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(Continued from previous page) suitcases and closets and managed to assemble ridiculous outfits, haul chairs out to the yard, gather fond parents and curious onlookers to 'put on a Show'. Since I was the perennial thespian, I can only recall my act as an Impressionist. I did Zazu Pitts, Mae West, Popeye and Olive Oyl, W.C. Fields, Kathryn Hepburn and Edward G. Robinson. On one of our last vacation days, Puddie was introduced to me by mutual friends. Puddie was tall, blonde and 'cute', from Oshkosh. I was thrilled when asked for a date and when my parents gave permission for me to go out with him. That evening he came in his Father's new Chevrolet, and as we headed for town we chatted and listened to the radio: Artie Shaw's 'Begin the Beguine.' Frank Sinatra had started crooning a soulful ballad when Puddie suddenly asked if I'd like to drive the car! I hadn't been a driver for many months but I really did like to drive and I heard myself happily saying 'Sure!' We exchanged seats and headed down the avenue on the way to the movie. Everything was Oeky-Dokey for a while - until we came to a STOP sign at a T-intersection and instead of stepping on the brake I stepped on the accelerator. Well - we shot across the street, bumped over a curb, sped up a grassy embankment -and I noticed the car was aiming straight for the side of a big white frame house. I seemed to be under a strange spell, clutching the wheel, unable to move, absolutely frozen. Puddie proved something about himself that evening as he grabbed the steering wheel, gave a quick jerk to the right and then we were bouncing across another lawn, down another slope, bumping over another curb. Somehow he stopped the car and we just sat there, not speaking, gasping for breath, recovering. He then slowly got out of the car, examined the underside and said "Something doesn't look right!" Wonder and a bit of shame comes over me when I realize I remember nothing else about that wild ride. Was the car damaged? What did his Father say? Was any expense involved? Did I ever apologize? How did I get back to the cabin that night? Puddie was scheduled to leave for boarding school the next morning, so there was no further communication, though I did receive a nice Christmas card from him. I slept restlessly that night, going over and over the entire episode in my mind and suddenly I found myself doubled over in helpless laughter, laughing so hard the bed shook. The next morning I started to tell my Mother the story, and again laughter overcame me. For days afterwards I could hardly manage to relate the incident to others without dissolving into hilarious laughing. Perhaps much of this reaction was due to a sense of relief that no one was injured, but when I occasionally visualize it in my mind again, I truly wish it could have been filmed. I'm sure it would have been a wild, comical sight. |