture she told me to make a choice. I could stay there or I could go live with Bobby. I told her I would give up Bobby. I really didn't know if I would but it was 2 am by this time and I wanted to go to bed.

When she saw I wasn't going to leave she then lied to me. She told me, "while you were out "whoring around your dog was hit by a car." This got my attention.

When I asked how Skippy was she told me, "never mind. If you had been home you would have known. Go to bed."

I told her I had to check on Skippy and she told me,"if you go out that door then don't come back." I picked up my overnight bag that was still packed from the Kings Island trip and went outside. Skippy met me on the sidewalk, bouncing up and down like she always did which is how she got her name. She was fine.

I knew then that my mom had just wanted me out of the house. I had been kicked out 11 times that year. The first time by my dad. The other 10 by her. Usually they had forced me to come home using parental leverage but she would always make things so unbearable for me that I would have to go. Sometimes I would make it a few days and sometimes I would be gone in a few minutes. I was done.

I walked over to the store to use the payphone. I called Bobby. He came right over and picked me up even though he had to be at work at 6 am. That morning he was laid off. He told me we would be fine, not to worry about it.

We were. (for 13 years anyway I had a perfect marriage)