Sockhops And School

Cherrylaine MacBride had risen earlier than her usual 5:30am
alarmclock call in order to finish household chores she'd put off for a
coon's age. It brought to mind an old saying she learned from her
sainted Mama..'a man only works from sun to sun, but a woman's work is
never done.' It was truer than ever now that she lived alone..her
Grandma and Mama had gone to live with the Angels in heaven, and her
Daddy had high-tailed it to the mountains, until the Widow Malloy found
another suitor to keep her occupied. She put Grandma Sophia's red and
white checked apron on over the school clothes she intended to wear on
this crisp autumn day. The morning sun was just beginning to glow, its
color spreading out into Nehi orange, peaking over the huge stand of
pine trees that cast dark shadows across the recently paved country
road that ran in front of Cherrylaine's small clapboard home. She
grabbed her corn broom from the kitchen closet and swept away the
colorful groups of oak and birch leaves which had gathered on the front
porch and watched as they slowly floated back into the yard, adding to
the mounds already there. Cornered spiderwebs swayed with morning's
sparkling diamond dewdrops in the chilly breeze, but she swept them
away, shivering at imagined visions of huge spiders crawling into bed
with her while she slept.

Her Philco radio sputtered to life as the downhome preacher began his
morning sermon. " Brothers and Sisters in Faith..are there moments in
your daily lives when that Old Dragon..that brown recluse evil monger
Satan has planted evil poisonous thoughts and ideas about others into
the cobwebbed corners of your very heart and soul? How are you to rid
yourselves of these spiderwebs that cling and stick to the very
frameworks of your lives? By using the broomstick of God's loving
kindness to clean and spruce up, of course. You must get down to brass
tacks and commence to putting your lives in order, long before winter
brings it's snow-blinding blizzards of hatred and anger. That's the
very time you grow cold because God's blanket of hope and charity has
been misplaced and you become so frozen that you can't tend to chores
that must be done on a daily basis. "

Now Cherrylaine's Grandma Sophia hadn't been one who attended church on
a regular basis, but believed that whatever deeds you did on God's
green earth would come back to praise you or haunt you..in other words
when wicked boomerangs, it comes back to catch you unawares, but good
always comes back and sticks to you like the sweetest sugarcane juice.
Cherrylaine smiled as she finished sweeping away the final cobwebs and
wiped her dusty hands on the red and white squares of the apron. She
removed it, then smoothed the black skirt that her daddy had given to
her on her last birthday..it sported a dainty embroidered bubblegum
pink poodle that matched the color of her blouse and socks.

Cherrylaine's was the final stop for the old dilapidated schoolbus and
she could hear it rumbling down the road..she replaced her broom and
grabbed her books. She used to sit in the back with her boyfriend, but
that'd been a no go ever since he'd departed eleven months ago for the
California badlands. " Cherrylaine, come sit with me and Alice. " The
girl who spoke had a million freckles and fire-engine red hair in
braided pigtails. They scrunched over and Cherrylaine took a seat next
to Winnie Handleman and her twin sister, Alice..you couldn't tell them
apart unless they laughed and giggled. Alice had a big gap between her
two front teeth and Winnie had been born with the perfection of a
golden girl moviestar smile..she could also talk the ears off an old
mule. " Cherrylaine, you going to the sockhop tonight? You know mama
said she'd take you home afterwards. "

Cherrylaine had foregone school dances for the last year, but was tired
of missing out on all the fun life had to offer..besides, Lisa and the
Southernaires had other obligations and weren't performing this evening
on their weekly radio program and Cherrylaine wouldn't miss their
heavenly music for all the tea in China. " You know I am, Winnie. Have
you heard any grapevine gossip about the special guests who're supposed
to make an appearance? "

" Don't I wish, Cherrylaine, but I couldn't drag that secret out of
Mama. She said if I didn't quit nagging her, she'd have me staying at
home and scrubbing the kitchen floor instead of dancing on the
gymnasium's varnished floor! " Winnie's mama was school board president
and knew the tiniest details about any social gathering or event taking
place in the valley.

The twins talked about the cute boys who would be at the dance, who was
going steady with who and what the girls would be wearing. The class
bell rang and Cherrylaine focused on studying hard, so she could be
assured entrance into the county's junior college. She had no specific
ideas as to what her major would be, but knew without a doubt she
didn't want to end up being a housewife with tons of squalling kids to
tend to..Cherrylaine couldn't stomach the thought of having to marry
Asa Malloy, owner of the only grocery store for miles around. He'd
asked for her hand a dozen times over, but what he really wanted was
someone to run the store and keep his mama company so he could shirk
all his manly duties. She knew he'd show up at the sockhop, because he
was providing free advertisement in the shape of lemon aide and potato
chips. She let out a big sigh..maybe if she found herself a boyfriend,
then he'd be more likely to move on to greener pastures, like Winnie or
Alice.

Cherrylaine was on the decorating committee and remained after school,
making sure that the blue and gold streamers were perfect. She stayed
as far away as she could from the punchbowl through the first part of
the evening, dancing with other girls who didn't have partners. Around
8:30 the principal climbed to the stagefront, took the michophone in
his hand and announced, " Boys and girls..please welcome our special
guests for this evening, Lisa And The Southernaires. "

Cherrylaine couldn't believe her eyes or ears..her all-time favorite
group in the flesh. Lisa was the lead singer and the Southernaires were
her 3 younger brothers. The oldest boy had recently celebrated his 18th
birthday, which meant he was only one year older than Cherrylaine..she
knew that from listening to their radio program. As they tuned their
guitars and mandolins, thunder boomed and the lights blinked out..fat
drops of rain pounded a beat on the tin roof. Grandma Sophia said that
forecasting the weather was as unpredictable as the mind of a
woman..always subject to change at the slightest provocation! The
maintenance crew always kept a goodly supply of dimestore candles for
just this kind of occassion. Once they were lit, Lisa strummed her
guitar as if nothing unusual had happened..the song she played and sang
was ' Singing In The Rain.'

A few weeks prior the backwoods preacher had begun his usual Sunday
sermon.. " Brothers and Sisters of Devotion..do you believe that even
in the worst of times, in the shadows and storms of life, God brings
about sunshine and miracles..the light of Hope which banishes the
darkness of the soul? Look around you..you know that this past summer
we were in a drought situation, the likes which no man had seen before.
But with prayers of love and thanksgiving, having faith in the gloom of
your November hearts, God rained down his blessings from above. He
never ceases to provide what we are most in need of, even in the
midnight hour of total despair. Have nairy a doubt, Brothers and
Sisters that God will show you the chosen path to take in your lives.
"

Their set ended all too soon, but wonder of wonders..the oldest of
Lisa's younger brothers jumped off the stage, landing right in front of
Cherrylaine. " I couldn't help but notice that you knew all the words
to every song we sang. " He had the biggest smile that showed off his
white pearly teeth to perfection, black curly hair, and deep blue eyes.
Cherrylaine thought to herself that he looked far better than that
movie star poster she had hung in the honored spot above her bed. "
Would you care to dance with me? "

Cherrylaine could hear Grandma Sophia's advice in the back of her
mind,
" God don't need to hit you over the head to point you in the right
direction, does He? " Cherrylaine took his hand, the first of many
steps she'd take on the road to a wonderful rainyday friendship.