Sept 1989:
I'd begun my new job at Crossroads Rehabilitation as a driver a few weeks earlier, and fit in well with my new coworkers: Louis, our boss; Cindy, John, Ron, and Debbie, another rookie. D and R were from the same side of town; C and J had been there several years; and that left me, the 'baby' of the group with the boss, dynamic-wise.
John was the one who took me around my route, and showed me where all my 'kids' would be picked up, and I would practice my route. One afternoon before school began, we got to meet the parents and all our kids.
I drove a station wagon, and in the mornings would have one or two kids in the front, 3-4 kids in the middle seat, and two strapped in the very back. I remember sweet Sherrie, who would sit beside me and sing along to the radio; one girl whose yard was never mowed; another whose mother would send her down five flights of stairs with her older sister; Joni, who had a seizure when we returned to school; Jamal, who sat behind me and ground his teeth, plus would sometimes still be asleep when I arrived so his mom would bring him in, or I could swing past on the way back and pick him up (he lived literally 3 blocks from the facility!). There was also sweet little Brooke, whom I would pick up at two different places, depending on her mom's schedule; Jenna, who was picked up at a liquor store parking lot; and another kid who always sat in the way back. In the afternoon, there was Joey, who loved to sit next to me and pretend to talk on the CB; April, whose parents moved every three months; sweet little Dusty, who quickly became my 'pet', and two more whose names I can't recall at the moment.
My route was the longest; I'd begin at 30th and Fall Creek, travel down 30th to Speedway, then go south beyond the airport and down to nearly Mann Road before heading back. Joey and Sherrie lived in the same complex, only S went in the morning and J in the afternoon. My route would have been sooooo much shorter in the morning if S could have been switched; I had a full car every morning, while only 5 in the afternoon.
I'm A Brat, But He Still Pops 'The Question'!
J and I had the occasional argument,but nothing major. One night he arrived to pick me up, and I knew we'd planned to go downtown to Union Station for dinner. However, when he arrived, he was all dressed up, while I came down the stairs in jeans. I quickly ran back upstairs and yelled for Natalie, the teenage daughter of Bob and Ann, to help me pull something together, since I had a limited wardrobe. N and I were about the same size, so she pulled a skirt and light sweater from her closet, and I ran back down.
We ate at Salvatore Salvatini's and split a carafe of wine, then caught ourselves talking about kids names, where we wanted to live, and even dream weddings. But as soon as we realized it, the topic was switched. After dinner, he suggested a carriage ride, and I agreed. But when we went outside, it was beginning to rain, and I balked.
He cajoled me into going, which I griped about during the two-block walk. Then the driver asked where to go, and J said canal, while I said Monument Circle. J insisted, and so did I, but in the end, our driver agreed to go both places, but took us by the canal first. I was still pouting about being slightly wet and now not getting my way.
At one point, I was looking at the canal when J said something to get my attention. I turned my head and he was on one knee, holding out a ring. I couldn't breathe....couldn't speak. He put the ring on my finger and I was still in shock! He kept asking, and by the time we'd reached the Monument, I thrust my hand out the window and told a random stranger, "Look what I just got!: Then turned back to J and said 'yes'....then burst into tears, because I'd been so nasty to him!
We went back to Union Station to walk around the top part.....but all I wanted to do was go home and be with him. When we returned to the house, we broke the news to Bob and Ann, who broke out the champagne. The cork popped and foam sprayed all over Bob and down his lap!
About a week later, we went to Lafayette and broke the news to my parents, who were happy for me. I think later that month, my Aunt Janet, Uncle Bob, and cousins Zach and Caty arrived for a visit, and were able to meet him too.
My Best Friend's Wedding
Sept 23rd will forever stand out in my brain because of three events: Two happened at one wedding, another happened later that night at another wedding.
First of all, EY and DS had set the date, and E decided to have someone make the bridesmaids' dresses. I took JL with me to my fitting, and we started out hungry, but mine disappeared as I tried on my dress, and E and I talked. Then, driving him home, I suddenly became starving, so decided to go to Denny's, despite the fact JL had wanted to go somewhere else. Argument #1.
#2 happened the night of the rehearsal. Me, Lisa, Billie, and Cathy (rest of bridesmaids) had planned to spend the night at E's house. J, however, wanted me to spend the night with him. Since we were on shaky ground, and I wanted to patch things up, I approached E and asked her opinion, and she gave consent for me to spend the night away.
HOWEVER.....I helped J take care of his rabbits, and woke up with allergy eyes. I took as many Benadryls as I dared, and while the swelling went down, I still had a small lump under one eye, and could barely wear makeup. The wedding went off without a hitch, other than the ring bearer tried to stand on her dress,
My cousin was getting married later that day, so as soon as pictures were taken, we headed to the reception and got something to eat before heading off to Indpls for Michele's wedding.
I had no choice but to go in my bridesmaid dress, and enjoyed the ceremony, esp when the ring bearer decided to sit down and the flower girl punched him! The Shell nearly fell over backward during the ceremony. Then it was off to the reception.
We had a good time dancing and eating, then the DJ asked for all single girls to line up for the bouquet toss. I got in line (and didn't catch it) and promptly angered JL, since because I had an engagement ring on my finger, I 'wasn't single'.
I laughed and said 'engaged' didn't necessarily mean I couldn't catch the bouquet! He was furious; I got mad and it ruined the rest of the evening. We argued all the way back to his house, and I think I even returned to Bob and Ann's house for the night.
Next Month: Winter Comes Early
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Present Day:
I'm headed up to Indianapolis for the Indy Author Event:) Looking forward to finally meeting Sandra Sookoo, Regency author!
Have a great weekend!
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