Payback...

I'm about to leave to have an all night study done of my sleep habits. Can you imagine a more boring job?? I feel like I'm a bit of an expert when it comes to sleep. I guess others want to study me to see how it's done properly. Before I go I wanted to tell you about how my cousin Mike paid me back for the double date I fixed up for him in the last story. Later in the week I want to brag about my grandchildren so don't let me forget.

Here's what happened...


There were so many times growing up when I wished I could just close my eyes for a minute and when I opened them everything would be okay. It never happened of course but there were situations when I squeezed my eyes shut so tight I gave myself a headache. One of those situations came along at a Friday night football game in 1967.
When the Hurst-Euless-Bedford School District was still growing larger and the Castleberry School District was beginning to shrink there were a few years where Bell High School, my alma mater, was in direct football competition with Castleberry High School, where my cousin Mike graced the halls.
On one football night, Bell was the visitor to Castleberry’s Homecoming game. Mike had called earlier and asked if I wanted to stay over and go out with a couple of girls after the game. Just because I’m a nice guy I agreed to sacrifice in such a way. I sat with my friends on the visitor’s side and watched Bell beat the heck out of Castleberry during the first half. Then the halftime show came on and I have to say right here and now there is nothing worse to a visitor than watching the backs of everyone on the field during a homecoming halftime show. Well, I take it back. There is one thing worse. Watching said show without the benefit of glasses is worse. All I could see were the fuzzy backs of the people on the field.
After halftime we figured the crowd had thinned around the concession stand so we wandered down for cokes and popcorn. I ran into Mike with his band buddies. He was all excited because the girl he had fixed me up with for the night had won band sweetheart! I got all excited too and thought about how great it would have been if I had actually seen her instead of something fuzzy wandering around out there.
When the game was over I started looking for Mike and my date! I found him easy enough because there were about forty band members standing around with Mike in the middle. As I walked up the crowd opened up just like they were expecting me. I should have run for Hurst as fast as I could because it was an obvious ambush I was walking into. Mike saw me and grabbed me by the arm. He reminded me I had a date with the Castleberry band sweetheart and then he grinned so big I got scared. Before I had a chance to bolt and run this husky young lady walked up and Mike introduced her. “I would LOVE for you to meet Thelma Thunderthighs, Band Sweetheart for 1967.” This girl was big. She was surpassed in her hugeness by genuine ugly. She made Fido from a few months before seem pretty darn good-looking. As I stared in amazement at Bertha and tried to formulate a reason why she would be the band sweetheart Mike came to my aid. He told me everyone had stuffed the ballot box. Thelma bragged that she had helped. I did not doubt her for a moment.
I have to say I took it like a man. I asked Thelma where she preferred to graze and she picked a pizza hangout in River Oaks. It seems this was pre-planned too because we got a standing ovation when we walked in. Thelma knew how to put that pizza away. I think I got one slice that night but to be honest, I didn’t have much of an appetite. We hung around the dark pizza place all evening with the band crowd (thank goodness) and then I offered to haul her home. When we got to her house I walked her to the door just like my dad had taught me and waited for her to unlock the door. Then she turned to me and said, “how’s about a little goodnight kiss?” I ran.