Senior prom

“You’re going to the prom?” I asked my nephew. “Yep, I guess I am,” he said, as coolly as possible. “Gonna take the neighbor girl. I figured I’d give her a break.”

Give her a break, he says. I could break his head sometimes. When I sat down, memories of my own senior prom came back to me.

Unlike the neighbor girl, who could spend one or two hundred dollars for a prom dress, my mother made my dress. In fact, I was afraid she would never finish sewing it. If my mother had known that my dress was one of the prettiest ones at the prom, she would have been proud. But I doubt that I took the time to tell her.

The theme for my senior prom was “Arrivederci Roma,” and my date was a freshman in college, and by far, the biggest catch in town.

At 6:30 p.m. back in 1970, he picked me up in his turquoise Impala. Once we arrived at the prom, we both nervously played with our meals. Then we danced by the fountain until midnight to tunes like “Bridge Over Trouble Water” and “We’ve Only Just Begun.”

After dinner and dance it was time for pizza and bowling. I don’t remember who had the best bowling score but I’ve never forgotten that we wore matching outfits. After bowling, we spent the rest of our time laughing with friends.

Friends, laughing and making memories together, would last the test of time.

Saturday night I’ll be taking pictures of my nephew with his date. He acts like he’s not excited but he has told me more than once he will be wearing a black pearl tux and he has ordered her an orchid.

He’ll be glad I took pictures.

Nancee Harrison is a past columnist for the Greene County Daily World. Visit www.blondeladywithdarkroots.com or email her at blondeladywithdarkroots@gmail.com or send comments to Nancee, Daily World, box 129 Linton IN 47441.