HELEN CONTINUES...

When we had our next date,nearing the end of my first semester at The University, I repeated my words from the last (much to my own embarrassment), the Pixie  had no words. She dutifully turned off the porch light.

The kiss was the sane as before, and I drove home in high spirits.

My entrance evaluation had given me a couple of deficiencies in trigonometry and solid geometry, but I  earned an advanced standing in freshman English, learning from a great man of many talents, Americo Paredes.

Although they made my freshman load a bit heavy, they all contributed a great deal to my education, and the English in MANY ways.

On the first day of classes, I found a seat next to an outstanding young lady wearing a diamond ring.  I decided I wanted to be in the seat next to her from then on, just for the opportunity to catch sidelong glances as she sat in class.

Although I frequently had lustful thoughts of Elizabeth (Always "Liz"), the diamond made her engaged, did it not, and so our friendship grew as a platonic relationship. I felt that whispering "Oh, Bill!" after skimming the pages of a test we were going to take,...using me as an expletive gave me a special place in her heart.

It was only after we returned from Holidays Break that more sophisticated classmates wandered by her desk with, "I hear you got engaged, Liz..." or, "Liz, are you engaged now?"

We carried on in the usual manner, with me walking with her around campus or driving her when an opportunity arose.

At semester's end, on the evening before she was to fly home to Hew Jersey to wed, we were in my car at her dorm, I asked, "Is there any kind of prohibition against kissing a bride before the wedding?"

"Of course not~", she said, and slid over into a hug which put us closer than we had ever been, and KISSED me!  And she slid back and began to open her door before J could get there to open it for her.

I am quite sure it was an ordinary kiss for her, but I was enlightened!  LIZ HAD SHOWN ME THE WAY!

I felt that I had been given a little bottle of Love Potion #9!  I wanted to kiss everything in sight!

When I got to my parents' home between semesters, I phoned the pixie.I wanted to slowly introduce her to my newfound skill before I had to return to Austin.  She said she could not possibly make it during the allotted time span, but she'd fix me up with someone who could.  It was not long before she called back, and gave me a name, address, and phone number.

I think I enjoyed my unexpected date.  I can;t really remember where we went, or even the girl's name, but when we parked in front of her house and I was overwhelmed by the closeness.  I was afraid she might swallow face!

I have since come to believe that my pixie had true sympathy for my lack of sophistication, and not knowing about Liz's contribution, was bestowing a parting gift.  My adored pixie was gone forever.

Back in Austin, at the home of Aunt Pearl and Uncle Bud, I was looking for a new recipient and Uncle Bud introduced me to a fellow from the neighborhood, who had a daughter who was about to finish high school school.  She gave me a lot of practice, but shortly before her graduation, her orthodontic braces came off, and she was anxious to take her romance elsewhere, and without the braces, kissing was not the same, and so I was in no way disappointed, but happy for the experience.

Back in the small coastal town for the summer, I fell hopelessly in love, with a three-year-old! Little Beverly never received any kisses from me, but I loved her just the same.

While I was away, learning academic stuff as well  as how to kiss, Mom had taken up supervising three pre-schoolers to supplement my education funds.

it would be unkind to say much about Sue and Dale, but Beverly was a sweetheart, and clever well beyond her years!  She obviously had attentive and loving parents.  During the days, when her parents were at work, I was also at work, so really did not see much of little Beverly, but Mom gave daily reports.  When the time approached to go back to Austin, Mom announced that Dorothy, the diminutive sweetheart's mother, suggested I look up her sister Helen when I got to Austin.

When I got to my Austin home, Uncle Bud, who was ever my benefactor, said he had a cousin, Fae,  who was at The University, and gave me her address.  I did not give it much thought until I noticed she lived across the street from the apartment house where my best buddy Jerry lived, and I spent much time at Jerry's.

We walked across the street to check out Fae, and found a mother lode.  We met Helen, May,  "Jeaner", Fae, and a girl lying on the floor with a textbook.  Fae introduced her as Helen!

If OH! EM! GEE! had not yet to be invented, it would have sprung forth with gusto from my incredulous lips! "YOU'RE DOROTHY'S SISTER!", to which she replied, "You're Bill. Dorothy said I should look you up,"  And neither of us had made any effort to do so.

Fae and I, Jerry and Jeaner, had become really close regulars, but I entertained in the depths of my being to get just ONE kiss from Helen, and she was having none of it, although I persisted!

And so it came to pass that Jeaner, Jerry, Fae and I, spent an afternoon at Bastrop State Park picnicking.  After the sun had been down for awhile. and since we really had not prepared for night-time chill, we prepared to end our picnic.

While lifting a box full of provisions to my shoulder, I discovered that the lid to the pickle jar was loose.

When we got to the girls' house, Jerry went on home while Helen offered to wash my shirt whileI wore one of Fae's.  After a long period of self-deprivation, the urge to pee became unbearable, so I made my excuses and trotted over to Jerry's. Jerry was on the phone, and after I had wordlessly rushed past him but before I had closed the bathroom door, I heard Jerry say "Bill just walked in wearing a girl's shirt that's too big for him!"  He also said, as I was finally able to exit, "I was beginning to worry you'd never be able to stop that leak!"...Believe me, so was I.

When I finally got back across the street, Helen presented me with my shirt, washed, ironed, and folded.  I concluded that since we had shared a domestic relationship, it was time for THE KISS, and I told her so.  She agreed, and said, "Let me check and make sure the iron is off.  I'll be right back!" and scurried off to the kitchen.

She was back shortly, moved in close, and, in front of all the others, announced "I'm ready, let me have it!" I will never know how many obnoxious substances she could have found in the kitchen, but I'm sure she must have used them all.  When our lips touched, she had made her point, and everybody knew it!  The message was loud and clear, and I knew this central Texas farm girl meant business!  I was never to get my kiss from Helen.

When one is as old as I, the most likely place to find old friends is in the obituaries.  I found  Helen had left us in 2013 at age 78, bearing the surname of Adolf, the boyfriend from the time I was pursuing the  kiss,...loyal to the end.  Next I found Dorothy, who moved on in 2019, earlier this year, at 89.  The saddest part of Dorothy's story was that she was preceded by all her children.

Little Beverly passed away in 2012, at age 61, longest lived of Dorothy's four children.  According to her obit, she made a good life, as I was sure she would.



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