rated *

First of all, this story was set in the fifties. I have always wanted to write it. I chose the fifties, because I believe it was such a romantic time. And, I always pictured the BWG's being teens in the seventies. (like I was). With parents who had grown up in the fifties. I was born in 1960, but some of the influence of the fifties continued on, especially if you lived in a rural area as I did. In researching the fifties, I discovered some things that made some sense concerning my own life. Because my mother was a young mother (in her mid thirties) during the fifties, my sister was a teenager. First of all, even though girls wore "dungarees" (which were blue jeans) and also shorts, pedal pushers and capris, these were worn around the home. They were not generally worn out in public by a female, even if she were cooking dinner and realized that she had no salt and just had to go up town for a moment. She always wore a dress or skirt and blouse when going out. (When I was growing up, if I wanted to wear shorts to the store, my mother would say "Are you going dressed like that?") I used to think she was crazy, but in researching for this story, I began to understand. Women in the fifties tended to wear their hair short or no longer than shoulder length. If it was very long, they usually penned it up. (In the seventies, when I was a teen, my sister and my mother fussed all the time, because they wanted me to cut my hair short. I wore it parted in the middle and flowing down my back.) Now, I realize, that they didn't realize that most teens wore their hair long then (the hippie era). Attitudes about dating were much different then. Even though I realize there were exceptions to every rule, there was some real strict codes for dating. Guys and girls usually double dated or dated with a group of others. Kissing was something you saved for if you were practically engaged. It was taboo for a "nice girl" to go to dark places alone with a guy. Family values were strong and respect was a major thing. Guys were to respect the girls they dated and children respected their parents. PRIVATE
There's a place in here where they all go to a lake after the prom and the guys play their guitars and sing. Believe it or not, that's something teens done during that time. My sister and her friends used to do that.
I use some references to pink. Pink was a very popular color in the fifties, people decorated their homes with it, (as in pink tile in the bathrooms).
Poodles were a great decorating craze among teenage girls. And, of course you've all heard of poodle skirts.
As far as clothes go, I actually found pictures of these clothes I mention in this story on a fifties website. I didn't just make that up. "Evening in Paris" was a very popular cologne/perfume back then.

Disclaimer: I'm making no money off these characters. Even though some of the characters belong to me. None of the songs that are referenced to are mine. They were all written in the fifties (I think) and belong to the various artists.
 

Falling in Love

by Kay Lynn

 

Chapter 1

It was a beautiful spring day in April of 1959 as seventeen-year-old Helen Belden and her best friend Barb came out of Sleepyside Junior-Senior High and walked down the street toward home.  Other teenagers were leaving the school, some in cars and some walking like they were, but the two girls weren't paying much attention to what was going on around them, because they were discussing the Sock Hop coming up on Friday night. 

"Do you think you're going with Tillman?" Barb asked Helen.

"I don't think so," said Helen thoughtfully. "He thought he could take me out one night and then go out with Gail Hendrickson the next.  I'm not in love with him or anything, but I just don't like that kind of thing. It's bad dating etiquette."

"I don't blame you," said Barb.

"I may go with Wilson McComb," Helen told her.

"Wilson is a dreamboat," said Barb, thinking of the tall athletic young man with the auburn colored hair and green eyes. "Has he asked you yet?" she asked Helen, as she shifted her school books over to the other hip.

"No, but he will," said Helen, a twinkle in her sapphire-blue eyes. 

As the girls turned the corner to Rosebud Street, where they both lived, a light blue and white '57 Chevy came up behind them and drove by.

Both girls turned to watch the sporty vehicle, which was loaded down with girls who were considered the "fast girls" of Sleepyside and a few other guys besides the driver tucked into the car like sardines in a tin can.

"That Pete Belden is so stuck up," Helen said, as she watched the car go by. Helen wasn't impressed with him at all.  

Pete Belden was extremely handsome. When all the guys had crew cuts, Pete wore his in the latest James Dean, Elvis Presley style.  He also wore a black leather jacket.

 Helen had never really told anyone, but she'd had a crush on Pete back when she was in the eighth grade. At the time, he'd been a senior in high school and he was Sleepyside High School's prized  basketball star.  He was tall and dark, with the darkest eyes she'd ever seen, but he had so many cheerleaders and prom queens chasing after him then, that he'd never notice a fourteen-year-old.  That same year, while Helen was a lowly eighth grader, he'd graduated with honors and everyone, including his coach, had thought he would go on to school on a basketball scholarship and play professionally. But he had chosen to go away to college in New York City and had spent only two years there. He recently had came back to Sleepyside to help his father run the family farm because his father had been injured last year and wasn't able to do it full time anymore.

Since Sleepyside was a rural area and this was the fifties, most guys his age were already married.  That didn't bother Pete; he never planned to settle down.  He dated all the fast girls around town and there were plenty of them.  Some of them fancied themselves in love with him and started acting possessive, but he'd just move on to another one.

"Are you going to Wimpy's this afternoon?" Barb asked.

"No, I wish I could," Helen replied. "Alicia and I have to clean the house and cook dinner because Mom is working the evening shift at the hospital tonight. And I have to make sure my brother Martin made it home from school, instead of running off to hang out with his friends. "

"Darn," replied Barb. "I guess I won't go either, since it's no fun without you." 

Helen would've liked to have gone to Wimpy's where all the kids hung out after school, but a lot of days she had to go home and take care of family things.  She didn't mind much, she loved to cook and didn't mind housework and she loved her family.  The two girls arrived at the street they lived on and the two waved goodbye as they parted.

"Hi Dad, you're home early," Helen said, kissing her father on the cheek.

He was seated in his favorite chair, reading the paper.   "Hi sweetheart," he replied, not looking away from the newspaper. "Your mom said to warm up the leftover meatloaf for supper and open some of those green beans she canned last summer. "

 "Okay, Dad.  Alicia!" Helen yelled up the stairs.

"She isn't here," her father told her.

"And where is she?" Helen asked indignantly.

"She's next door with her friend Sara," he said indulgently.

"Well, I'll just walk over and get her," Helen said, her hands on her hips. "She needs to come and help me with the housework."

"No, Helen. I told her she could go. It's not going to hurt you this once to do things without her help."

"Well, it's not fair," Helen said, flouncing away from her father.

"Life's not fair," he said, smiling as he went back to the paper he was reading. 

Helen didn't really mind Alicia not helping her around the house. She just felt like her parents let Alicia off the hook too much and they never, ever let her off the hook.

George Johnson watched his daughter Helen as she went up the stairs of their small two-story house. He thought of his girls as he sat there. He and his wife Annie both had to quit school at an early age. He quit to help take care of his family after his father became too ill to work.  His wife Annie came from a large family and she dropped out of school to marry him, which wasn't uncommon when the two of them were young, in the years following the Great Depression. He and Annie were not rich now by any means, but they had a much more comfortable life than either of them had had growing up.  He and his wife had worked hard and made a down payment on their little house and the five acres of land that came with it. 

His wife had lived with her parents and saved all their money while he was in Europe serving the country during World War Two, when Helen and Alicia were both just little girls. From the time they were small, he had felt worried about his daughters and he was equally protective over them for different reasons.  He was protective of Helen because, simply put, she was beautiful. She looked like a younger, purer version of Marilyn Monroe, with her flawless skin, and her platinum blonde hair and a figure that turned heads everywhere she went. Sometimes, he wished he could put her in a convent.

Alicia, on the other hand wasn't a great beauty. Oh, she was cute as could be, it was  just that she was such a contrast in looks with Helen. She was very short and tended to get a little thick around the waist. She had black hair, that she kept cut short because it was so unruly and curly and she had freckles on which she put lemon juice, peroxide and every other home remedy she could think of to try and fade them.  George would see her looking wistfully at Helen sometimes when Helen was getting dressed up to go on one of her many dates and it broke his heart.

Helen, on the other hand was such a good daughter, which they both were.  She never broke curfew, she always respected her elders, she had a sensible head on her shoulders, he didn't usually have to lay down the law to her if she wanted to do something he didn't feel good about.  He and her moher could talk to her and she would listen to reason.

Helen was very talented and could draw and paint like a professional artist. He and his wife both hoped she would finish school and go on to college, even though a lot of  girls never went to college. Helen made very good grades in school. Alicia made good grades but she made C's in a lot of her subjects.  His biggest concern for Helen was that some no account guy would see her and decide he had to have her because of her beauty and her life would be ruined. 

But, so far, things had been good.  Every guy Helen dated would've made a suitable husband that would treat her good and be a good provider if, by some chance, she fell in love. He breathed a sigh of relief that so far she hadn't.  Fifteen-year-old Alicia had carved out a small niche for herself. S he had her best friends Sara and Elisabeth.  And she had a young man named Braxton who had a crush on her, so she wasn't without an admirer.  Maybe things would turn out for his family.

 

Chapter 2

The week went by rather quickly.  Helen and Barb had made a couple of trips to Wimpy's where Helen had flirted with Wilson and he had bought her her favorite treat, a  chocolate soda.  Before the week was out, he had asked her to go to the sock hop on Friday night.

"Golly, I wish I could attract a guy like Wilson," Barb said. "He's the most popular guy in our sophomore class." 

"You could,"  Helen replied, winking at her best friend. "You just have to know how." 

If I looked like you, I'd know how, Barb thought to herself. Helen could get any guy she wanted.

 

"Moms, have you seen my white button-up blouse?" Helen said, rushing out of the family's pink-tiled bathroom.

"Yes, it's hanging in the wash room, all starched and ironed.  You are going to eat before you go, aren't you?" her mother asked as she piled the fried chicken on a plate. 

"No," said Helen coming into the kitchen where her family was assembling around the big oak table for dinner. "Wilson is taking me to Wimpy's after the dance. I'll get something to eat there." She smiled at her sister.  "Alicia, is Braxton taking you to the dance tonight?" Helen asked teasingly.  The whole family teased Alicia about Braxton.

 "No, I'm not going to the dance," fifteen-year-old Alicia replied, staring down at her fried chicken and mashed potatoes. "I'm going to Sara's to study."

"Oh," said Helen, quietly leaving the room.

Helen loved her sister dearly and she never, ever wanted her to feel bad.

Helen had never realized her own beauty, she was totally unassuming. She thought Alicia's lack of dates was due to her shyness and nothing else.  Helen believed guys liked her because she was more outgoing and friendly. It never occurred to her that Alicia was very plain, especially in comparison to her. 

Helen went back into the pink-tiled bathroom and put on her makeup. She wore her new lilac pastel lipstick that she had saved her quarters to buy.  She wore her pink poodle skirt,  a white blouse, and saddle oxfords.  As a finishing touch, she tied her hair up into a ponytail and tied a white chiffon scarf around it.

I wish Mom would let me get pierced earrings, she thought as she leaned forward to look in the bathroom mirror. But according to Mom, only fast girls wore their ears pierced.

"Helen, Wilson's here," her nine-year-old brother Mart yelled up the stairs. 

"Okay, I'm coming," she called, checking herself once more in the mirror.

Wilson looked smitten with her as she came down the stairs.  Even in the simple outfit she was wearing, she was a vision of loveliness. She didn't even notice, because she thought of Wilson as a friend, but her mother and father looked at one another, amused.  They liked Wilson; he had a good head on his shoulders.  They knew he planned to go to law school after graduation and was very interested in entering the political arena .

"See you later," Helen said, flashing a dazzling smile at her family as she and Wilson headed to his car.

Later in the evening, when several family friends had come over to the Johnsons' to watch their new television, since they were one of the few families on their block that actually had one, young, mischievous Mart Belden noticed that Alicia hadn't joined the others in the living room.  He went to look for her and found her in her room crying. 

"Alicia, what's wrong?" he asked, with brotherly concern.

"She always gets dates and I've liked Wilson McComb forever and she gets him.  Guys always fall in love with her and I'm so ugly--I could never get a guy like that."

"You're not ugly, Alicia," blond-haired Mart told her, putting an arm around her. "I think you're real pretty, you're just a different kind of pretty."

"You do?" said Alicia. "But I'll never look like Helen." 

"No, you never will, but you're pretty in a different way," he said. "I need you to stop crying now, 'cause I have a really neat trick to play on Helen when she comes home tonight."

"You do?" said Alicia, sitting up on the bed. 

One thing Alicia and Martin shared was a love of practical jokes, even though they had gotten in trouble for playing pranks before and probably would again. Like the time they put blue food coloring in the family shampoo and Helen's hair turned blue when she washed it. Alicia forgot about her insecurities as Martin explained what he wanted to do.

 

Chapter 3

Meanwhile, at the school sock hop...... Wilson and Helen arrived while the band was singing a stirring version of runaround Sue and people were jitterbugging.  Wilson went to get a cup of punch for himself and Helen as she waited near the door for him. 

"Why are you here with him?" Tillman Rudding asked her.

"I thought you might be taking Gail Hendrickson," Helen replied smartly, looking around the dance floor.

"Oh, come on, Helen, give me another chance. I made a mistake. I like you better than I ever liked her," he said, looking at her imploringly. "Please,  just go out with me again."

Helen ignored him. 

Wilson brought Helen her cup of punch and she turned away from Tillman. Unchained melody began to play: 

                  "Oh my love, my darling, I hunger for your touch..."

Helen dreamily laid her head on Wilson's shoulder as she danced to the romantic soft music, when she heard a male voice ask to cut in. Wilson backed away from her reluctantly, because he knew it was just good dance etiquette to do so and Helen opened her eyes, feeling slightly annoyed, expecting to see her old boyfriend Tillman.  She almost swooned when she saw who it was--none other than Pete Belden. 

He took her in his arms and pulled her a lot closer to his body than the high school guys she had always danced with, and whispered in her ear, "What's your name, gorgeous?" 

"Um, it's...it's Helen," she stammered, for the first time in her life at a loss for words.

"Helen," he repeated. "A beautiful name for a beautiful lady." 

Helen couldn't remember the rest of the dance, she felt like she was floating on air. As soon as the song ended, he let go of her so abruptly and was gone so fast that she almost fell down. 

"Helen," said Wilson, breaking her out of her reverie as he took her arm.

She felt like she had just awakened from a dream and tried to not have a dazed look as Wilson escorted her off the dance floor. He turned for a second to speak to one of their other friends and she took the time to compose herself while looking around for Pete.  He wasn't hard to spot in his black leather jacket and because he didn't sport a crew cut like all the high school guys.  As Helen watched, she noticed Pete and his friends were being escorted to the door by Mr. Stratton.  Helen knew it was because older guys weren't allowed at high school dances. 

"Helen, I'm so sorry," Wilson said as he turned back to her and politely rested his arm on her shoulder.  "If I'd realized that it was Pete Belden, I would never have allowed him to dance with you.  I thought it was one of our friends or something. No nice girl needs to be that close to Pete." 

"Oh, it's quite alright, Wilson," she said as she and Barb, who had just walked up to them, exchanged  glances. 

Helen and Wilson danced a few more fast dances, like Blue Suede shoes and then the band played The Everly Brothers' Chained to a Memory. Out of politeness, she accepted a dance offer from Tillman.

"If you'd been my date, Pete Belden wouldn't have gotten within a hundred feet of you," Tillman whispered to her.

"Well, you aren't my date, now, are you, Tillman?"

"Well, I want to be," he told her. "Helen, please give me another chance." 

Helen just sighed. She felt like Tillman was fancying himself in love with her and she just wasn't in love with him. Plus, he was seeing Gail Hendrickson.

Later, Helen and Wilson and Barb and her date, Thomas, all rode in Wilson's car to Wimpy's.  Wimpy's had car hops who skated around and brought the food on a tray to your car, but nice girls always went inside.

Wilson and Thomas got out of the car and walked around opening the door for Helen and Barb. 

"Are you cold, Helen?" Wilson asked, putting his letter sweater over her shoulders.  He took her by the arm to escort her inside.  She glanced over at the car beside her and there was Pete with a girl she recognized from the senior class named Frances Levinson. Frances was sitting in his lap. 

Pete was drinking a soda and he happened to catch her eye as she stared.  He lifted the soda to her in a sort of salute and then turned his attention to Frances.

I could slap his arrogant face, Helen thought. She felt angry and she wasn't sure why.

"Why are you so quiet?" asked Wilson. "I haven't done or said anything to make you angry, have I?  I mean, if it's about allowing you to dance with Pete..."

"Oh no," Helen said. "That's not it at all.  I think I have a slight headache." 

"Well, I'm going to play a song on the jukebox," he said as he and Tom stood. "We'll be right back." 

"What's wrong?" Barb asked, leaning forward. "And what was it like to dance with Pete Belden? Every eye was on the two of you, you looked so good together, like you were made for each other."

"Oh, I'll tell you later. I'm so furious with him and with myself. Why don't you spend the night? I have so much to talk about" 

"Sure," said Barb. "Let me go and call my mom."

Pete was no where to be seen when they finally left Wimpy's.  As usual, they took the long way home and, of course, they were twenty minutes after curfew, but Helen knew her parents were asleep.  She had been coming home past curfew a lot lately.  Of course, she was taking somewhat of a chance, because George Johnson was very strict about curfew.  Helen knew she could be grounded for being five minutes late and her date could be given a stern lecture. George considered it disrespectful if a date kept a lady out past her curfew. 

After Wilson kissed her good bye at the door, she and Barb started to open it. Helen's mind was on the pleasantness of Wilson's kiss and she wasn't thinking about much else. "

"Barb, we have to be really quiet," Helen said. "We're about twenty minutes late and you know how dad is." 

When they opened the door they heard a horrible loud noise that sounded like the house had just fallen down. 

"What was that?" Barb asked, her eyes wide with fright. 

They heard Mrs. Johnson's voice and heard Helen's sad say, "What the hell?" 

"I'm in trouble," Helen told Barb.

 

Chapter 4

"We got 'em," Martin told his sister Alicia as he scampered in the dark back to his room. 

Earlier, after their parents had gone to bed, Martin and Alicia had tied many strings to the door knob and tied the strings to various objects all over the house-- heavy books sitting on the edge of tables, a book shelf,  and doors all over the house.   When Helen and Barb opened the door what they heard was the sound of things falling and doors slamming all over the house at the same time. 

"Young lady, are you just now getting home?" George Johnson asked his daughter as he came down the stairs. 

"Yes sir," Helen replied, looking down at the floor.

"Did you know it's twenty minutes past your curfew?" he asked, looking intently at her.

"Yes, sir." 

"Well, you also know that you're grounded for the next week, don't you? No dates for next weekend and if this happens again..."

"It won't happen again," Helen told him quickly. 

"See that it doesn't. I'll need to speak with this Wilson fellow. I've a good mind to call his parents about him bringing you home late." 

"It was my fault, Dad," Helen said.

"Well, you two go to bed," said George, dismissing the two girls as he climbed back up the stairs.

           

"Well, at least I only got grounded for one weekend," Helen said as she sat in front of her white dressing table combing her blonde tresses. 

"I want to hear all about your dance with Pete and why you're mad at him," Barb said.  She had contained her curiosity long enough.

"Well, when I realized it was Pete asking me to dance, I become totally tongue-tied. I almost couldn't remember my own name," she said. "I've never allowed anyone to have that effect on me and it makes me mad that I acted like that. I'll be on guard next time I come in contact with Mr. Pete Belden. And he pulled me really close to his body and I am so mad at myself that I allowed him to do that. If Wilson or Tillman had done something like that, I would've slapped his face soundly! I don't understand why I allowed him to do that. Then later at Wimpy's, I saw him with that Frances girl from Hawthorne Street sitting in his lap and he just looked at me with a smug smile. I could slap his arrogant face!" Her voice sounded angry. 

"Sounds like Pete Belden made quite an impression on you," Barb said teasingly. 

"Oh, he made an impression alright," said Helen. "A bad one!"

The next morning at breakfast, Helen apologized to her parents for being late. They, of course, accepted her apology.

"You are such a wonderful daughter," her father reassured her, taking a bite of his scrambled eggs. "If it weren't for that, you'd be grounded for a lot longer than one weekend. But you've always been so trustworthy. And if I didn't like Wilson, I'd be a lot harder on you."

"Thanks, Dad and Mom," she said as they finished breakfast. "Can I go over to Barb's today?"

"After your chores," her mother told her. 

"Oh, and, by the way, what are you going to do to Alicia and Martin about their little practical joke they played last night?" 

Martin and Alicia both stared down at their scrambled eggs and buttered toast.

"Well, I think they have to untie all those strings, and pick up the bookshelf that fell down," George said, chuckling.

"Dad, that's not funny," Helen said.

"Well, I'm kind of glad it happened, because that's how I knew you were late," he said.

Martin and Alicia giggled along with him, as Helen, glaring at the two of them, quickly began to pick up the breakfast dishes. 

"You and Martin better watch it, 'cause I'm going to pay you back," Helen told Alicia in the tiny kitchen as they washed the breakfast dishes together.

                     

Chapter 5

"Let's go walking," Helen said while they were upstairs in Barb's bedroom.

"You won't get into trouble?  You are grounded, you know," Barb reminded her.

"That only includes dates.  It doesn't include going to your house or anything else." 

"Well, let's go then."

Helen put on a little bit of Barb's pastel pink lipstick, combed her platinum blonde hair and tied it back into a ponytail, and the two girls walked out the front door  and through the gate of the white picket fence of Barb's home. 

"Why don't we walk over to Wimpy's?" suggested Barb. "I've got a couple of quarters--we could get a soda or something."

As the two walked down the sidewalk, laughing and talking, they heard the roar of a vehicle coming up behind them. They both glanced back and when Helen saw who it was, she quickly turned her head back around facing forward and tried to pretend she didn't even see the car.  To her chagrin, the car slowed down and Pete Belden, the driver, pulled up and began talking.

"Hi, beautiful, I enjoyed that dance last night," said Pete.

Helen looked around and noted that, just like always, he had a car load of a couple of his guy friends and about five girls.

"Thank you," Helen said politely and kept walking.  She just wished he would go away. 

"Why don't the two of us go out sometime?" Pete said, still driving really slow as Helen and Barb walked along.

Helen turned to look at him and the girl who was almost in his lap glared at her. 

"It appears you have enough girlfriends, I don't think you need to add me to your list," Helen told him icily. She and Barb started walking faster.  She thought he would say something smart to her, but he just laughed, put his arm around the girl with him, and sped off.

"He makes me so angry!" said Helen, stomping her foot on the sidewalk. She looked around and saw old Mrs. Kline, who was out raking her yards, looking at her curiously.  "Hi, Mrs. Kline," Helen said, flashing her that beautiful smile.

"I can't believe that...that Pete Belden!" Helen told Barb as they quickly walked toward Wimpy's.  "He is the most arrogant, rude jerk I've ever seen!" 

 Barb just smiled knowingly as they arrived in the parking lot of Wimpy's. 

"Hi, Wilson! Hi, Thomas!" Barb yelled.

Helen saw Wilson across the room at the same time and waved. The guys motioned for the girls to come sit with them in their booth. 

I really like Wilson, Helen thought, looking at Wilson with his blue eyes and would be blond hair, if it wasn't in a crew cut. He treats me like a queen and he's sweet and so cute. 

"Would you like a soda or something?" Wilson asked Helen as he and Thomas stood up to let her and Barb sit down.

"Yeah, a Coke please," she told the waitress, who'd just walked up to take their orders. 

"You want to dance?" Wilson asked her as the jukebox began to play Maybe Baby by Buddy Holly. 

They walked over to the dance floor and began to dance as the song played:

            "Maybe baby, I'll have you, Maybe baby, you'll be true....
             Maybe baby, I'll have you ....for me..."

She danced with him for awhile and he said, "I have something to ask you."

"Oh yeah?"   Helen asked, smiling up at him. "What is it?" 

"I want to know if you'll go to the prom with me?" he asked as he twirled her around the dance floor.

"Oh Wilson," she replied, stopping and throwing her arms around him. "I'd love to." 

When they got back to their table, she found out that Thomas had asked Barb to go with him and the four planned to go to the prom together. 

The next week passed quickly, with Helen going to Wimpy's after school every day where she could see Wilson and he would usually give her a ride home.  She liked him more and more. 

One evening, she went home and was excited when she found that her sister Alicia accepted an invitation to the prom from Braxton. "We can pick out our dresses together!" Helen exclaimed.

Helen was glad that Alicia was finally starting to take part in high school things. Helen often worried about Alicia, because she tended to stay home and immerse herself in her studies.  Helen studied hard, too, and she was a straight A student, but she also realized the importance of a social life and she wanted Alicia to realize the importance of it. 

The night of the prom was a beautiful starry night, a night for falling in love.  Wilson looked so handsome in his tux when he came to pick up Helen.  Braxton was already there to get Alicia.  Alicia looked cute in a white strapless lacy full skirted dress with matching pumps and her mother had put her hair up.  But, the whole family stopped to take notice when Helen came down the stairs.  She had chosen a strapless dress in pale lavender with a full skirt and lace and ruffles all the way to the floor, which showed off her complexion, which looked like porcelain, and her blonde hair, which almost shimmered in the light. 

Alicia felt bad when all eyes including her parents turned to look, but she was used to it.  There wasn't a sound in the room as Helen made her entrance.  But Helen was one of those kind of girls who was oblivious to it all. She never thought of herself as beautiful.  She was even kind of critical of her looks. She believed her hips were a little too wide, her forehead too high, her lips too full.  She really didn't see herself as the extraordinary beauty that she was. 

 

Chapter 6

Tonight, however, Helen felt like she was a princess in a fairy tale as Wilson pinned the lavender orchids on her gown; they were just a shade darker than her dress.  Her mother took pictures and she got so caught up taking pictures of Helen and Wilson, who looked so right together, that she almost forgot poor Alicia.  George Johnson noticed the crestfallen look on Alicia's face and made eye contact with his wife, who realized what she was doing and then she began to fuss over Alicia the same way she fussed over Helen.

Barb and Thomas were waiting in the car when Helen and Wilson came out. Wilson helped her into the car and then walked to the other side. "I thought we could go to the Sleepyside Inn for dinner," Wilson said.

Helen turned to look at Barb.  That was one of the most expensive restaurants in Sleepyside. Once in a great while, her parents went there for anniversaries. 

Helen was in awe of the violin music, the fancy tables and the waiters and she was more in awe when Wilson ordered prime rib for her.  She was concerned that she might dribble the au jus gravy on her dress though.

"Wow, this is great," Barb said when the guys had excused themselves for a moment.

"I know," Helen replied, daintily taking a sip of her iced tea in the fancy glass. "I've never been here before. And  this prime rib is so delicious."

After finishing their meal, Wilson stood. "Are we ready?" he asked as he offered her his arm.

"Certainly," said Helen, smiling and taking him by the arm as she stood. Then they went out to the car.

The prom was heavenly.  The gym was decorated in pale blue and white. Helen and Wilson, as well as Tom and Barbara, found that their crowd was already there and had saved seats for them.  Helen and Wilson sat down.  On one side sat Gordon Lynch, who had graduated a couple of years ago, and his girlfriend Velma Carson, who was in the same grade as Helen and Barb. They were engaged to be married.  Tillman had came with Gail Hendrickson; she and Helen had been friends since elementary school.

Andy Belden was there with his date.  Helen had actually went on her very first date in the eighth grade to the football game with Andy. Of course, at the time, there were several other couples with them and her father drove them to the game and picked them up afterward.  She thought Andy was sweet and nothing like his arrogant older brother. He was there with Betsy Elliott, also a lifelong friend of Barb and Helen. 

They laughed and danced the night away to tunes like:  Rockin' Robin, Blueberry Hill, All Shook Up, Teddy Bear, and a few slower songs like Unchained Melody, Oh Donna, and Chained to a Memory. 

"I would've brought you to the prom, you know," Tillman said to Helen when she slow danced with him." 

"Why?" asked Helen. "I'm seeing Wilson now." 

"I know," said Tillman as they slowly moved around the dance floor.  "But I would do anything to be able to date you again. Please, give me another chance."

"Oh Tillman," Helen said, brushing him off as easily as she could.

"Let's go to the lake by my house," Andy Belden suggested as the prom began to wind down. 

Ordinarily, Helen and Barb and the other girls would have to be home early, but the parents had relaxed the curfew for prom night.  They went to the lake and built a huge fire and spread blankets around to for everyone to sit on. 

"I brought my guitar," Tillman said. "Anyone for a sing along?"

"Sure!" everyone said. 

They sang Blue Suede Shoes, Dreaming and several of their favorites.

"What a beautiful night," Helen said as she leaned her head on Wilson's shoulder.

"I hope it's the just one of many for you and me," he replied. "Helen, I want to know if you'd wear my class ring?"

"Oh, Wilson, I'd love to," she replied, flattered. 

He took it out of his pocket; he had invested in a gold chain to put it on, since it would be way too large for Helen's delicate slender fingers. He slipped it around her neck as he kissed her. 

Tillman was sitting across from them and he had heard the interaction and he looked at the ground, a heartbroken expression on his face. 

After telling a few jokes and teasing each other, for most of them had been friends since grade school, Velma stood.   "I think it's time for us girls to call it a night," she said, standing and slipping her pumps back on and smoothing down her dress. 

"I think so, too," Barb said, also standing. "We don't want our parents to come looking for us."

 Everyone else agreed and began to stand and slip shoes on. 

As they all trudged back to their vehicles, Wilson slipped his letter sweater over Helen's shoulders.  "I hope you'll wear this from now on."

Helen smiled at him as they kissed. He helped her into his car and drove her home.

 

"Wow! His class ring and his letter sweater? That's the last step before getting engaged," exclaimed Barb. She was spending the night at Helen's house.

"I know," Helen told her.

"Do you love him?"  

"I don't know," replied Helen thoughtfully as she picked at the white French poodle that was appliquéd on the pink coverlet of her twin bed. "But I have a whole year before school is out.  He's going to law school and, if we were to get married, I could go to school at the same time. I'm not sure if I know what love is, but I like him a lot.  I don't feel the same with him as I have with other guys I've dated."             

 

Chapter 7

It was a lazy Sunday afternoon the following day after the prom.  Helen, Alicia, and Martin had read the comics together at the kitchen table, which was a family tradition with the three of them. 

"I had so much fun last night," Alicia said, hardly able to concentrate on the comics. "I danced and we went to Wimpy's and..." 

Helen smiled. She hadn't ever seen her sister so bubbly and happy. She was glad to see it now.  She had briefly noticed her sister the night before dancing with Braxton and she seemed to be having a good time.

"Mom, if it's okay with you, Barb and I are going to the Cameo. The African Queen is playing." 

"I guess it's okay," her mother replied as she rinsed the breakfast dishes. "Your father and I are going for a drive later, and I think Alicia and Martin will be okay alone." 

"Mom, Braxton might come over later," Alicia said.

"Well, you just be sure he waits until your Father and I return from our drive," her mother told her.  "It's not proper for a young man and a young lady to be alone in the house and we don't want to give the neighbors something to talk about." 

Alicia sighed.

 

Helen dressed in a plain red and white checkered dress and black low heeled pumps and combed her shoulder-length hair. She decided to wear it down today. "I'm leaving," she yelled at Alicia and Martin as she headed out the front door. 

After walking over to Barb's, the two hurried to the Cameo and watched the movie. It was so romantic and that's all they could talk about when they came out. 

They were discussing the movie, when they heard the familiar roar of a certain '57  Chevy coming up behind them.

"Don't look now," Barb said, glancing back.  "But it's your favorite person." 

Pete Belden pulled up beside them, This time, Helen noted, he was alone.

"Hey gorgeous," he said to Helen, who kept walking. "When are we going out?"

"Never," Helen replied, not even looking at him. 

"Oh come on," he told her. "Why don't you drive me around town a little? I'm really not sober enough to be driving."

"Are you crazy?" Helen asked, barely glancing at him as she walked.

"You know what I think?" Pete asked her, still driving slowly beside the two girls. "I think you're a little bit afraid of me."

"And why would you think that?" Helen asked, finally stopping and looking at him.

"I think you're afraid of what you might do, afraid of your emotions when you're with me. You're afraid you couldn't handle being alone with me."

"You are so arrogant," Helen told him. "I'm not afraid of anything about you. And I'm in perfect control of my emotions." But her voice raised angrily.

"Why don't you come with me and prove it?" he said, looking up at her with those gorgeous brown eyes.

"Okay! I think I will!" she said. "Move over."

"What?" he asked.

"Well, I'm certainly not going to let you drive me around when you've been drinking," she said, looking pointedly at the whiskey bottle in the front seat. 

Smiling, he moved over ever so slightly.

"Helen, I don't think you'd better do this," Barb said, her green eyes as big as saucers. "What would your parents say?" 

Helen ignored her and drove off with Pete.  Pete was slightly drunk and he threw an arm around her shoulders as she drove. "I could get used to having you in my car," he said, staring at the beautiful girl who was driving.

"You're used to having quite a few girls in your car, aren't you?" Helen said shortly as she drove.

He directed her to the lake near his house.  Helen didn't really go into wooded areas alone with a guy, since her parents had always told her that guys wouldn't respect her if she did that. But because it was daytime, she reasoned that  it'd probably be okay.  

Pete Belden felt as if he were in the presence of an angel. He never felt at a loss when he was alone with a woman, but with this one he did. He realized that she was a nice girl and if he tried anything, he'd probably be slapped soundly and she might tell her father and he might come after him, because that's what fathers did when someone offended their daughters.  Not that he would try anything anyway, because, for some reason, he just had too much respect for this girl.

They sat in his car overlooking the lake and talked about just about everything.  He hadn't really spent much time with females just talking and this was a new thing to him. He found that he enjoyed it. This girl was very smart; she didn't act all silly like a lot of girls he knew. 

"I'd better be getting back to the house," she said finally, almost reluctant to leave.

Helen decided that she was going to get him to let her off near Barb's house, because she wasn't quite sure how her parents would take her riding around with a rebel like Pete.  They pulled up a few feet from Barb's house.

"I guess this is goodbye," said Helen, realizing that she had actually enjoyed the hour or so she spent with him.

"When can I see you again?" Pete asked her.

"You can't," Helen told him. "I'm dating Wilson McComb. I'm wearing his ring, see." She lifted the chain she was wearing around her neck with the class ring on it.

 Everyone knew when you were wearing a boy's class ring, you were as good as engaged. 

He got out of the car and walked around to the other side, opening the door for her. He had planned to be as respectful as could be, but as she stood up, she bumped into him and for a brief moment their lips met. 

"I will see you again. Tell your boyfriend that he's got some competition and I intend to win."

Helen ran down the street and didn't look back.

 

Chapter 8

Helen ran up the street as fast as she could go.  She didn't even have time to ponder the kiss as she was wanting to get home before her parents returned from their drive. 

"Young lady, where have you been?" her mother said as she opened the gate leading up to the porch. 

 "I was riding around with a friend," Helen replied.

"And was the friend's name Pete Belden?" asked her father who had stepped out onto the front porch to join her mother. 

Helen looked at her dad and she didn't believe she'd ever seen him so angry. "Yes," said Helen, looking at the ground.

When she got in the car with Pete, she was just thinking of the challenge he'd given her.  She wanted him to know he had no effect on her.  She wasn't thinking of the consequences, of what people would say, or of what her parents might think.

"You are grounded, and I've a good mind to talk to that Belden boy and tell him to stay away from my daughter. Helen, go to your room!" he shouted.

Helen ran up the steps and into the house.

"This is my worse fear," he told his wife Annie as he sat down heavily on the porch swing.  "I can just see some guy like that Belden boy, seeing how pretty she is and deciding he's just got to have her and then he marries her and ruins her life." 

"Let's not borrow trouble," Annie told him, joining him on the swing and slipping her hand into his. "Our Helen is a good girl and she has usually made right choices.  She'll continue to do so."

Even so, both George and Annie were troubled.  They sat on the porch swing until way into the night just quietly thinking about today. They had been worried sick when Mrs. Kline, who'd seen Helen get into the car with Pete, had called them and told them. 

Helen ran up to her pink and white bedroom and cried.  She felt so guilty.  First, she had disobeyed her parents and she hated that. She never meant to cause them any kind of pain. She loved them so much. Second, what would Wilson think if he knew she'd rode around with Pete Belden?  He might break up with her!  And that kiss.  Kissing Wilson was very pleasant and she liked it.  Why did kissing Pete Belden make her stomach feel like there were a million butterflies going off inside her?  I have to make sure I stay away from him, she thought.  I can't believe I let him kiss me and we weren't even on a date. . I feel so wanton and wicked.

"Are you okay?"  Her brother and sister asked, tiptoeing into the room.

"Yeah," said Helen, sitting up and wiping her eyes. "I just did something really stupid and let Mom and Dad down."

"Well, I think Pete Belden is cool," Martin said.

"I think he's the best-looking guy in Sleepyside," Alicia said. "

Helen laughed at her brother and sister and hit them with her pillow. This set off a pillow fight. And Helen felt better afterward as the three fell onto the floor laughing and wrestling.

           

Pete Belden drove home, parked his car, and walked out to the cow pen.

His father had a few dairy cows, some chickens, a large garden, and crabapple trees. He basically supported his family with the farm. 

His father had fallen off of a tractor and hurt himself last year and wasn't able to do all the farm chores anymore, nor did he have the money to help Pete stay in college. Pete had to cut his schooling short and come home to Sleepyside and help with the farm, since that was how the Belden family earned their livelihood.  They sold dairy products and vegetables to the grocery stores here and in White Plains.  If Pete hadn't come home, his younger brother Andy would have had to drop out of school and take care of things.  Pete didn't want that. 

He really did love his family, but he had always felt like he was on the outside looking in.  He had felt that way all his life.  His oldest brother Harold, called Hal, was the star athlete in school. He was the golden boy of his parents' life and he was able to earn his degree in college and then he married his college sweetheart, a beauty named Alice. They moved to Idaho, where he took over her father's business and he was practically rich at the ripe old age of twenty-three. 

Pete was the middle child.  Hal was the golden boy, and Andy was his parents' baby.  If a neighbor's window was broken when they were growing up, or someone broke the cookie jar, they automatically assumed Pete did it. He was the daredevil and he was the mischievous one. He often got blamed for things he didn't do. 

When he left home and went to the city, it was the best time of his life. It was the first time he didn't feel compared to his older brother Hal and he could be himself.  His plan was to finish college and become a Wall Street executive and be rich by the time he was twenty-five.  He never wanted to get married and he sure didn't want to live in Sleepyside again.  Pete also had a problem with anger. He'd had the problem from the time he was a kid while growing up in a home with two perfect brothers.

While he was standing there studying the cows and thinking about these things, which he usually avoided thinking about, his father came out to the fence and joined him.

"Son, I have to talk to you," his father finally said.

"What about?" Pete said, staring out in the field and not looking at his father. 

"That young lady you were with today,"  Carlton Belden told him.  "I saw the two of you down at the lake." 

"So?" his son asked insolently. 

"Look, son, I'm not trying to get in your business.  You're a grown man and..."

"Just say what you've got to say," Pete said impatiently. 

"Her father and I go back a long way. We were both born and raised here in Sleepyside.  We were pretty good friends--we just kind of drifted apart when we both married and had families.  That young lady is not like those girls you've been seeing since you came home." 

"Get to the point," Pete said, still not looking at his dad. 

"Look son, I'm not your enemy here.  George Johnson is real protective over his girls and when you're around that young lady, you are to be nothing but respectful. I don't want you giving him any reason to be angry with you or me. In fact, you really don't need to see her again." 

"I'll decide who I'm going to date," Pete said and stomped off. 

Carlton Belden sighed as he watched his son stride angrily toward the house.  Sometimes, he just didn't know what ailed that boy.  He loved him as much as he did his other two boys, but his dark, brooding son Pete had this anger on the inside of him.  Carlton stared off at the cows grazing in the field.  He just didn't know what to do or how to reach Pete. He knew Pete was going to end up in some kind of trouble if something didn't change and change soon.  But, right now, he was concerned about Pete and Helen Johnson.  Helen was the most beautiful girl in town and he wasn't surprised she had caught Pete's eye.  But the situation concerned him greatly.  What would Pete do with a nice girl like her?  It was obvious Pete was light years away from marrying and settling down with anyone.  Carlton didn't want that young girl having her life ruined by his son. And he knew her mother and father sure wouldn't want that. 

Pete Belden went straight to his room and fell across his bed.  He wished he hadn't ever come back to this hick town of Sleepyside nor to this farm.  His plan for his life was to be a Wall Street executive, live in a high rise in New York City, and stay a swinging bachelor until he was in his fifties. 

Girls had always liked Pete.  He had left a string of broken hearts in Sleepyside when he went away to college and he'd left a string of broken hearts when he left college to come back there. When a girl started acting possessive and asking him for a relationship, he'd move on to his next conquest. He'd never met a girl that he couldn't get--until today.  He didn't stand a chance with a girl like Helen and that frustrated him. 

But, on the other hand, if he got her, what would he do with her? He certainly didn't want to get married.  And what was it about her that had him sitting here thinking about her?" Frustrated, he jumped off the bed. He hung up his leather jacket so he wouldn't mess it up and regretfully prepared to do the neverending evening chores around the farm.

   

Chapter 9

The next week went along uneventfully for Helen.  She did the normal things: went to school every day, hung out with Barb, did her chores, and spent time with her brother and sister.   She had decided not to tell Wilson about the afternoon she'd spent with Pete Belden and she sure would never let him know that Pete had kissed her.  She did speak with Barb after school, sharing where she'd gone and how she'd talked to Pete, but she didn't even tell Barb about the kiss. 

"Do you like Pete?" Barb asked. "I mean, more than you like Wilson?"

"No!" Helen answered, incredulous that Barb would ask such a thing. "Pete is arrogant, selfish, and the most stuck-up guy I've ever met. And he's not my type at all. I would never even consider dating him or even having very much to do with him at all." 

"Uh-huh," said Barb knowingly.  "Why did you take off with him Sunday? You knew you were going to get into trouble. I mean, Miss Kline was out in her yard and she saw everything." 

"I just had to prove to him that he has no effect on me," Helen replied. "I don't know why I got so tongue-tied that night at the dance, and then he came by acting like I just wouldn't be able to resist him and that I was scared to be alone with him. I just had to show that arrogant, rude jerk that what he thought about me wasn't true." 

"You had to show him or yourself?" Barb asked quietly. 

To that question, Helen didn't reply.

"Hi, sweetheart," Wilson said as he put his arm around Helen in the hallway after math class. "Do you think you could go on a picnic this weekend? I've already asked Thomas if he and Barb wanted to go and he said they would." 

"Sure," said Helen smiling at him. "I'd love to."

 Wilson walked her to her Civics class and then left her at the door.

Saturday dawned bright and clear.  Helen stood on the porch dressed in a new red bandana print semi-full skirt with a matching sleeveless blouse waiting for Wilson.  She had packed leftover chicken, potato salad, and rolls from dinner last night. Barb was bringing a thermos of iced tea and some sugar cookies. 

"Hi!" Helen waved as Wilson drove up in his shiny new white Ford.  She quickly grabbed the family picnic basket and ran out to the car.  Wilson got out to open the door for her and she jumped in.

"You look beautiful," Wilson said, kissing her on the cheek.

"Thank you," Helen said, blushing. 

Their usual crowd was down at the park and the guys had fun playing softball while the girls sat on the side and cheered.  When the game was over, everyone spread their blankets and set out their picnic lunch.  Everyone ate hungrily, exchanging a chicken leg for a ham sandwich and cookies for a piece of chocolate cake and when it was over, the guys stood up for another game.

"Wilson, you coming?" Grant Lynch yelled to Wilson as Thomas stood up and Barb went over to sit with the other girls.

"I'll be there in about five minutes," he replied. As the transistor played Sam Cooke's song You Send Me, Wilson said, "I have something for you, Helen."

"You do?" she replied shyly.

"Yeah, I bought you something the other day." He reached in his pocket and took out a box that Helen recognized as being from Fielder's, the only jewelry store in Sleepyside. 

Helen opened the box and inside was a sterling silver identification bracelet.  Her name was engraved on one side and his was engraved on the other. "It's beautiful," Helen told him.

"You already know you're my special girl, but this is just another confirmation of that," Wilson said, as he leaned forward to kiss her.

"It's beautiful, Wilson," Helen told him as he put it on her wrist.

Later, as she showed it to Barb and the other girls, Barb said, "Let's go to the restroom." As she and Helen walked away from the others, Barb said, "I'm not supposed to tell you this, but Wilson plans to buy you a promise ring this summer. He told Thomas that, but please don't let anyone know that you know because Thomas would be furious with me." 

The two girls giggled conspiratorially as they went back to join the others.   

Helen's parents were thrilled when she showed them the bracelet.  They knew that if she and Wilson did get engaged, and it looked like it was leading up to that, she still would get to go to college. They knew he was going somewhere in his life and that Helen would have a good life with him.  If they could've chosen someone for their daughter themselves, it would have been Wilson. 

"Moms, I'm going over to Barb's," Helen called later on that day.

"Okay, Helen," replied her mother. "I'm going to the grocery store, I'll be back later.  I think Alicia and Mart are going with me." 

Her mother left before she did and Helen quickly combed her hair and put on make-up. She had changed into a simple yellow sleeveless cotton dress and came out to the street.  She heard the tell-tale sound of that car as soon as she turned to latch the front gate. She turned around to see Pete's Chevy pulling up. 

"Hi, gorgeous," he said, jumping out of the car.

"Hi," she said shyly, looking down. She knew she should be concerned about the neighbors seeing and telling her parents, but for some reason when he was around, she just didn't think straight.

 Why am I here? Pete asked himself. I don't even know what I'm going to say to her.

After a few moments of the two standing there silently, Pete found his voice. "Uh, I wanted to know if we could be, uh, well, like friends," he finally said.

"Friends?" Helen replied, looking intently at Pete. "Well, I guess we could be, uh, friends.  But for us to be, uh, friends, you have to quit drinking alcohol." 

"Done," said Pete smiling, some of his old bravado returning. He couldn't believe the most beautiful girl he'd ever known had actually agreed to be "friends" with him.

 He jumped back in the car and drove away, he was so thrilled he forgot to say goodbye to her.  Then, when he had came back to earth.  "What in the heck did I just do?" he asked himself. "Why did I ask her to be friends? Why am I even having anything to do with her, she's not my type.  I forgot to even say goodbye." He sighed.  "Wait a minute," he told himself, looking in the mirror and combing back his Elvis-style hair.  "I'm Pete Belden and I don't let any woman get next to me like this. In fact, I'm going to see Frances.  She can help me forget about this little conversation I just had."  He felt better.  "Friends?" he said to himself. "I can't believe I even came up with something so ridiculous. I guess she just looked so beautiful standing there in that yellow dress, I lost my hold on sanity for a moment."

Helen stood there with butterflies roaming around in her stomach again.  Once again she had allowed Pete Belden to cause her to totally lose any semblance of dignity and composure. "What in the world was I doing agreeing to be friends with Pete Belden?" she asked.  "If I even tried such a thing, Mom and Dad would have me in a convent."  She walked on to Barb's. Nothing about that whole conversation made even an ounce of sense!  she thought. 

                          

Chapter 10

Later that evening, as Helen sat next to Wilson watching the new western that was playing at the Cameo, her mind kept straying back to that strange conversation she had with Pete Belden.  And, once again, she kicked herself for losing her composure. 

"A dime for your thoughts," Wilson said, slipping his arm around her.

"Oh nothing," she lied politely. "I was just concentrating on the movie." 

Afterwards, they went to Wimpy's to dance. Guys like Pete and his friends and the greasers and the "fast" girls usually hung around outside. But tonight, as Helen and Wilson, along with Barb and Thomas, walked in, Helen looked across the room and saw Pete Belden on the dance floor and in his arms was that dark-haired girl she'd often seen in his car, the one named Frances.

He's such a jerk! she thought. Talking to me earlier today, wanting to be "friends" and now he's with her!

"Honey, what's wrong?" Wilson asked worriedly. "You looked so upset for a moment."

"Oh, nothing," Helen said, delicately bringing her hand to her forehead. "I just feel a slight headache coming on. Nothing a chocolate soda won't cure." She smiled at him.

"Let's find a table," he told her.

He and Thomas seated Helen and Barb and then went to the jukebox. When the waitress came, Helen ordered a chocolate soda and Barb ordered a root beer float.

Helen tried to concentrate on talking to Barb, but the noise level was so high, it was hard to hear.  It seemed as if all of Sleepyside gathered here on Saturday night. Besides, Helen's glance kept going to Pete and Frances out on the dance floor.

That jerk, she kept thinking. Once, when Pete pulled Frances even closer into his arms, Helen accidentally knocked her chocolate soda off the table, breaking the glass and spattering the drink all over the floor just as Wilson and Thomas walked up to the table.

"Helen, are you okay?" Wilson asked her for the third time that night.

"Oh yeah, I don't know what's wrong with me tonight," she replied. "I'm being so clumsy."

"I played our song, it's coming up next.  Do you want to dance?" Wilson asked, offering her his hand.

"I'd love to," she replied, giving him her hand as he helped her up from the booth.

 "You send me, I know you send me..." The voice of Sam Cooke drifted past as she lay her head on Wilson's shoulder and closed her eyes.

She was dancing peacefully, when all of a sudden she felt someone slam into her and almost knock her down.  Wilson, also knocked off balance, quickly composed himself and grabbed her before she hit the floor. She looked around to see what happened.

"I'm sorry, pal," Pete Belden said, patting Wilson on the back. "I must've tripped on something." 

 Helen gave him the meanest look she could muster and Pete glared back at her. 

The look that passed between the two didn't escape the notice of Frances, who took Pete's arm possessively.  It didn't escape notice of another person either, one who was paying attention to what was going on. It was Helen's ex-boyfriend, Tillman.  He was dancing with Gail Hendrickson, a slight smile on his face. 

The following day, Barb and Helen were hanging out at Helen's making fudge when they heard a knock on the door.

"Oh, come in," Helen said, opening the door wider.

It was Velma Carter, who didn't hang out with the girls much anymore since getting engaged to Grant Lynch.  "I just stopped by to borrow some nail polish," she said, laughing. "Since I'm in the neighborhood."

"Sure," Helen said, "just come on up." The two went up the stairs together.

"I'm sorry, I don't have any lavender nail polish," Helen said laughing. "Only pink."

"Oh, that's okay," Velma said, also laughing. "Even though purple is my favorite color, I like other colors, too." 

If Helen was considered the prettiest girl in Sleepyside, Velma was considered the second prettiest. She had black hair and her eyes were the shade of blue that was almost lavender, and she had beautiful jet black hair. 

"What happened on the dance floor at Wimpy's last night?" Velma asked. "I was dancing with Grant and I looked around and you and Wilson almost fell down." 

"Oh, that jerk Pete Belden slammed into us," Helen told her.  "He claimed he tripped on something."

"Oh," said Velma while she painted her nails with the pale pink polish. "Speaking of Pete, I'm on the way to the gym. He and Grant and some of the other guys are playing basketball down there today.  Would you and Barb like to come with us?" she asked Helen as Barb came in the room.

"Oh, I love to watch basketball," Helen replied. "The fudge is ready, isn't it, Barb? Let's clean the kitchen really quick and go with Velma to the gym." 

"Since when do you like basketball so much?" Barb asked as the three headed downstairs to the kitchen.

"Oh, I've always liked basketball."

"Funny, I've known you since grade school and never knew that about you," Barb replied thoughtfully.

           

Chapter 11

Helen and the other two girls found their seats about halfway up the bleachers in the gym.  Helen spotted Pete right away.  To her chagrin, she also noticed Frances sitting on the other side of the gym.

"What's she doing here?" she asked Barb, sounding like she thought the other girl had no right to be there. And why do I care? she thought, reminding herself that she did not like Pete in any form or fashion. 

"Hi, Helen, I didn't expect to see you here," Wilson said as he and Thomas joined Helen, Barb, and Velma on the bleachers. 

"Oh yeah," said Helen, placing her hand in Wilson's. "When Velma told me that there was a basketball game going on down here today, I just had to come and watch. I love basketball."

 "You do?" Barb asked. Helen sharply elbowed her. 

"Yeah, Thomas and I came out here to see Pete Belden play," Wilson told her.  "He was phenomenal when he was in high school. I mean, he could've gone on to play professionally, but for whatever reasons, he didn't." 

"Yeah," Thomas said. "His brother Harold played football, but he was never as great of a football player as Pete was a basketball player."

Andy Belden and his girlfriend joined them then.   Pete happened to look up and see Helen as he was bounding across the gym dribbling the ball. His mind lost track of what he was doing and he suddenly stopped in the middle of the gym and everyone running after him ran into him and he and several other players fell.

"What happened?" Thomas asked Wilson.

"Who knows?" Wilson replied. "It looked like Pete just forgot what he was doing."

When the game was over, Pete ran over and kissed Frances passionately. He did this because he wanted Helen to know that he didn't care about her.  But when he looked around and saw Wilson protectively placing a sweater around Helen's shoulders, he had the urge to go over and punch the guy out.

"What do you know about Helen Johnson?" Pete asked his little brother Andy later on at their house while they changed the oil in their father's tractor.

"Well, she's the prettiest girl at Sleepyside High and she is as sweet and kind as she is beautiful. Every guy there would like to date her. But she's practically engaged to Wilson McComb. Wilson's probably going to be valedictorian of our senior class and he's going to law school and he's rich and charming. Who can compete with that? Oh, and the very first date I ever had was with Helen," Andy told him proudly.

"You went out with Helen?" Pete asked incredulously.

"Sure. When we were in the eighth grade, her dad took three of us couples to the football game and dropped us off and later came and picked us up. It is something I will always remember. It was like for one evening, I was in the presence of a princess. Why do you want to know about Helen, big brother?" Andy asked curiously.

"Oh, no reason," Pete replied, wiping sweat off his brow with the back of his hand.

"Are you interested in Helen?" Andy asked.

"No, not at all," Pete replied. "She's pretty enough, I guess, but she's stuck up and a little too prissy for me. Besides that," he added with a smile, "I prefer my women a little more loose than someone like Helen. I've seen her around and I was just curious about her, just forget I asked." Pete turned his attention back to the tractor.

"Sure," said Andy.

                                                            

Spring turned into summer and Helen continued to date Wilson and he gave her a promise ring. It was two tiny hearts inlaid with diamonds. Her parents were thrilled.

Helen would sometimes see Pete and, when she did, she would try to ignore the butterflies that seemed to flutter wildly in her stomach. He seemed to always show up at the same places she went. 

She got a job working at the soda fountain at the drug store beside Crimper's. She always worked there in the summer, so she could help her parents pay for school clothes. Alicia usually worked at the Cameo and Martin delivered papers. 

Wilson's father, who was wealthy and influential, had gotten him a job as a runner in a small law firm in New York City and he was only home on weekends.  Helen was glad to have her job because it gave her something to do so she didn't miss him so much.  And she liked working at the soda fountain. It was the daytime hangout for teenagers during the summer, just as Wimpy's was where they hung out at night. 

"I'd like a Coke please," Tillman Rudding said, sitting down on one of the stools. 

The only problem Helen had with working there was that Tillman had started hanging out and harassing her, even though he was going steady with her friend Gail Hendrickson.  Every day, he would try to get her to go out with him and every day, she spent lots of time telling him no. 

One day, after having her usual argument with him, Helen had turned around to get someone a Coke from the fountain, when she heard a deep, but familiar voice say, "I'd like a root beer, please."

She turned around to look in those deep brown eyes, that made her stomach and her heart flutter. "One minute," she said, even though her voice sounded shaky and unsteady.           

 

Chapter 12

"How are you, Helen?" he asked.

"I'm fine, Pete," she told him, trying to keep her voice calm, even though her knees felt weak when he was anywhere close by. 

"Are you still dating Wilson?" he asked interestedly. "I haven't seen him around lately."

Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed that Tillman was watching and listening to every word.

"Sure am." She lifted her hand to show him the promise ring that Wilson had given her.  "Not that that's any of your business," she said curtly, as she turned to get him a drink.

"Yes, it is my business," he told her. "You remember a few months ago we agreed to be friends."

"Yeah, you agreed to quit drinking, too," she reminded him.

"I have!" he said.

She looked at him curiously. "I haven't drank a drop since that day. Actually, talking to you made me realize that it was turning into a problem."

They exchanged a few more words, but she was very wary about what she said to Pete and she carefully gauged her reactions to him because Tillman was listening to every word and she didn't want him to tell Wilson anything. Not that there was anything for Wilson to know about. No one had ever mentioned that kiss last spring, so she was sure she hadn't been seen.

Later, as she had cleaned everything and prepared to leave, she stepped out into the hot, afternoon sun. It is so hot out here. I wish I didn't have to walk all the way home, she thought. She then heard the familiar sound of the Chevy coming up behind her.

"Want a ride?" he asked.

If he had had any of his friends or his bevy of five girls with him, she wouldn't have accepted, but since he was alone and it was so hot, she was glad he came by.

 "Sure," she said hesitantly.

He pulled over and got out like a gentleman and opened the car door for her. She quickly jumped in, wondering if the neighbors would call and tell her parents and they would think the worst. 

She loved Sleepyside, but the problem with small towns was that everyone knew you and would call your parents and tell them everything.  He didn't turn down the street going to her house, but kept going, heading towards Glen Road where he lived.

"Pete, I have to get home," she told him, alarmed. "I have chores to do and I have to get them done before my parents get home from work!" 

"I want keep you for long," he told her. "I just want to talk."

Neither of them had seen Tillman Rudding in the old Mercury coupe that followed them away from Sleepyside.

"Listen, Pete," Helen told him, leaning against the door and facing him intently. "I don't know why I keep talking to you or why we end up at the same places. But I'm with Wilson and we're practically engaged. In fact, we probably will be engaged before this school year is out. I can't be alone with you.  I mean, I'm dating someone else." 

"I know all that," he told her flippantly, that mischievous look in his eyes that she imagined made him so appealing to many many women. "But I plan to make you my own, Helen Belden." He surprised himself as well as her, because he never planned to say anything like that.

She was shocked speechless for a moment. "Pete, you'd better take me home now," she finally told him quietly, turning back to face the front of the car. 

The short ride back was very quiet. But when they pulled up in front of her house, before she could open the door to get out, for she wasn't going to wait for him to open the door, she planned to quickly put some distance between the two of them, he grabbed her by the arm and pulled her across the seat into his arms and kissed her. She responded for a moment, because she was caught up in the moment and her undeniable attraction to this guy.  No one had ever made her feel like he did before. But then she remembered what she was doing and she broke away from him, jumped out of the car, and ran into the house without looking back.

Tillman, who had followed them from the time Helen had gotten in the car with Pete, watched the exchange with a smile of triumph. He had just the ammunition he needed to break Helen and Wilson up. He wasn't worried about Pete Belden, though. He knew Pete liked all the fast women and his interest in Helen wouldn't last.

           

Chapter 13

I hope Pete stays away from me from now on, Helen thought to herself the next day as she fixed a banana split for a customer. 

But, every time she saw a dark-haired guy come into the room, she found herself  looking almost hopefully for him. The memory of that kiss they had shared was burned into her consciousness. 

Tillman sat at his usual place at the bar and watched Helen. Just wait till this weekend, when Wilson and I have our little talk, he thought to himself. 

"Hi beautiful," she heard someone say.

"Wilson!" she exclaimed, trying to put those thoughts of Pete out of her head. "You're home early." 

"Yeah, they let us go early today," he told her. "I was wondering if you'd like to go to the drive-in tonight?"

"Sure," she told him. "I don't get off here today until six though."

"That's okay," he replied good-naturedly. "We aren't meeting until seven-thirty."

           

Helen hurried home after work to shower and change. She quickly put on a dark green pencil skirt and a sleeveless lighter green blouse that pulled over to one side and buttoned. She wore her hair down, slightly curled on the ends.

"Are you working tonight, sis?"she asked Alicia, who was taking curlers out of her hair.

"Yeah," Alicia replied.

"I thought you'd be going out with Braxton. You and he are quite the item now, aren't you?" Helen teased.  "Martin, no practical jokes tonight when I come home," she told her brother good-naturedly.

"I know, I've learned my lesson," he said.

"Oh, why don't I believe you?" Helen asked, laughing.

"Helen, you look so grown up in that outfit," her mother said when she came downstairs. "Is that the new one you bought with your first paycheck?"

"Yeah," replied Helen. "I've never worn pencil skirts very much, but I like it."

"I think it's too tight," her father said grumpily.

She was afraid her dad would make her go upstairs and change, but about that time Wilson knocked on the door.

"I'm ready, Wilson. Just let me grab my purse," she told him, smiling as her parents greeted him.  She quickly sprayed on the "Evening in Paris" perfume her parents had gotten her for Christmas. 

She and Wilson quietly drove to the drive-in and met up with their friends. They all parked their cars side by side.  She didn't know if she had spent so much time away from Wilson this summer, but something didn't feel the same. She found that for some strange reason she felt uncomfortable with him tonight. Maybe I am feeling guilty because of kissing Pete and because of the feelings that he stirred in me, she reasoned.

While Wilson and Thomas went to grab some burgers and fries at the concession stand, she and Barb waited in the car. The space behind it was empty, but not for long. Helen heard the telltale engine of the '57 Chevy and she looked in Wilson's rearview mirror as Pete Belden drove up behind them. Helen also was surprised to note that he was alone. 

At the concession stand, Wilson and Thomas had just gotten the burgers, fries, and chocolate malts when Tillman came up. "Listen, Wilson, I need to talk to you," Tillman told him.

"Later, man," Wilson said. "I want to get back to the car before the movie starts."

"But this is important," Tillman replied, growing frustrated.

"Look, it's Friday night and I'm with my beautiful girlfriend at the movies," Wilson said, smiling at Tillman. "There's nothing more important than that. We'll get together and talk sometime this weekend, I promise." He returned to the car and Helen.

What happened next was a shock to everyone there.

Pete came up to Helen's side of the car. "Helen, I have to talk to you," he told her.

Wilson looked a little shocked. He wasn't aware that Helen and Pete were even acquainted. "Pardon me, buddy," Wilson replied before Helen could answer.

Pete knew he had to talk fast and lay it on the line. If Helen walked away from him tonight, he was going to back to the city and never looking back. "Helen, I can't stay away from you," he told her, forcing her to look at him and into his eyes.  "I am not sure how to say what I feel, but I've never felt the way about any woman that I feel about you.  In fact, I'm scared I'll never feel this way again. I don't know where a relationship between the two of us will lead, because I think you're way too stubborn, too prissy, and definitely not my type, but I'd like the chance to try. But I won't  share you with anybody." He looked at Wilson pointedly. "If you want to give us a try, you've got to come with me right now."

"You've got a lot of nerve," Wilson told him, totally shocked. "Helen is my girlfriend and she's probably going to be my wife. You need to get away from here right now, before things start getting physical." He started to roll up his sleeves.

"Wilson, wait," Helen said, quickly opening the car door and getting out, positioning herself between Pete and Wilson. "Wilson, I like you a lot," she told him. "But since you've been gone this summer, I've realized that we aren't meant to be together. I don't want to go into that, because I don't want to hurt your feelings, but the life you're after and the life I want aren't the same thing."

She didn't elaborate, but tonight, while Wilson was at the concession stand, she'd had a glimpse of her future with him. She knew Wilson would probably make it as an attorney and would probably run for some kind of public office one day.  She could see herself living in a huge fancy house on the outskirts of some major city like Boston and planning fancy parties, having a house full of servants and limousines.  That wasn't what she wanted. She wanted a home and a house full of love like her parents had had. She wanted the kind of home she'd had when she was growing up. And she wanted Pete.  She had dated many guys, but none of them, not even Wilson,  had ever made her feel the way Pete had.

"I'm going with Pete, Wilson, but I'm sorry things had to end this way.  This isn't the way I would've ended it with the two of us," Helen said. She took off the promise ring and his class ring which she wore on a chain around her neck and held them out to him.

"I won't accept them back right now. You keep them," he told her, looking at Pete. "You know where to find me when you come to your senses."

Pete put his arm around her and walked her to his car. She never looked back as they drove away.  All her friends stood around as if in shock.      

                                                               

Chapter 14

"Dang!" Tillman said. Pete Belden had beaten him. He hadn't had a chance to tell Wilson and be there to comfort Helen, when Wilson broke up with her. I can get rid of Pete Belden, though, he thought. All I have to do is go have a nice little chat with Helen's parent's.  They won't be happy when they find out who she's with.

"Can we call it an early night?" he asked his date, Gail. "I'm not feeling so well."

As soon as he dropped Gail off, he headed to the Johnson house.

 

If this would've been any other girl, Pete Belden would have taken her to the lake near his home at this time of the evening. But since this was Helen, he chose to take her to the Cameo.  He knew she wouldn't go into a dark place with him, and he respected her and loved her for that.  Her sister Alicia was working the ticket booth tonight and her eyes widened when she saw whom Helen was with.

"I'm telling Mom and Dad later," Helen whispered to her as Pete put his arm around her and they went in and sat near the back. Helen couldn't have told anyone what the name of the movie was, who starred in it, nor what it was about.  Her mind was on the way she felt when the dark, brooding young man was beside her.  She knew what she'd been avoiding all along. She was in love. 

When Pete was with Helen, he felt like he had come home.  She made him look at Sleepyside through different eyes.  It wasn't some hick town anymore, it was home.  When he was with her, the anger that he'd felt for so long subsided and he felt at peace. She made him feel like he could conquer anything. 

She knew it wasn't a good sign when she arrived home before her curfew was up and her parents were sitting on the front porch. This wasn't something they usually did, since curfew was ten-thirty at night.  And she could tell that her dad was angry.  She had planned on coming home tonight and talking to them and refusing to take no for an answer when it come to dating Pete.  But it appeared that someone had gotten to them before she had.  Helen had been sitting close to Pete in the car, but she instinctively moved over.  She could imagine her father coming out and snatching her out of the car. 

"You need to go and let me handle this," she told Pete.

"No," he told her. "I haven't done anything wrong. I am going to date you.  I will get out and face whatever I have to face." 

"Young lady, go into the house!" Mr. Johnson shouted at Helen.

Helen looked at Pete imploringly, hoping he'd go ahead and leave and let her handle her parents after her father had calmed down.  She went inside because she didn't want her father to become any angrier than he already was.

"And I want to talk to you!" he told Pete, rushing down the steps.  Annie Johnson was right behind her husband.

"You are not to see my daughter after tonight!" he stormed, Annie moving around to step in between the two of them.

"I think I amh" Pete said, trying to watch his attitude and his temper. He really didn't deal well with anyone screaming in his face.

"You are rebellious and I've seen you running around Sleepyside with all those fast girls and I know you drink alcohol."

"George Johnson. You just calm down," Annie Johnson told her husband. "My father said the same things about you when we started dating.  You just remember that! And, Pete, if you dare hurt my daughter..."

"Mr. and Mrs. Johnson, I promise I have no intentions of hurting Helen."

"See that you don't," Annie told him.

"Wait a minute, I have more to say on this subject," George said. "Now, see here, young man." 

"George!" Annie told him. "We'll talk more on this tomorrow. You are not going to handle this situation as mad as you are. Pete, you go home and get some sleep and we'll talk tomorrow."

"Okay, Mrs. Johnson," Pete said, going for his car.

Even though it bothered Pete that Helen's father could choke him right now, Pete felt deliriously happy. 

His parents were still up when he got home.

"Hi Mom," he said, kissing his mother on the cheek. "Hey, Dad," he said, patting his father's shoulder as he walked by.

"What's gotten into him?" Carlton asked after Pete had gone into the kitchen. It had been a long time since he'd seen his son happy.

 

Chapter 15

A year had passed and Helen had graduated. Two weeks later, she was in her room getting a good night's rest, because the next day, on a beautiful sunny Saturday afternoon, she would marry Pete Belden.

George and Annie Johnson were out on the front porch, enjoying the moonlight of a summer evening. Annie felt some peace about it, even though her heart was broken that her firstborn was leaving the nest, but George was still struggling with the fact that Helen and Pete were getting married.  When Helen and Pete had first started dating, he felt like his worse nightmares had come true. He'd learned to like Pete to a point, but he was still very, very concerned.

"Helen, what if he marries her and he starts drinking again and chasing women?" he asked his wife. "That'll break her heart." 

"You didn't break mine," Annie reminded him. "Do you remember how against our marriage my family was?  They said it wouldn't last two months and it's been twenty years." 

"Any regrets?" he asked, kissing her.

"None," she told him. "Our life together, it's been good." 

"I've enjoyed it, too. I just wish I'd had more money to provide for you and the kids."

 "We haven't needed money, we've had love. I've been very content." 

"But I changed when we first got married, Annie.  Helen and Pete have spent this whole year fighting and breaking up," he reminded her.

It had been a tumultuous year for the two. 

Helen and Pete were both inherently stubborn. And they would have some very volatile arguments. Usually, it was over Pete trying to tell her what to do, or trying to have an attitude that certain things were okay for him, but wrong for her. Helen refused to tolerate any of that and the fight was on. 

They had broken up around Christmas time last year, Helen had cried for a week and then she had even started dating Wilson again. But Pete had found her at a New Year's Eve party and the two had gotten back together. Another time, he broke up with her and started dating that girl Frances again. But that was short lived. They had finally realized that they couldn't live without each other. On Valentine's Day of that year, Pete had bought Helen an engagement ring and presented it to her on the front porch of her parents' home. She said yes.

Of course, they had another break up after that and she threw the ring at him.  They stayed split up for a couple of weeks, but, once again, got back together.  Wilson and Tillman were both disappointed because, over time, they both realized that there was no other for Helen Johnson except Pete Belden.                        

Helen had a bridal shower and had received toasters, dishes, and a Betty Crocker cookbook.  She and Pete were moving to New York City after they were married.   Pete's father had had a good year financially and he could hire some one to help with the farm. Pete wanted to live in the city, because he could finish getting his degree in accounting there and he already had a job in a bank lined up, not to mention he would make more money than he could in Sleepyside.

On Saturday, Helen walked down the aisle to become Mrs. Peter Davis Belden. She looked beautiful. 

Her parents didn't have a lot of money, so buying a designer wedding dress was impossible. But her mother liked to sew and someone had given her mother some white-dotted swiss organdy material and some lace. Annie had been going to use it to make curtains and couch pillows for the downstairs part of the house.  Annie had stitched a tea-length dress with a full skirt for Helen. It had short sleeves and one of the neighbors had made Helen a bouquet of roses from her garden.

Annie had purchased some pink organdy dotted swiss material awhile back to sew curtains and bedspreads for Helen's room, since pink was Helen's favorite color and she used it to make a similar, though less fancy dresses for Alicia, who was a bridesmaid and Barb, who was maid of honor.

 Harold Belden flew in and was best man for his brother's wedding, while the younger brother, Andy, was an usher.  It was a beautiful wedding and many people cried. After cutting the wedding cake decorated with lily of the valleys and green leaves, the couple was ready to go. 

They sat in his car preparing to leave for a short honeymoon after the wedding reception. When they came back, they'd be setting up housekeeping in their small apartment in New York City. 

"I'll always be in love with you," Pete said.

And then he kissed her. 

 The End

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