As promised, it was a few minutes after six p.m. when James pulled up in front of the Mitchell’s home on Hamilton Street. They lived in one of the more affluent areas of Wynne even though the Mitchell house itself was relatively modest compared to some of the other homes nearby.
James had thought about getting a box of candy or something before he left town earlier that day but decided he would save the money for popcorn or a hotdog or whatever else Angie might want while at the movies. So, with nothing in his hand but his hat, which he took off as he exited the car, being afraid he might forget to take it off, he hurried to the Mitchell’s front door.
He saw that there was a brass knocker shaped like a boar’s head on the door, so he used it to knock twice. The knocker resounded loudly as it hit the striker plate. Seconds after the second strike, the door swung open, and Aaron Mitchell stood in the doorway.
Mitchell wasn’t a particularly large man, no bigger than James, in fact, and James had seen him many times in the store and around town. But tonight, for James, he was not “Mr. Mitchell the store owner” tonight he was “Mr. Mitchell, Angie’s father” and because of that, he looked monstrous.
“James,” Mitchell looked slightly irritated. “No need to knock more than once. The knocker works just fine.
“No-no, sir,” James felt sick. “I didn’t…..”
“That’s right, Aaron,” Mary said as she suddenly was at her husband’s side and pushing him back while reaching her hand out to James in a motion of invitation. “James has never been here before, so he didn’t know how loud that knocker of yours is. If we had a normal size one instead of that monster it wouldn’t sound like someone’s breaking the door down. Now come on in James. Angie is almost ready I think.”
Mary led James into the living room where he took a seat on the sofa.
“Just make yourself at home, James,” Mary said and patted James’ arm. “Like I said, Angie will be ready in just a few minutes. I’ll go tell her you’re here.”
James watched as Mary Mitchell went into the hall and began climbing the stairs to the second floor where Angie’s bedroom apparently was. Having never been in a two-story house, James wondered if the second floor was as roomy as the first floor. The only building he had ever been in with anything other than a first floor was the barn on their farm. It didn’t have quite as much room, but he didn’t know if a house was the same as a barn.
“You a Hog fan?”
James was startled by the words and realized that Mitchell had taken a seat in an armchair across form him. His feet were on a hassock which matched the color of the chair. This, apparently, was his favorite chair since his pipe and glasses were on a table beside one arm. Mitchell was reaching for the pipe when he asked the question.
“Well, are ya? Are ya a Hog fan.” Mitchell repeated.
“Uh,” James wasn’t exactly sure how to answer the question or even what the question was, but he didn’t want to appear foolish in front of his date’s father. “Well, I guess I like hogs ok. My Dad usually keeps a few and we try to kill one each fall for bacon and sausage and th…….”
“No, no, no,” Mitchell shook his head then put the pipe in his mouth picked up a small red razorback hog statuette which was setting on the table next to his ash tray and held it out toward James. “I mean the Razorbacks, the Arkansas Razorbacks. Are you a Razorback fan, a Hog fan?”
“Aaron,” Mary said as she descended the steps. “Can’t you see that the boy doesn’t have a clue what you’re talking about?”
Once down the stairs, Mary settled on the sofa between James and her husband.
“James,” Mary began explaining. “I guess my husband is the biggest football fan in this town. What he is talking about is the football team at the University of Arkansas. They’re called the Razorbacks. That’s what that ridiculous door knocker was, a Razorback head.”
Mary looked at Mitchell in a way that clearly told James that this was an old argument.
“Anyway,” she went on. “Aaron just never can understand that not everyone in the state of Arkansas is a Razorback fan.”
“Well they should be,” Mitchell grumbled as he picked up an Arkansas Gazette and turned to the same sports section which he had read twice already. “It’s the state university and everyone should support it.”
“Oh, I know about the University, Mrs. Mitchell,” James smiled. “I’d like to go to college there if I can afford it or get a scholarship. I just don’t know anything about their football team. I’m not really good at sports.”
Mitchell snorted when James said this causing Mary to turn and glared at her husband, but he didn’t look up from the paper so after a moment, she turned back to James.
“Well,” Mary said. “Angie has told me that you’re a good student so maybe you can get that scholarship. What would you like to study?”
“I’d like to study medicine,” James leaned forward. “I know it’s awful hard to get into medical schools around, though. So just in case I can’t get accepted into a good medical program, I’ve been looking at some of the law schools around.
“And lately I’ve been thinking I may do that even if I could get in med school. I really think I could do some good for farmers and small businesses as a lawyer. Seems to me there are just too many people getting rich off of poor people and I’d like to help them.”
“Sounds like you might need to think about a political career if you want to help people.” Mary smiled.
“Yes ma’am, I’ve thought of that, too.” James nodded. “But either way, I need to concentrate on getting my degree first.”
“Well,” Mary said. “Let me know if I can help you in any way.”
At that moment, James heard the stairs creek slightly and he knew Angie was coming down. She was around the corner and in the living room before James had a chance to stand. He rushed to his feet, though, and beamed at what he was sure had to be the most beautiful girl in the world. She was wearing a pale yellow, ankle length dress with red trim, collar and wide patent leather belt.
“There she is,” Mary said looking at her daughter, then stood and touched James’ arm. “Angie did kind of like you did, James. She went over to Cohen’s after you left and bought herself something new to wear. Isn’t she pretty?”
“Yes’m she sure is.” James hardly needed any encouragement.
“Hi, James” Angie said, a grin spread across her face. “Sorry I wasn’t quite ready.”
“Oh, that’s fine,” James said, still standing in front of the couch. “They always have some shorts before the movie starts. Guess we better be goin’, though.”
“Okay,” Angie said and held her hand out to James. “Let’s go then.”
James had been on only a couple of dates in his 18 years, but he had learned in those dates that it was good to make a positive impression on the parents. He felt confident about Angie’s mother, but he thought he had probably gotten off on the wrong foot with Angie’s father. Because of this, he decided to try to make some points with him before he left.
“Mr. Mitchell,” he said as he walked toward Angie. “What time should I have Angie home?”
Mitchell brought the paper down for the first time since he had picked it a few moments ago. He stared at James a moment then the corner of his mouth turned up ever so slightly.
“I think eleven would be okay, son” Mitchell said and glanced at his daughter who looked first puzzled and then overjoyed.
“I’ll have her back by then, Mr. Mitchell,” James nodded at Mitchell then he turned to Angie, took her offered hand and led her out the door.
“Getting’ generous in your old age?” Mary said as she watched the couple through the living room window. “We’ve never let her stay out past ten before.”
“He’s a good kid,” Mitchell said from behind his paper. “And she’s getting’ older and more responsible. It’ll be alright.”
“Oh, I know it will,” Mary turned from the window. “I just never thought you would.”
Technically, James and Angie could have walked to the Imperial Theater and still have been seated before the first show. This was a real date, though, and James wasn’t about to suggest they walk the seven or eight blocks. Besides, the show didn’t last until Angie’s curfew of eleven. There might be some time for a soda at Burnett’s Drug Store or even a little privacy at the gravel pit outside of town or at the base of Lover’s Leap on the Ridge just east of Wynne.
“You must’ve made some impression on Daddy before I came down,” Angie said as James pulled onto the nearly deserted street. “He’s never let me stay out that late before.”
“I guess so,” James shrugged his shoulders and nodded. He carefully gripped the steering wheel with both hands and watched to make sure he didn’t go over the 20-mph speed limit. “He seemed kind of irritated that I didn’t know anything about sports, though.”
“He’s a big football fan for sure.” Angie nodded. “He and some other men even go to Fayetteville every year to see the Razorbacks play. Mother thinks it’s ridiculous, but she doesn’t try to keep him from going. I guess she knows he could be out hunting or fishing every weekend like some men do. Compared to that, just one day a year isn’t so bad.”
“You like goin’ to the show?” James said, trying to change the subject.
“Oh, sure,” Angie grinned. “I usually go at least a couple of times a month.”
“Who ya go with?” James asked, not sure if he wanted the answer, but then smiled, relieved when she said, “Some of the girls from school.”
“Plannin’ on goin’ to college?” James asked as they arrived at the theater and he pulled into the parking lot beside the two-story building. With his inexperience around girls, he thought it would be best, at least in the beginning, to ask questions he could have just as easily asked at school. Don’t run the risk of saying something embarrassing, he thought.
He and Angie had always been on speaking terms in school. They even had some classes together, occasionally. But she usually had a group of female friends around her, so even if he had mustered up the courage, he wouldn’t have been able to really talk to her.
“I would like to go.” Angie answered as James cut the engine. “But, I don’t kn…..”
She stopped in mid-sentence when James suddenly threw his door open and jumped from the car. It startled her when he ran around to her side and jerked on her door a couple of times until he pulled it open.
“This door gets stuck sometimes,” James grinned as he held the door open for her. “Just wanted to make sure you didn’t have to push on it. Might mess up your dress or something.”
Angie returned the grin when she realized what James was doing and stepped out of the car. They walked around the corner of the building and stepped into the light of the newly constructed marquee of the Imperial.
“It’s only a couple of minutes before the shorts start,” James said as they walked into the lobby of the theater and handed the usher their tickets. “Why don’t we find a seat and I’ll come back and get us something to eat.”
“No, that’s ok,” Angie said. “I’ll just wait with you and we can find a seat together. I don’t think they’re full tonight anyway.”
James nodded and smiled that his date seemed to want to spend the extra time with him. They bought a box of popcorn, a couple of hot dogs and cokes and then went inside the just darkening theater. James led them to a seat midway to the screen and stepped over people to a pair of seats near the center of the row.
“These ok?” James asked Angie as they sat down.
“Sure,” she responded and began situating herself to hold the drink and food. “I don’t like to be up too close. Hurts my eyes.”
They ate quietly as the screen before them showered them with varying advertisements, coming attractions and newsreels. Virtually all were in black and white with an occasional splash of color mixed in. By the time the actual movie started, both James and Angie had finished their hot dogs and were munching on the popcorn.
They watched as Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers played a game of cat and mouse with their emotions, while breaking into dance at every possible chance. James wasn’t the biggest Astaire fan, but he knew that most women liked this sort of movie and besides Rogers was definitely easy to look at.
He looked over at Angie when Rogers’ character first encountered Astaire’s Jerry Travers dancing. James watched his date’s eyes glistened as she watched the movie version of a 1935 London musical stage come to life. James knew, because she had mentioned it when they talked at school, that Angie had wanderlust in her heart.
Like the great majority of kids in and around Wynne, she had never been anywhere to speak of. Her parents were better off than most, but they weren’t about to spend money on anything as frivolous as a vacation to anywhere more distant than Memphis or Little Rock. She had never even been to Fayetteville to see the Hogs as her father had, but she had never particularly wanted to either. But even though she had “never been anywhere,” James knew if she had her way, that this was only temporary.
“Wouldn’t you just love to go to England, James?” Angie asked without looking at him, then went on before he could respond. “That’s where the real stage plays, and musicals began. Broadway would be nice, but London….that’s where the real stage is. Wouldn’t that just be so grand?”
When James didn’t answer her, Angie turned to look at her date and he was just staring at her…..grinning. She dropped her head slightly, blushing and returning James’ grin.
“Oh, I’m sorry,” Angie said. “I do get a little carried away sometimes.”
“That’s ok,” James continued to grin. “I want to travel and see things, too. Yes, I’d love to go to England and see the real theater. I’d like to see and do a lot of things.”
James stopped and turned back to the screen then turned back to Angie before she could speak and added, “And by the way, your red face is very becoming. Nearly matches your shoes and belt.”
Angie’s grin grew even larger as she balled up her fist and feigned a punch to James’ arm then put both hands around the same arm and laid her head on his shoulder. Even though the theater was cool, James instantly began to sweat as he got his first real whiff of Angie’s freshly washed hair which was just inches from his face.
For what seemed like ten years, he had dreamed of holding her in his arms, so it had never occurred to him that she would be the first one to show something other than just schoolmate friendliness. He suddenly realized that just maybe his adoration of Angie wasn’t unrequited. He suddenly was in heaven and he was in love.