From this point, much of what took place of importance to our coming to be acquainted during my first years of High School was mentioned in part one, so I will move on.
I was casting undo judgment upon Ruthi Parker each time I saw her nearby. By this time, she too was in High School, though two years behind me. To my embarrassment, I was judging her as a person without knowing her, and that assumption was based on what I felt and thought I knew about “The Parker Boys,” there were four brothers. Basically, I imagined I did not like her, as she often walked some distance ahead of me on our way home from school. Sometime later, as we played football in the big Parker front yard, my observations of her character and personality showed me how wrong and cruel my thoughts had been.
I had a close relationship with my mom, even in my teens, but there were some things I never spoke to her about, mainly girls. I was shy, and I would die if mom thought I was interested in girls.
One day, mom asked me to drive to the Dollar Bill Market so she could shop for the week’s grocery needs. I was good with that; an opportunity to drive the car. As we were backing out of the driveway, I heard myself speaking a foreign language. “Mom, you know Ruthi Parker. She sure is a compassionate person; she cares about people.”
I could not believe what I heard myself saying . . . to my mother! I quickly changed the subject.
I graduated from North High in June of 1964. Through that Summer and into the Spring of ’65, I would in three different jobs related to the Kern County Oil Industry. I was a High School graduate, what was I doing in those dirty, nasty jobs? Ten-hour days, six days a week, no free time to have a little fun.
In those months of working, I rarely saw my old High School gang, mainly my cousin Gary, and Ruthi’s brother Rick. One day we did meet up, and they sprung the news on me that they were enlisting in the military on the “buddy system.” Out of that conversation, I found myself speaking with that recruiter. Yep, now there were three of us going in on the buddy system.
We went active on April 30th that year. I will never forget the three of us arriving at boot camp in Texas and sharing with this guy who had a lot of stripes and attitude, about the fact that we had signed up on the buddy system.
After the deep laughter subsided, he let us know that the recruiter had lied to us, and that our mothers did not love us anymore. We belonged to him and Uncle Sam! Later, while we were alone, and in hushed tones, we shared that neither one of us had an Uncle Sam.
Somehow, we survived boot camp. Gary was shipped off to a computer school for training, and Rick and I to Aircraft Instrument System Tech School. Believe it or not, Rick and I passed that training and together we were shipped to Nellis AFB outside of Las Vegas.
By the end of 1965, Rick and I were able to have our first leave since enlistment around the holidays. He went to be with his family, and I went to be with mine. On New Years Eve I had a date with a girl I had casually know in High School. She was never anything special, but it reawakened an old feeling of loneliness. I was lonely; not for just anyone, but for a special someone. I did not have a name attached to a solution. I just longed for a life companion.
I can’t remember exactly how we connected on New Year’s Day ‘66, but Rick and I, Rick’s girlfriend, sister Ruthi, and two people I cannot remember, found ourselves together in a car cruising all day around Bakersfield. Rick, the girlfriend and Ruthi were in the front seat, and I with the other two in the back. I seem to recall that the other two people were a couple; Ruthi and I were the odd ones. At some point in the day, Ruthi and I began to hold hands. Remember, she was in the front seat by the passenger door, I was directly behind her in the back seat. We held hands that way most of the day.
Late that afternoon, Rick and I were to drive back to Las Vegas, so we dropped everyone off and said our goodbyes. It happened on the porch of Rick’s girlfriend’s house. As we were saying our goodbyes, Rick kissed his girlfriend, and it was an awkward moment for Ruthi and me. I looked into her tender eyes, and I thought to be kind I ought to give her a little brotherly kiss as well.
I did. She did. We did. All I knew was that that brief kiss changed my life forever.
I had lots of time on the road to Las Vegas to think it all over. Yes, I was suddenly in love! The first thing I did the next day after a sleepless night was to write Ruthi a letter expressing my love for her. I don’t know what I said, perhaps,
“I’m in love for the first time
Don’t you know it’s gonna last?
It’s a love that lasts forever
It’s a love that has no past.”
(To Be Continued)