THE DOUBLE DATE


Mark saw how depressed Jon was over losing his girlfriend, Sherry, so he suggested they go on a double date. He even asked his “steady,” Marcia, to fix Jon up with one of her pals. That set the whole thing in motion.
The three teens were from the same neighborhood. They got in Mark’s car and drove to pick up Jon’s date, who lived across town. The girl turned out to be a cold fish from the start. When she got in the backseat with Jon, she stayed jammed against the opposite door like he had leprosy, or something. She said a polite “Hello,” and that was it.
As they drove to Allegany State Park, Mark did most of the talking. He tried bragging Jon up to his date, but his banter fell on deaf ears. She stared stonily out the window, and Jon wondered what her problem was. Was she painfully shy? Or did he just turn her off?
It was a beautiful spring evening, and deer stood feeding in the fields down the Red House side of the park. It was warm for the season, too, and they all shed their coats except for Jon’s date. She had hers buttoned up to her throat. Her hands she kept buried in her pockets.
They pulled into the Red House Pavilion parking lot that was already jammed with cars. There was a dance that night, and they could hear music spilling from the building as they exited Mark’s vehicle. Mark and Marcia held hands while they headed for the action, and Jon’s date rushed to walk with them. Jon trudged dejectedly five paces behind.
When they got to the door, Mark paid the admission fee for the four of them. Jon tried giving him some money, but he refused to take it. “This is on me,” he blared. “Let’s boogie!”
That was fine for him to say. He and Marcia made a great couple, and they moved as one as they gyrated to the beat. Jon’s date STILL had her hands in her pockets and politely declined his invitation to dance. She also didn’t want a pop, a burger, and definitely not a hotdog. After their friends returned from the dancefloor, she whispered to Marcia, and they bolted for the ladies’ room.
By then, Mark and Jon were pumping their fists to the music. The band had launched into “Do the Hump” by the Invictas, and the guitarist leaped on the singer’s shoulders to play his solo. Man, did they wail! Then, the group played five great garage rock songs in a row as Mark and Jon howled along with the lyrics until their voices gave out.
When the girls returned from the loo, they danced together. Jon’s date had finally removed her coat but not the scowl from her face. She continued to sway with Marcia until the band played a ballad, so couples could “grind.” As Mark and Marcia did just that, Jon’s girl disappeared like smoke!
Jon went outside to cool off. Of course, he was alone. He walked along the beach staring at an island bristling with pines. The trees glowed with moonfire as the lonely hoot of an owl echoed from across the lake. Jon picked up some flat stones and skipped them across the water. He wanted to cry, but his date wasn’t worth it. He continued to skim stones until Mark appeared from nowhere and thrust a cold beer in his hand.