This was TH's date to plan. TH didn't choose any of the First Nite festivities because those are geared more for families with kids. TH really wanted to take one of the Boston Harbor cruises to view the fireworks, however there was just one "fireworks-only" cruise that lasted one hour, but that was alcohol-free and it was sold out (aw shucks). All the other cruises involved dinner/dancing/drinking from 8pm to 1am.
FIVE HOURS!? No thanks, (we all remember what happened to Gilligan and co. on their three-hour tour). I didn't want to be held captive anywhere for five hours (especially with only TH for company...what on earth would we talk about for five consecutive hours?...and how much alcohol would we consume?)
Ultimately TH decided on a movie, Chinese food, and fireworks. And since I had already nixed his plan for the cruise, I let him select the movie (I wanted 'Black Swan') and the food (I wanted Thai....which he pronounces THIGH no matter how many times he's corrected LOL). Since group dates are allowed, we hoped our best friends (M&J) would join us, but J wanted no part of it. And furthermore, when TH explained to J the concept of our 35 dates, his response was: "Dump her. Too expensive."
We saw The Fighter, which was okay, although watching humans get pummeled is not my idea of entertainment. I did enjoy all the females in the movie, however. LMAO. They reminded me of so many women from Southie and were well worth the price of admission. (Which by the way was $1 less for TH with his senior discount, LOL).
From there it was on to Cathay Pacific which was a show in itself. There was a live band in the lounge, and about 80 people in the lobby waiting to pick up their take-out orders (since this is the only Chinese restaurant I ever heard of that doesn't deliver). With all this entertainment, we didn't mind the 20 minute wait to be seated and, wouldn't you know, TH meets up with an old Southie boxer (who knows Micky Ward and Dickie Ekland well) and together they reviewed The Fighter and gave it just one boxing glove.
Now, if anyone is paying attention, I know our ground rules say that dinner must be at a new restaurant that we haven't tried before. But TH has decided to apply a 10-year rule, and since we haven't dined together at this restaurant since at least the last century, TH deemed it acceptable.
After too much food, and several Pineapple Passion and Love Potion drinks, we were ready to be rolled home. However, the fortune in my cookie stated:
ooooh.....so it was on to the fireworks!
Now the mere mention of fireworks is enough to make us laugh out loud, because they always elicit fond memories of our first date. And as we rode by the scene of the crime last evening, we couldn't help reminiscing about July 4th, 1973.
Truthfully, we don't even remember if this was our first OFFICIAL date (cut us some slack, it was 37 years ago and I can't recall much that happened even 37 days ago) but it's the one date that we apparently have yet to forget.
I had met TH the year before when I started working at Dunkin Donuts. (Yes I met a baker at a donut shop!) In that year, we spent a lot of time together, mostly in large groups because my friends and I were still in high school and he and his roommate let us hang out at their apartment. The only time we spent alone was when TH and I rode bikes together, which we did often, all over the city. But those weren't dates; we were just good friends. (and someday remind me to tell you about our first bike ride)
My weekend shift at the donut shop started at 6am, and sometimes TH would just be stumbling home at that hour. If I had to work on holidays, I liked to dress in costume to commemorate the occasion. So on this particular 4th of July, I dressed up as a firecracker (wearing a red swimming cap with pipecleaners and Christmas tinsel sticking out of the top) and walked the three blocks from my home to work. TH was on the other side of the avenue when he spotted me, but thought he was hallucinating (hey, it was the 70s) and he continued on home.
When he awoke hours later and came to the donut shop for a cup of tea, TH realized it wasn't a bad trip he'd been on after all...it was only me! Then he invited me to the beach later that evening to watch the fireworks, and I accepted. Just the two of us...at nite...I guess that counts as a first date.
Back then, the 4th of July fireworks in Boston were set off in the outer harbor, and visible from most of the area beaches. (The esplanade spectacular only became popular after the bicentennial in 1976 and soon became the only fireworks display in Boston on the 4th). We both lived in Dorchester at the time and could have easily walked to Carson Beach, but TH wanted to drive over to Tenean Beach. I explained I had a curfew and had to be home as soon as the fireworks were over. After all, I was only 15!)
We arrived at the beach early and chose to chill out in the car until the fireworks started. I'm guessing we had munchie food with us, and probably some GI-Qs or Boone's Farm wine. For some reason, neither of us can remember any of those details. What we vaguely remember is that Maryjane was in the car with us. And most of the cars around us were also enjoying Maryjane's company with the windows rolled down on that foggy summer nite.
For everyone whose jaw just hit the floor, especially my sons who might want to stop reading now, let me reiterate that it was the 70s, the drinking age was 18, and (like Bill Clinton) I didn't inhale. And nobody had warned us yet about the evils of second-hand smoke. That's my story and I'm sticking to it.
So I slept with TH on our first date.
NO....not in the biblical sense. I don't even remember if we kissed that night. (okay, we probably kissed)
But we did sleep together. Soundly. I don't remember who woke up first, but the parking lot was mostly empty.
Shit....did we really sleep through the fireworks? How sleepy were we?
"We fell asleep, our goose is cooked, our reputation is shot."
In 1957, the Everly Brothers recorded "Wake Up, Little Susie" and it was promptly banned in Boston for it's suggestive lyrics. However, turns out it was just about two kids who fell asleep at a boring drive-in movie.
But I had missed curfew.
"What are we going to tell your Mama, what are we going to tell your Pop?
What are we going to tell our friends when they go, Ooh La La?"
We still couldn't believe we'd slept through the fireworks. TH drove me home as quick as possible and on the way we decided that, since it wasn't very late, I would tell my parents that we actually drove to Marshfield to see their fireworks because it had been so foggy in Dorchester. (Thank goodness this was long before cell phones). TH pretty much figured that nite would be the last date my parents would ever allow.
When I walked in and told my sainted mother the white lie we'd concocted, instead of grounding me for the rest of the summer, she told me that it was a good decision we'd made because she heard on the news that the Boston fireworks had been cancelled due to fog.
Whew!
So as we drove past Tenean last nite, we once again had a good laugh. We didn't park there to view the fireworks, however, we knew they wouldn't be visible from that location. Instead we drove to the fish pier where we enjoyed front-row seating and actually stayed awake for the wonderful fireworks display.
Happy New Year!
Oh...one more thing. You may have noticed there is a new box on this blog called Angels Among Us. Although I pledge not to make any resolutions I can't keep, I have decided I want to recognize some of the selfless good samaritans we encounter every day, and going forward I will try to get their names (which I won't publish) and write them a letter of thanks if possible.
Yesterday morning, TH and I drove to Logan to see our son and his family off on their trip, and to drive their car and dog back to our home. When we arrived home, a state trooper phoned to let me know he had picked up my cell phone and would hold it for me. I hadn't even realized I'd dropped it. But despite the mad traffic he and his partner were trying to keep flowing, he had taken the time to phone the last person who'd called me (my daughter-in-law) and then get my home number. I quickly drove back over, and it was still a madhouse at terminal C departures, but Lieutenant MK couldn't have been more pleasant. A Dunkin Donuts gift card is in the mail to his barracks.
Had he not taken the time, yesterday would probably have been a crazy day of stress and anxiety trying to locate my phone, not to mention I wouldn't have been able to share with you the photographs of my fortune or the fireworks. Ever grateful.....he made my day!
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