TAKE FIVE

Wesleyan scored a huge coup that year by bringing the Dave Brubeck Quartet to our stage.  Take Five was a tremendous hit at the time and we were thrilled to see the group in person. My friend Bootsie and I dressed up for the concert which in 1963 was no small task.  I wore a black Merry Widow bra, a girdle, stockings, a black slip, a black sheath dress and high heels and Bootsie was equally resplendent.  We wore full makeup and "ratted" our hair to unnatural heights, then sprayed it so it wouldn't move.  We would have fit right in on the Mad Men set except our hair was bigger.

 

Dave and his boys were fantastic. The drummer was encouraged to play solo which he did for at least ten minutes, sending me into raptures.

Dave played all his famous hits and was rewarded with loud, enthusiastic applause.  We were college kids and this was jazz!  After several encores were demanded and given, Dave and the guys were finally allowed to leave the stage wearing huge smiles.

Euphoric, Bootsie and I hurried backstage (we were familiar with the territory) to meet the great ones who were sweating and very, very happy.  I have no memory of what was said but the boys were glad to see us.  We were young, attractive girls and I was wearing my push-up Merry Widow bra which garnered a great deal of attention from the jazz greats.  Dave signed his name ten times on a pad of paper and gave it to us, smiling all the while.  It is certainly possible that these kindly musicians were hoping for some companionship for the rest of the evening, but Bootsie was engaged and I was dumb. Really dumb and blind to all possibilities.  So we bid our new friends a fond goodbye and slithered right out, taking our complicated undergarments with us.

Parked outside was our old friend Bill who had been nursing a crush on Bootsie since the year before, but now that she was engaged and off the market, Bill had to settle for me.  Did I want to take a ride with him?  It was almost midnight; the dorms would be locked soon.  How would I get in?  Bill gave me his engaging smile and said Oh, come on!  So I got in the car and we drove off into the night.

                                     TO BE CONTINUED

CRY HAVOC

If I had known 1963 was to be my last year at my beloved Wesleyan, I would have paid more attention.  Looking back on that tumultuous year of change everything seems chaotic, mixed up; one incident melts into the next, moving faster and faster until I am breathless, as if I am on a train which is out of control, the views outside the windows are blurred and the destination I am hurtling toward is completely unknown.

Mr. Philips, the head of the drama department had left and in his place was a woman I neither liked nor trusted, a strange, eccentric little woman with odd ideas about the theater and a very visible dislike of my idol, Mr. Russell, who was his usual self-effacing, witty self.  He had decided to direct a play about World War II with a large all female cast called Cry Havoc from Shakespeare's famous line "Cry havoc and let loose the dogs of war."  Indeed.

Rehearsals were fun.   We had all been born during the second World War and we found the clothes, the hairstyles and the slang to be completely outdated and wildly exotic.  The characters were all stereotypes, of course--the looker who really liked men, the quiet, sensitive young girl, the little Southern gal, the plain, but funny sidekick, the tough commanding officer with a heart of gold and me, the loathsome German spy who is naturally shot near the end of the play.  (Have you ever had to play dead, sprawled on a cot, in front of hundreds of people, unable to move a muscle and in constant fear of the surprise sneeze or sudden itch?)

But there was a fly in the ointment.   In spite of the always excellent direction we were receiving from Mr. Russell, our new department head found it necessary to add her own direction on the sly.  She would sidle up to us when our actual director was not around and give us notes which usually contradicted what Mr. Russell had said.  Now this is strictly forbidden in the theater and we all knew it.  As we became more conflicted, it was clear that something had to be done.  Some of us went to Mr. Russell individually and in private and told him what was happening.  I remember very little of what he actually said, but I clearly recall the quiet intensity of his message.  After that we had only one director.

The play was a huge success, but the die had been cast.

ANNALISA AND ARABELLA TO THE RESCUE

"I know Snow White is not dead!" said Annalisa, as she and her twin flew through the forest looking for their friend.

"But I am sure that the Queen tried to have her killed.  She is a nasty piece of work who would do anything to be the fairest in the land!  As if....." said Arabella.

"As if she could be.  We are the fairest in the land; everyone knows that.  Look, there's a girl by that tree.  Maybe she's seen Snow White.  She looks somehow familiar...."

The new Snow White

"Miss, we are fairy sisters who are searching for our friend, Snow White.  She is beautiful with blue black hair.  Have you by chance seen her?  She usually wears a very ugly dress her stepmother gave her," explained Annalisa.

The girl smiled and said, "Ah, my friends, you don't recognize me, do you?  I am Snow White! I dyed my hair with plants and made new clothes with leaves and things I found here in the woods.  I was brought here by the Queen's huntsman who was told to kill me and bring her my heart."

The sisters turned toward one another in triumph.  "I knew she was alive!  I knew it!" cried the sisters in unison.

They flew close to their friend and gave her tiny fairy kisses that felt like a warm spring breeze.

"Do you live in this sweet little cottage?" said Arabella.

"And who lives in that small cottage over there?" said Annalisa, who was always quite inquisitive.

"When I was wandering in the woods and had eaten all the food the huntsman gave me, I grew quite desperate.  I dared not return to the palace lest the Queen try again to kill me.  And then I wandered here and fell asleep.  When I awoke, there were seven small men staring at me!  They invited me to dinner and were very kind.  When I told them of my sad plight, they said I could stay here in their guesthouse.  It is lovely and peaceful here and I can never return to the palace until the Queen is dead.  I do miss my father very much."

The sisters saw tears in Snow White's eyes and sought to comfort her.  They said sweet things and told her about their new baby brother, Arthur.

"He doesn't do very much at the moment," said Arabella, thoughtfully.  "Mostly he eats and sleeps."

"Someone is coming; I think it's your friends," announced Annalisa.  "There are many tiny men and one very large one."

"Yes, it is my little friends and the Huntsman!  He saved my life," said Snow White, running toward them.  "Is all well?"

"My Princess!" said the Huntsman in his deep, resonant voice.  "I have brought news, your Grace.  Everyone at the palace believes you are dead. Your father the King is heartbroken and the Queen is pretending to be.  But she has not changed, your Grace.  You must not return home until I come to the forest to tell you the Queen is dead."

"I will stay here with my friends; they are so kind.  So you recognized me even though I have tried to change my looks."

"I will always recognize you, Princess.  Your hair is different, but your heart is unchanged.  I must go.  My wife has not been well for a long time so I cannot stay.  Her mother is with her now and our son, but I need to be there, your Grace."

"Of course you do.  You must go at once, Huntsman."  Snow White hesitated and then said in a low voice, "I thank you again for saving my life.  I shall never forget you."

The Huntsman looked at Snow White with an expression she could not read.  Then he turned away and mounted his horse.
The seven small men pressed him to take water and provisions for his journey home.  Soon he disappeared into the trees.

The little men began to chatter among themselves about cooking dinner.  Would the lovely fairy twins care to join them?   They would love to but must get home lest their parents worry about them.  They said Farewell to Snow White but she seemed not to hear them  as she was intent on gazing into the darkening forest.

THE WINDS OF CHANGE

Mr. Russell took me to dinner my first night back at Wesleyan.  Downtown Macon in 1962--exciting stuff!  He was eager to hear what I had done during the summer and I was eager to tell him.  He was very reticent about his own summer so I didn't press the issue.  I regaled him with tales of living in a condemned hotel with rats the size of cats, riding borrowed bikes through the tree-lined lanes of Jekyll, sitting in the sun by the pool getting a tan (and sowing the seeds of skin cancer), dancing the twist all night and then being at work at 6:30 AM to serve breakfast, seeing Ray Charles in concert, trying to make out on the beach and getting stepped on by the turtle hunters, sinking into the ocean with Al, the exterminator's son, the waitress from New York getting fired for dating a black man, falling asleep on huge bags of flour upstairs in the restaurant storeroom after a particularly decadent night of partying--nothing was left untold.  Mr. Russell was a wonderful audience for these tales as he laughed easily and seemed to think we girls were all innocents in spite of our twisting the night away.  As I look back on that summer I realize how innocent we Wesleyan girls really were.  It was my last summer of innocence, however, as everything in my life was about to change.

At the end of my junior year my beloved roommate, Linda, would marry and move away.  Two days before her wedding our close friend, Elizabeth, would have her nuptials and move to New York City.  Our friend, Ann, would graduate and we would never see her again.  My mother would go to New York and take my brother Jim with her.  Our brilliant director, Mr. Russell, would be fired for reasons never made clear.  And I would be stricken with kidney stones and be unable to return to Wesleyan for my senior year.

But that night Mr. Russell and I knew nothing of what lay ahead and we ate and laughed and talked for hours.  I remember it still.

Wesleyan

THE FAIRY TWINS TRY TO SAVE SNOW WHITE

Snow White's castle

Although the fairy twins were thrilled by their new baby brother, it soon became clear that little Arthur didn't really do much at this stage of his short life, so it wasn't long before the sisters once again longed for adventure.  Suddenly they remembered poor Snow White and her cruel stepmother.  They had promised to help her and they had done nothing!  Quickly, they flew to the palace of the young princess and entered the kitchen as they were friends with Cook and the servants.

Alas, everyone was dressed in black and Cook was weeping.  All her helpers were red-eyed and filled with despair with the notable exception of Annie, the kitchen maid, who was stirring a huge pot of soup hanging from a hook in the fireplace.  She looked angry--very angry indeed.

"What has happened?" cried Annalisa.  "Why are you all crying?"

"Has something happened to Snow White?" said Arabella, who sometimes was wise beyond her years.  "She is unhappy, I know."

Cook tried to speak.  "The Queen told us that our sweet princess ran away in the middle of the night to the forest ....and was killed!"

"If you believe the Queen which I do not!" cried Annie sharply.  "I know she is still alive and hiding somewhere in that forest."

"One of the Queen's huntsmen brought back Snow White's heart which he found in the woods," said Cook quietly.

"How do you know it is Snow White's heart?" said Arabella.  "It could have been an animal's heart. Some woodland creature."

"Exactly what I said!  The Queen is evil. She has always hated Snow White," said Annie. "The funeral was yesterday and they had nothing to bury but someone's else's heart!"
Suddenly Annie began to sob and could not stop; she threw her arms around Cook.

"Annie has always loved the Princess," said Cook.  "She is heartbroken."

The Fairy sisters looked at one another and made a quick decision.  "We shall fly through the forest and if Snow White is alive, we shall find her," said Annalisa. "But you must know that Snow White cannot return as long as the Queen lives.  It would be dangerous."

"But you will return and tell us what you find....whatever it is," said Annie.

"Of course, we will, Annie."  Arabella spoke gently to the girl as she knew how sad and afraid Annie must be.

And the sisters flew into the dark forest.

.

LEAVING JEKYLL

The beach at Jekyll at night

Our golden summer was fast coming to an end and people began to leave.  My friend, Elizabeth, broke the cap on her front tooth and went home early.  Then a close relative of my buddy, Jane, died and she went home for the funeral.  And I came down with one of my infamous sore throats and began to croak and I knew I had to go home and see the doctor and my family. I called home and found my mother less than delighted that I wanted to be picked up.  Mom had expected I would go straight back to Wesleyan when the summer ended and she explained how inconvenient it would be to drive to Jekyll. It was so far and would take a lot of gas and besides...

"I need to see Dr. Scott. My throat is so sore I can barely talk."

"There must be doctors up there," she said vaguely. Tears came to my eyes.

I left beautiful Jekyll and never returned, but I have my memories of that innocent time and sometimes I dream about the beach at night. In the dreams I can fly and I drift over the water, the pale beach and the thick 

green trees.  And the moon is always full as I float by, bathed in its soft golden light.

A FAIRY BABY IS BORN!

A BABY BOY IS BORN TO THE FAIRIES

"Just how long do you think this will take?" said Annalisa, who was very anxious.

"Well, how would I know?  Have I ever had a 

baby?" said her sister.  Nerves made Arabella waspish and she was very nervous indeed.

"I thought the baby would--you  know--pop out.  But I haven't heard any popping sounds, just Mama groaning or something.  Perhaps the baby has given her a headache," said Annalisa.

Suddenly, their mother was heard to cry out,

"It's all your fault you know!"

Mother upstairs having a baby

The sisters looked at each other with alarm.  What was whose fault?  Father suddenly came racing down the stairs looking wild-eyed and yelling, "I need more hot water!  Get me more hot water!  And the doctor wants more blankets. Go, Girls, find blankets and buckets.  I'll heat the water."

Blankets and buckets?  What in the world was going on up there?  The sisters ran through the house, snatching blankets off beds and wondering where in the world would buckets be?

Suddenly, a tiny cry was heard; the baby had come at last!  Overcome with joy, the sisters burst into tears and screamed for Father.

Later, when the doctor was gone and the baby was settled into Mother's arms, Father and the girls stood around the bed smiling broadly.

"What shall you name him?" said Annalisa.

"Let us name him Arthur," said Mother, "for he shall be a King one day."  And she smiled at her husband who bent and kissed her hand.

TO BE CONTINUED

RAY CHARLES IN CONCERT

Ray Charles in concert

In 1962 Ray Charles had one of his biggest hits--I Can't Stop Loving You.  We heard it all the time that summer on Jekyll Island.  And wonder of wonders, Ray Charles was giving a concert in Savannah near the end of that summer.  We were beyond excited.  I was asked to go with the golden boy of Jekyll, who looked like the Marlboro Man, only better.  Wayne was a tall, blond, tanned and muscular young man of 23 who was divorced!  These facts lent him a certain glamour and sophistication that the college boy lifeguards could not begin to approach.  In the winter Wayne worked in construction, but in the summer he and his brother ran a beauty salon.  If Wayne was having a slow day doing hair, he would run past our all glass restaurant in his electric blue bathing suit on his way to the pool.  Then my friend Jane and I would roll our eyes and sigh heavily, wishing we did not have to be good little girls until we got married.  But we did not want to get pregnant and Have To Get Married as a boy Jane was dating  had just done.  Although very taken with Jane this young man then heard that his former girlfriend was expecting and a quick wedding was arranged.  That's how thing were done in 1962.

We arrived at the concert late and realized all the seats were already taken by Black people which was only fair.  Then we saw that there were only four other White people at the concert.  The tables were turned; we were in the minority.  So we trudged up the stairs of some ancient bleachers and sat by ourselves.  When Mr. Charles, accompanied by the Raylettes, appeared, there was mass hysteria.  As he sang his hit songs, there was singing in the audience, there was dancing and clapping, there were screams of delight and joyous laughter.  We were all having a good old time with Ray Charles.  And when he sang I Can't Stop Loving You, we all went crazy.  Color lines disappeared.  We were just a bunch of people swaying to the music and falling in love with Ray.

SNOW WHITE FINDS SEVERAL SMALL MEN

Snow White wandered through the forest for  three days.  She ate the food the Huntsman had given her and gathered berries wherever she found them.  Springs of sparkling water were plentiful and she was never thirsty.  At night she slept under the Huntsman's cloak while the animals in the woods stood guard.  On the fourth day she saw a colorful cottage just ahead and ran to the door.

The house of seven small men

Snow White knocked on the bright yellow door, but no one came.  She was bitterly disappointed, but decided to wait for the occupants to come home.  When afternoon came, her food was gone and she felt very tired so she lay down on the soft grass and fell deeply asleep.  At twilight seven small men who had been working in their fields nearby came home, tired from a hard day's work.

"There is a young girl asleep in front of our house," said one little man to the others.

The leader of the group, who was very wise, said, "She is little more than a child.  Let us be careful not to frighten her."

The small men encircled Snow White,studying her quietly and wondering from where she had come.  In a few minutes Snow White opened her eyes and smiled at the little men who she felt sure would help her as they looked kind.

Eagerly she sat up and said, "Gentlemen, I have been wandering in the forest for three days and I have eaten all my food.  Could you possibly give me something to eat?"

The small men all began to speak at once until their leader, who was called Anselm, held up his hand for silence.

"My child, you must come in and share our dinner with us.  We would be honored to have you as our guest," said Anselm, extending his hand to Snow White.  "Please come in."

So Anselm and his small
friends--Billingslea, Chaucer, Danforth, Ernest, Frankenberry and Geoffrey--shared their meal with their guest, the very grateful Snow White who laughed more that evening than she had for years.  She felt happy and safe.

After dessert Billingslea, who was quite shy, told Snow White there was a small guest cottage in the back. "Would you do us the honor of staying the night there and taking breakfast with us before you journey on?"

"Oh, kind sir, I would be in your debt.  Thank you, Billingslea!"

So Snow White was led to the tiny cottage by the little men, all holding candles to light her way.  The seven gentlemen bid her Good Night, saying they would see her at breakfast.

The tiny cottage was tidy and warm and after blowing out the candles, the grateful princess slipped under the covers and arranged the cloak of the Huntsman over the eiderdown and then fell into a dreamless sleep.

While Snow White was sleeping, the Fairy Queen was giving birth to a tiny, perfect baby

in the Enchanted Forest.

INFATUATION AT AN EXTERMINATORS' CONVENTION

DOING THE TWIST - 1962

I met Al at an exterminators' convention on Jekyll Island the summer of '62. His father was the actual exterminator, but the rest of the family had come along for a vacation.  I have no memory of actually meeting Al or what I was doing at the exterminators' dance.  But I do recall feeling as if I had known him a long time and not just an hour or two.  This close feeling was undoubtedly helped along by several drinks.  Although Jekyll was a dry island, everyone had brought a bottle and lots of soda.  Al and I saw no reason not to sample what his parents had brought and being inexperienced drinkers, we soon became extremely cheerful and amorous as young folks are wont to do.  After dancing very close for a while it became clear that kissing one another was absolutely necessary.  Since Al's parents were busy on the dance floor, Al thought their hotel room might afford us some privacy so we stole away into the night, giggling at our own cleverness.  Soon we were lying together on one of the beds, kissing.  Now, remember it was 1962 so I was wearing a lovely black cocktail dress, a black half slip, stockings, a Merry Widow bra, a GIRDLE and high heels.  Al was in a suit and tie so nothing improper could possibly go on, which was a good thing because after only a few minutes of kissing, Al's mother suddenly entered the room.  Aghast at seeing her son lying on the bed with a strange young lady, the poor woman averted her eyes and mumbled something about needing her comb.  Al and I lay there in shocked silence, thanking God we were fully dressed. After his mother made her hasty departure, Al suggested another setting must be found so the kissing could continue.  When we went outside, Al ran into a friend who had a car and was also looking for a secluded place to be alone with his young lady.  We soon found a deserted beach shimmering in the moonlight.  The other couple quickly disappeared into the underbrush, but Al and I were more romantic and wandered along the beach, looking at the stars and smiling warmly at one another.  Soon we were standing at the water's edge on some rocks thinking it would be a good idea to start kissing again.  So we did.  We were soon transported into a lovely sensual world we had no wish to leave.  Until.....we both noticed a strange sinking sensation.  Reluctantly,we pulled our lips apart and saw
WE WERE SINKING!
The rocks we were standing on were slowly sinking into the sea and we had been oblivious.

The rest of the evening is a delightful blur.  Al was barefoot as his dress shoes were ruined, but he barely noticed.  My shoes were wet and my stockings torn but I was feeling the intoxication of early infatuation. At one point the four of us went to an all night coffee shop and tried to revive ourselves with bacon and eggs.  I remember my head falling slowly to the counter and I slept for a few moments until I was gently awakened by Al who said his friend would drive us to the condemned hotel where I stayed.  Al followed me up the stairs to the Girls' Floor where we found an empty room with fresh linens.  As Al took off his jacket and tie, I ran to my room and took off the dress, the slip, the Merry Widow, the torn stockings and the Girdle and threw on my nightgown.  I crawled into bed with Al and whatever romantic plans we may have had for the brief hours before dawn came to naught as after a few gentle kisses we fell asleep.  When morning came I awoke to find Al gone, but he had scribbled a note on the back of his dad's business card.  Barefoot he ran across the island from my ancient hotel to his, slipped into his room and fell asleep to be awakened by his mother just in time for breakfast.  Al and his parents came into the restaurant where I worked, but weren't seated at my tables.  College addresses were exchanged at some point and fevered promises to meet.  Al kissed me at the door.  All my waitress friends were wide-eyed, but I smiled mysteriously and said nothing.

Al and I corresponded regularly and he came to Wesleyan two or three times.  We remained close--we understood each other.  But after a while he stopped writing.  Perhaps there was a crisis in the family; perhaps he met someone else.  I never knew.  But he lived on in my memory.  I still have sense memories of that first night we met, the warmth, the kisses, the innocence.

SNOW WHITE IS SENT INTO THE FOREST

"I shall consult my mirror one more time before I send for the

Huntsman," said the Queen, looking at her ravishing face in the glass.  "Mirror, Mirror on the wall, who is the most beautiful of all?  And I don't want to hear the name of that silly girl!"

The mirror looked with pity at the Queen and then said,

"Although I sympathize with your plight,

the very fairest is still Snow White."

Enraged, the Queen called for her serving maid.  "Girl, fetch the Huntsman; he is waiting in the outer room."

The maid feared her royal mistress and left the room with speed.  Almost immediately the Huntsman appeared.

"Huntsman, I have an important commission you must carry out for me this very night.  Wait until the Princess is asleep; then carry her into the forest and shoot an arrow into her heart.  Then bring her heart to me as proof she is dead."

"But Your Majesty, what has Snow White done?  She is  known throughout the land for her goodness and beauty."

"I don't want to hear it, you wretched man," she screamed.  "Do as I command now or.......I shall kill you where you stand."

The Huntsman staggered and almost fell.  He knew the Queen  was wicked, but surely she was now mad as well.  He could barely speak he was so shocked.  

"Yes, Your Grace, I shall do as I am ordered."  He could not look upon the Queen and he swiftly left the room.

When the moon was high in the night sky, the Huntsman entered Snow White's chamber and lifted her into his arms.  Her eyes were wide with terror, but he told her not to scream, that all would be well.  The Huntsman carried her outside and gently placed the girl on his horse.  Together they rode into the forest, but Snow White said not a word.  When they had ridden far enough, the Huntsman jumped down from his horse and then held out his arms for the princess.

"Your Grace, you must journey deep into the forest and never return to the palace unless you hear the Queen is dead.  I have brought food with me which will last you a few days.  You must find shelter tomorrow and remain hidden.  You must not return home; do you understand?  Your life is in danger."

"I will save myself, Sir.  I promise I will not return home.  You are a kind and gentle man, Huntsman.  I shall not forget you."

"Nor will I forget you, my Lady.  Take my cloak so you won't be cold tonight."  He went down on one knee and looked into her face.  "You will be Queen one day, Princess.  Now run!"

The Huntsman leaped upon his horse and rode away.  He would shoot a rabbit and take its heart to the Queen.  Then when she had paid him, he would take his wife and son and they would move far, far away and remain there until Snow White was Queen.

TO BE CONTINUED

THE WORLD INTRUDES ON THAT GOLDEN SUMMER

"If the Boss sees you flirting with them black boys, you girls will get fired!  He don't like that kind of thing.  It ain't right and that's all there is to it," said Dora Lee, a raw-boned middle-aged woman with red hair and strange teeth.  The only waitress not a college girl, Dora Lee felt her calling was to instruct us not only in the fine art of waiting tables, but also in Life.

"Oh, we're not flirting with the busboys, Dora Lee," said Liz.  "We're just teasing them and being friendly.  They help us a lot."

"I can't carry those trays; they're too heavy," I said.  "I have weak wrists."

Dora Lee looked at me like I was weak-minded too.  "All I'm saying is if you girls want to keep working here, you better stop messing with the busboys.  This is Georgia, not New York City and the boss will not approve."  And Dora Lee shot a mean look at Lisa, the waitress who came from New York City.

Lisa stepped forward and stated her position with a cool sophistication we all envied.  "What I don't approve of is the fact that Larry, our White cook, makes $125 a week while Annie Mae, our Black cook who works beside Larry only earns $40 a week for the same work.  And what I also find totally inappropriate is that the "Boss" kisses his beautiful daughter on the mouth every day.  I mean, it borders on the incestuous."

Dora Lee's face turned a deep,unflattering shade of  pink and all her freckles stood out.  None of us girls said a word; we were scared.

"You got no business knowing what anybody makes who works here.  And the Boss can do whatever he wants because he's the boss.  What you said about him and his daughter is just nasty, you Yankee bitch.  You make me sick!  I need a cigarette."  And with that Dora Lee walked out the door.

"A very good example of poor white trash," said Lisa calmly.  "And I need a cigarette too; I really do."  She looked at us all standing there with wide eyes and open mouths.  "Girls, the world is changing out there.  All you little Southern belles need to catch up."

"I was born in New York City," I blurted out, not knowing why.

Lisa surveyed me with her cool gaze.  "Well, it doesn't show."

Lisa walked out of our lives and we never saw her again.  She was fired for dating a black man.

THE BEST SUMMER OF MY LIFE!

I couldn't bear to spend the summer at home where tension hung in the air like thick fog, so when my friend Bootsie asked me to spend the summer with her waiting tables at a resort on Jekyll Island, I was in!  Her father drove us down in his newly air conditioned car (it was 1962) where the temperature was about 40 degrees for the whole trip.  I sat in the back seat with my teeth chattering, but I wouldn't complain.  I was free for the first time in my life! Bootsie and I found jobs at a round glass restaurant right on the beach. When told that we would be picked up at 6:30

 AM, to work breakfast I almost fainted, but I kept on smiling.  All the college students

were staying at an old hotel which many years ago was a luxurious place where very wealthy people gathered.  At this point, part of the building was condemned and the rest should have been, but hey! it was $15 per week and the linens were changed weekly.  A double bed dominated the room and the sink in the bathroom was the size of a small baking pan.  All the girls were housed on one floor and the boys were on the floor above.  

The  biggest attraction was the pool outside which was fed by an artesian well. After work we all sat around the always cold and refreshing pool and built up

our tans.  That summer was the only time in my life when I had a tan, but I have paid for that golden skin by having skin cancer for 25 years.  When not lounging by the pool, we rode bikes around the island which was beautiful.

There were no parents, no house mothers, no hall monitors and no rules.  Since it was a dry island we were forced to drink as much as we could.  At night the parties lasted for hours; it was after all the summer of the Twist.  If there wasn't a party, there was always some young man who wanted to take us on a date.

Dates on Jekyll consisted of the young man getting a hold of some liquor and something to mix it with and lying on the beach with a willing young lady.  There was drinking and 

kissing followed by more kissing and

drinking.  The reason nothing got out of hand was the beach at night was also inhabited by many, many turtles as well as many, many people searching for these turtles and their eggs.  These folks were serious and earnest adults with flashlights and a scientific bent and we were drunken and entwined young people who were up to no good.  But it is impossible to lose one's virtue when turtles keep marching by followed by oblivious adults who kick sand in your face and step on your feet.  I'd had no idea that romance could be so difficult.

But while we were drinking and twisting and kissing on the moonlit beach, the world beyond our little island was changing.  We heard reports of black people being beaten for trying to sit in a white restaurant.  These troubles seemed so distant from our carefree days of serving tables and sitting by the pool.  But soon we would all be forced to change our ideas, our attitudes and our behaviors.
Wrenching change would soon begin to tear our country apart and its reverberations
would even reach our little paradise.

       

                                              TO BE CONTINUED

SNOW WHITE AND HER NARCISSISTIC STEPMOTHER

The next day dawned bright and clear and the fairy twins decided to leave the enchanted forest for a day and journey into the human world--always an adventure--and see how Snow White was doing.  They felt sure that their lovesick parents would be mooning around all day and would hardly notice they were gone.  It was too, too tiresome.

"Now remember, Annalisa, fairy time is different from human time.  Snow White may be much older than when we saw her last."

"Snow White is a really silly name, don't you agree, Arabella?  So she has very white skin.  Well, la ti da; it's no whiter than ours."

"I'm surprised they didn't name her Coal Black for her dark hair," said Arabella,tossing her own lustrous curls.  "Oh, my goodness, speak of the devil!  Isn't that Snow White herself?"

"Well, it certainly is!  I didn't realize we'd crossed over into the human part of the forest.  You would think they would give the poor child a new dress.  They must have let the hem down and let out the seams."

"At the very least," said Arabella.  "Snow White has developed breasts!"

"So she has," murmured Annalisa.  "I wonder if we ever will.  There's no sign of them at present.  I've checked.  Flat as a pancake."

"Of course we will," said Arabella emphatically.  "Mother has them. Let's fly over and stop that horrendous singing.  Good grief, I've never heard such a high voice in my life. She could shatter glass."

The fairy sisters flew over and kissed the girl on her snow white cheeks.

"Oh, my fairy friends! I am so happy to see you again at last!" cried Snow White. "I had hoped you would come.  I have been so lonely."

"We've missed you too, Snow," said Annalisa, kindly. "We wondered how things were at home."

Snow White burst into tears.  "Oh, they could not be any worse, dear friends.  My new stepmother doesn't like me at all.  And when Father isn't around, she says cruel things to me.  She says I'm too pretty!  She wants to always be the fairest in the land!"

"Perhaps you could go to school in a far away land," suggested Annalisa. 

"Or you could marry a handsome prince and live in his kingdom!" cried Arabella, who was a romantic and hoped for this fate herself.

"Those are both wonderful ideas!  I shall talk to my father the King when he comes home in a few days. Thank you my friends! said Snow.

Little did the friends know that the Queen had a plan of her own for her lovely stepdaughter and it would be carried out that very night.

                  TO BE CONTINUED

BLITHE SPIRIT

Mr. Russell chose the witty British farce Blithe Spirit by Noel Coward for the last play of the year. Our accents had to be very,very British and the play must be performed at lightning speed.  Now this was Macon, Georgia where if you asked to borrow a pin your friend would ask, "A safety pin or a fountain pin?" No one spoke at lightning speed. So a huge challenge lay before us.

Angela Lansbury as Madame Arcati

During a seance performed by a daffy
medium, Madame Arcati,
the leading man's dead
wife, Elvira, appears.
Witty chaos ensues. My beautiful friend Kathy played Elvira in silver makeup and a flowing lavender gown (our idea of what a spirit from beyond would wear).  I played Madame Arcati, an absolutely wonderful role that many famous character actresses have played. At some point Charles' present wife also departs this world and reappears in full silver makeup.  It is a delightfully silly play that the whole cast loved doing.

During the day we sewed costumes, built sets,
found props and, oh, attended some classes. My
roommate Linda and I would dash from the theatre over to the dining room where we served meals to all our friends. However, the waitresses ate first which meant we devoured as much of that good Southern cooking as we wanted. Why we didn't all weigh 200 pounds I do not know. After all the food and dishes had been cleared away, we girls had to reset the tables with real linens and the napkins had to be folded a certain way.(On Sundays the linens were pink.) Then we dashed to rehearsals at 7 P.M., worked until 10 and then repaired to Shoney's Big Boy as we were starving.  Linda and I never had any money to spare, but the drama majors were tightly bonded and we did not go hungry. We had to sign in at the dorm by 11 and then we began our homework.  How we had the energy for this frenetic lifestyle I do not know, but we were having a wonderful time.  Blithe Spirit played for two nights to laughter and applause from our generous audiences.  Then it was all over.  We began to dismantle the sets and put away the costumes. I felt an enormous letdown; we all did.

I ran into Mr. Russell in the stairwell.  We were both subdued as the sense of letdown was mutual.  The year was almost over. I wondered what he would do this summer. I knew I couldn't go home.  Wesleyan gave me a sense of purpose; the school was my anchor, but now I felt at loose ends, rootless, empty.  Tears came to my eyes.

"A little of the magic has worn off, hasn't it?" he said with a wistful smile. I nodded.

And then we just stood there, looking at each other for a while but saying nothing.

AN ADDITION TO THE FOREST FAIRY FAMILY- Part II

"And that, Girls, is how babies are made. Do you have any questions?" the Queen said, hoping they did not.

The twins looked at one another in utter disbelief.  Had their mother gone mad?  Surely nothing Mother had described had ever actually happened.  It all seemed...well...

awkward and rather uncomfortable.

Arabella stared at her father and said, "Papa, is any of what Mother said true?"

"Yes, my dear child, all true," said Father, looking dreadfully embarrassed.  "You have to remember that when people are in love..."

"It doesn't sound at all romantic," said Annalisa, doubtfully.

"Oh, no!" cried Arabella.  "Are you telling us that Aurora, the sleeping beauty and the Prince did...."

"Well, if they have a baby, I would imagine that they did!" said Father with a hearty laugh that was surely fake.

Mother decided to step in and stop this discussion before it slid into even more dangerous territory.  "I really think that I need to think about cooking dinner. Are you hungry, my love?" said she, smiling, to her beloved.  "I made a lark pie this morning and all I have to do now is--"

Two screams of horror rent the evening air.  The sisters were staring at their parents as if they had finally realized a shocking truth.

Not only had Cinderella and Prince Charming engaged in these embarrassing behaviors, but their very own parents must have....

"Are you telling us that you..."

"Is it possible that you and Father..."

The Queen smiled at her daughters.  "Yes.  Your father and I love each other very much and we are thrilled to be giving you girls a baby brother or sister. My darling, come and help me with dinner.  You can pour the wine."

After their parents went inside the house, the girls sat quietly as they slowly accepted

what they had heard on this memorable day.

"Well, it can't be that dreadful or no one would ever do it, I suppose," said Arabella.

"They only have to do it the one time," murmured Annalisa.

"Yes, that's true," said Arabella. "And maybe it's not so bad.  And babies ARE very sweet."

"But how does the baby get out of Mother?"

"Well, I suppose Mother says some magic words and the baby just pops out."

"Oh, well, that makes sense," said Annalisa.

"Tomorrow we should fly over to the next kingdom and visit Snow White.  And meet her beauteous stepmother!"

"Good idea," agreed Arabella.  "And I want to look into that magic mirror and see who is the fairest fairy in the land.  Could it be me?"

"Oh, no, my dear.  It will be me for sure!" said Annalisa.

Hand in hand, the fairy twins skipped down the garden path.  It would be a while until dinner.

TO BE CONTINUED

AN ADDITION TO THE FOREST FAIRY FAMILY

The fairy twins were bored.  Extremely bored.  They had not rescued anyone in many weeks and Annalisa was distressed that everyone in the enchanted forest was doing so well that their valuable services were not needed.  And Arabella had a fit of pique every time she saw her beloved parents acting lovesick.  Gazing at one another.  Calling each other Darling and Sweetheart.  Holding hands and kissing.  Apparently love was tiring because they went to bed early every night before the moon rose.

It was too tiresome!

"Oh, my love, I have news!" said the Queen to her husband.  "Do you remember when King Frederick who lives in the next kingdom lost his wife?  Well, he and his pretty young daughter have been on their own ever since.  But now the King has married again!"

"Yes, I have heard!" said the King, reaching for another cup of raspberry wine.  "And I understand she is quite beautiful, but rather vain about it.  Looks in the mirror every day.

"And the mirror speaks to her and tells her she is the fairest in the land," said Mother.

A talking mirror?  Well, this was interesting indeed.  The twin sisters immediately began to pay attention.  Who knew when they might be needed?  They must be ready!

"What does the daughter think of her new stepmother, I wonder?" said Annalisa, hoping for a little family discord.

'After all," said Arabella, "Snow White is quite a little beauty herself."

"Snow White is just a child!  Surely the Queen couldn't be jealous of her own stepdaughter," said the Queen, reaching for another muffin.

"Mother, another muffin, really?" said one of the twins. "You've had two already!"

"And, Mama," said the other twin, "you are becoming just a little bit plump."

Father laughed heartily although the girls didn't think they had said anything funny.

Mother had an odd little smile on her face.

"Perhaps it's time to tell them?" said Mother, her hand tenderly touching her belly.

"Yes, of course, tell them, my dear," said Father, putting his arm around his wife.

"Don't keep us in suspense," cried Arabella.

"Well, Girls, I'm going to have a baby!"

The sisters were thunderstruck; their little rosebud mouths fell open.  How could this be?

"Will this...baby...live here...with us?" said Annalisa, who could not imagine such a thing.

Arabella, who was naturally suspicious, narrowed her large blue eyes.  "Where did this baby come from?  We want to know."

Mother laughed nervously and looked at Father who was staring at his feet.

"Well, it's a bit complicated.  Perhaps my dear," said Mother looking at her husband, "you could shed some light on the subject.  Please."  

"NO, no," said Father who was horrified.  "I have no light to shed.  None at all."

"Well, my dear little girls," said Mother.

There was a long pause.

TO BE CONTINUED