Arlene Shovald  Senior Prom

 

Being a newcomer to Sunshine Estates, I was anxious to meet the neighbors, so the newsletter announcing the Senior Prom brought as smile to my face. What a great idea! At least this senior prom didn’t require an escort like in high school back in Illinois in 1968.

The organizers were even more interesting.  Jim Brown and Carrie Evans. Another Jim Brown had been my prom date back in the day. Remembering that brought mixed emotions. At 15 I was so in love. We were going to get married and be together forever. “This Guys In Love With You” was our song.

Jim was two years older. When he joined the Army I vowed to wait “forever” so when he came home on leave in my senior year with a pregnant wife, my heart was broken. But life goes on. I put his promise ring in my jewelry box and began dating again, but there was never the same magic.

When I met my husband, Joel,  we were just good friends, at first,  but over time that changed and when he proposed, I said yes. Joel was a sweet man and a wonderful dad to our three kids, but that ended after 40 years when he died of lung cancer. Those cigarettes that were so popular in the 70s took their toll.

By then we had moved to sunny Florida and after Joel died, I decided to move to Sunshine Estates. When all your friends are couples, a single woman becomes a fifth wheel. At Sunshine Estates, I figured, there would be more women like me and I wouldn’t have the maintenance involved with a house.

I called the number to register for the senior prom. Almost as excited as when I was in high school, I even bought a dress for this special event. Most of my clothes were Bermuda shorts and T shirts. There weren’t many occasions for dressing up anymore.

The community room at Sunshine Estates was transformed into a ballroom with one of those rotating balls with the little mirrors reflecting the light. Bouquets of fresh carnations decorated the tables and a band was playing “oldies” as I   introduced myself to a group of ladies who were enjoying appetizers and wine. I smiled to myself, recognizing the “oldies” as the songs that were on the hit parade when I was a teenager!

I laughed, pouring myself a glass of cabernet. “This wasn’t allowed at my last senior prom,” I said to the folks at my table – and they agreed.

The residents at Sunshine Estates were mostly women – pretty typical for senior residences and just like in high school, the men gathered on one side of the room and the women on the other unless they were couples and there were very few of those.

A few ladies were open to dancing fast dances from back in the day, but when the slow dances started it brought a tear to my eye. I remembered dancing with Joel in the early years before the kids were born.  Even the memory of Jim Brown and that long ago senior prom crept into my thoughts. It was so long ago, but at times it seemed like yesterday.

I was nibbling on a miniature pizza appetizer when one of the guys in the orchestra  announced  a special request. Someone wanted to hear “This Guy’s In Love with You.”

I gasped and held back tears. That was Jim’s and my song back when we knew we were going to get married, have kids and live happily ever after. But life got in the way.  I swirled my chardonnay and was glad for the dim light. I didn’t want anyone to see the tears in my eyes. Even though Joel and I had a wonderful marriage I wouldn’t trade for anything, the bittersweet memory of that first love tugged at my heart.

I was so deep in reverie that when someone tapped my shoulder and asked, “Can I have this dance?” I nearly jumped out of my chair.

I was about to refuse when I looked into a pair of brown eyes I would never forget. The face was a little wrinkled and aged, like mine, but there was no doubt who he was.

“Jim Brown?” I asked, stunned. “Is that really you?”

He smiled as I stood and slipped into his arms.

“I never dreamed you were the Jim Brown listed on the newsletter,” I said. “It’s such a common name. Do you and your wife live here?”

“I do,” he said. “We divorced maybe 25 years ago. When I read your name on the list of new residents I couldn’t believe I’d found you. I hoped for years that we’d run into each other again but what’s the chance of a couple of kids from Illinois ending up in an old folks place in Florida?” he laughed.

“It’s called fate,” I said.

As someone sang, “This Guys in Love with You,” Jim held me closer and we were 17 all over again. The thought went through my head – I loved you then, I love you still. I always will. DSS

Arlene Shovald, of Salida, Colorado, is a reporter with The Mountain Mail, and has been the editor of a Michigan newspaper.  She is the author of several books, including "Let Your Dreams Be Your Doctor," along with several novels. 

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