When I tell people “Why yes…I have dated a 14 year old girl…hasn’t everyone?” they tend to pull their daughter or wife tight to them and glare at me with murderous intent.
They calm down when I explain that I was 16 and have been married to my “teenager” for a long long time.
It all started on a school morning in 1967 while I was waiting for the big yellow bus to carry me from CAFB to S.D. Lee High for some schoolin’. As usual, I had filched a couple of cigarettes from my mother’s pack to smoke at the bus stop.
Although we haven’t smoked in decades, in those days it was almost required.
Just as I lit up, I felt a tap on my shoulder. It was the pretty blond girl I knew from weekend parties many of us used to go to. As any dorky teen boy will tell you, you don’t ignore pretty blond girls looking for attention. Never. Not ever.
I would never do the morning smoke by myself ever again, so I had to steal twice as many. But now the bus seat next to me was always filled.
We started hanging out together and would occasionally “miss” the bus to spend the day skipping school and watching Captain Kangaroo on her parent’s TV. Both of us had a “crush” on other people (Hey! We were kids!), mine being a friend of ours who will remain nameless. Denise had a thing for Jimmy Hornsby, at that time the singer for the band the Agents. (This is the first time this has ever been mentioned in polite society.)
Sometimes in life you suddenly wake up and realize that what you are looking for is right there in front of you. We morphed from a couple of wandering teenagers into a couple.
This all happened right about the time I was recruited to sing with the Rogues. Denise would sneak out on the weekends with me and travel the big time dance circuit: Meridian, Tupelo, Amory, Macon. All the world wide music destinations.
North Mississippi was our universe and our kingdom.
It might have been “the Summer of Love” in California, but we wouldn’t have even known what drugs looked like. The Magnolia State was always a bit behind the trends of the day. But somehow we always managed to find someone who was legal enough to hit the liquor store for us.
I think I can safely speak for both of us that we share a disdain for sloe gin and haven’t had it touch our lips since 1967. One of the gang handed us a bottle and we spend the whole way home from Meridian expelling that purple goo out the window onto our ride’s white car. Aggghhh!
Later we both lived through my life lesson at the county fair which horrified Denise, but now we laugh about it.
I had just managed to get myself thrown out of Mississippi State, but I was still wearing the maroon beanie (some of you will remember) because my shameful “freshman haircut” had not grown out yet. The remainder of my loan money was handed to me in cash when I checked out of school. Oh stu-pid. Stu-PID.
After cruising the fair for a couple of hours…money still in my pocket…we decided to leave. Nearing the gate, some carnie bird of prey saw his victim flitting by.
A dumbo 18-year-old all puffed out escorting his too cute girlfriend. Dive!
Within 15 minutes, using all the carnival tricks, he convinced me I was almost there. Knock over that last pin and you’ll be able to win the big teddy bear for your pretty girl and she will be SO happy. Don’t be CHICK-en!
I won’t bore you…you know how that ended. Wiped out including the school money. Dad will be thrilled he signed for that. Lucky to have enough to buy gasoline to get home.
We had many good times and stories, but leave it to teenagers to muck things up every time. Undeveloped brains.
In 1969, Denise and I got married and we moved to Tennessee.
A year and a half later, we got divorced and I ended up in Florida after a brief stint back in Columbus. (Thank you, Sheriff Edwards!)
Before you get out your hankies for a teary sad ending, skip to 2010. After having other marriages and families, we reconnected and decided to have a do-over.
Since our memories are getting more and more defective, one more date to remember would be a pain in the butt, so we flew to New Orleans in 2012 and got married on the same date.
October 24.
1969 or 2012…take your pick.
Thom Caraccio ([email protected]) is a retired musician and retired motion picture scenic artist living in West Palm Beach, Florida who hails from Columbus. He graduated from S.D. Lee High in 1968 and still considers Columbus his real hometown.
You can help your community
Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 36 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.
You can help your community
Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 36 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.
