Our Practice Honeymoon

This is a mostly true story of my wife and me. Because it happened more than 50 years ago, the actions and dialogue are accurate as I can remember them.

Note: No sexual contact between characters in this story occurred before they were 18 years old.

(.)(.)

It was late August 1955; I was in a new school district having left my friends at my old school and not knowing anyone in my new one. Mom cheerily told me as I was walking out the door, "You'll meet a new friend today."

I walked down to the corner and waited for the big yellow school bus to my first day of class in the third grade. The bus stopped at the corner and I got on. The bus was nearly full, so I walked toward the back, looking for an empty seat. About the fifth row, a girl my age was sitting by herself, so I asked, "Is this seat taken?"

"Yes," she replied, "I'm saving it for my best friend, Kathy, but you can sit here too."

"Thanks," I answered, as I sat down next to her. She was cute with deep blue eyes and light brown hair.

"I like your lunch pail," she said brightly, as she pointed toward the jet plane on my lunch pail.

"Thanks," I said again. "My dad was in the Air Force, and he bought it for me."

"You're new here, aren't you?" she asked.

"Yes... Third grade."

"I'm in the third grade too," she said, holding her small hand toward me. "My name's Jennifer, but you can call me Jenny."

"I'm Bob," I replied.

That was the first meeting with the girl whom I grew to love and whom I eventually married.

"We'll be in Mrs. Wheeler's class. She's a very nice teacher. You'll like her," she said.

At the next bus stop, another girl our age got on the bus. "That's Kathy," Jenny pointed out.

When Kathy saw Jenny and me sharing the seat, she started toward the back of the bus.

"Kathy, you can sit with us." Jenny said. "Bob, scoot a little closer so Kathy can sit with us."

I slid toward Jenny, allowing Kathy to sit next to me. The bus seat was made for two adults, but it fit we three elementary school students, if just a little too snugly.

Jenny introduced Kathy to me. Then Kathy and Jenny carried on an animated conversation, while I listened to them talking about their summer vacations.

When I arrived home from school that day, Mom asked, "Did you make a friend at school today?"

I answered, "Actually I made two friends—Jenny and Kathy."

"You'll have to invite them over after school sometime. I'll make some brownies or a batch of cookies for an after-school snack."

Jenny was a cheerful little girl, with a sunny disposition, and over the next few months, I became fast friends with both Jenny and Kathy. The three of us lived only a few blocks apart in our Chicago suburb, so we spent a lot of time together after school at the playground or riding our bikes around the neighborhood. My house was about halfway between Kathy's house and Jenny's, so the three of us frequently found ourselves at my house. Another reason they visited me was my mother's brownies or cookies ready for us after school. Many times, we spent hours playing board games at my house.

Mom said she was happy I'd found such nice friends in our neighborhood. Unfortunately, there weren't any boys my age who lived nearby, so my best friends and playmates were girls.

Mom was a seamstress, and that Halloween, she made Jenny and me Halloween costumes. We went trick or treating hand in hand—Jenny was Raggedy Ann and I was Raggedy Andy.

Time passed quickly. By the time we finished third grade, Jenny, Kathy, and I were the Three Musketeers, spending a lot of time together doing school projects or just hanging out with one another.

Of course we didn't realize it at the time, but Jenny and I had formed a strong bond. Our personalities seemed to coincide—we liked the same books, activities, foods, music, so on. Kathy was still a great friend, but I wasn't as close to her as I was with Jenny.

As time passed, we grew taller. Before we knew it, we were in sixth grade. We studied fractions in math, read Tom Sawyer, wrote themes, learned about the scientific method, and discussed American history.

In eighth grade, a family with a boy named Larry, our age, moved into the neighborhood. He was taller than me, stronger, and better looking. At first, I thought he might be a threat to my friendship with Jenny, but he and Kathy hit it off from Day One.

We found ourselves in junior high and experienced the awkwardness of puberty together. There was something interesting about girls that I hadn't noticed before. The tomboys I'd played with in grade school were now getting curves, wearing their hair differently, and wearing bras.

By the time Jenny and I were sophomores in high school, we were still great friends—no, make that sweethearts. I'd fallen for her—hard. A few months after my 16th birthday, I obtained my driver's license and asked Jenny for a date. She was my first date, and I was hers. We went to a movie as I recall, but the movie's title escapes me. However, I do remember our first, but embarrassing kiss. My heart beat like a triphammer. I don't know what Jenny felt, but she soon accepted my request for a date to a another movie.

Many times Jenny and I double dated with Larry and Kathy. The four of us got along well and my parents let us use the basement game room to dance to rock and roll records on our record player. We also played ping-pong or darts. Mom said she and Dad felt better about us spending time at our home than worrying about us out on the streets at night.

Once we started dating, we almost always had our Saturday nights planned a week ahead. Jenny's mother had been icy toward me when Jenny and I were in grade school, but now that I was dating her daughter, she was downright unfriendly.

Something I thought odd about Jenny was that it always appeared she was larger around her bust line when we went on dates. One time at a school dance, it appeared she was wearing a padded bra and as I danced with her, it felt as if she wore a corset. Although Jenny was slender, she always wore a corset when we went on dates.

Wearing a corset when it wasn't necessary seemed odd, so I asked her about it. She told me her mother made her wear a corset and a tight, padded bra, as her mother said, "for her protection." I presume her mother thought I was a threat to her daughter, but Jenny and I had never made out, and I respected her as a young woman. Our love was more on a platonic level, but Jenny was always my favorite girlfriend.

Other students in our high school class called us "the old couple" because we had been together for most of our young lives. Not that we cared—we followed a path less traveled by most of our friends.

We both benefited from our relationship. Jenny helped me in English and history, while I helped Jenny with geometry and trigonometry classes. We each had our own God-given talents, and it felt special that we could share them and help each other.

Jenny and I spent a lot of time together during our junior and senior years of high school—we went on picnics, to movies, and to plays. I made a list of places I wanted us to visit. I took Jenny to the Chicago Museum of Natural History, the Field Museum, the Art Institute of Chicago, the Shedd Aquarium, and the Adler planetarium. Several times, we sweat as we cheered the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field or froze watching the Chicago Bears. We enjoyed visiting the Brookfield Zoo, picking out pumpkins for Halloween at a farm miles west of Chicago, and Christmas shopping along Chicago's Magnificent Mile. Being with Jenny felt as natural as breathing.

Larry, Jenny, and I had turned 18 several months before the prom. Kathy wouldn't turn 18 until graduation. Of course Jenny was my prom date; there was no doubt that we'd be going together. Larry and Kathy were attending together, too. The night of our prom, I arrived at Jenny's house a little early. While Jenny was upstairs finishing getting ready, her mother said to me, "I know what goes on after proms. If you get Jenny pregnant, I'll cut your balls off and fry them for dinner."

Jenny was so embarrassed and mad at her mother's comment that she bounded down the stairs, grabbed me by the arm, and said, "Let's go."

When we got to my car, Jenny was steamed. I didn't even get to pin her corsage on before we left her house.

I asked, "What was that all about?"

Jenny said, "Mom must be having PMS or something. Let's just leave it at that."

Many of our classmates had plans to lose their virginity after the prom, but we decided to return to my house and listen to some new vinyl records I'd recently purchased. I had some by Andy Williams, The Beach Boys, and a new musical group named "The Beatles," that had toured the US earlier in 1964. Larry and Kathy joined us listening to records and dancing in our basement. I think my parents were relieved we didn't spend an overnight at a hotel orgy somewhere in downtown Chicago. Mom made some special treats and brought them with some soft drinks to the basement for us.

When I took Jenny home that night, she said, "I don't really didn't care what Mom thinks about you—I love you. Even though she thinks the worst about us, we're better than that, and I appreciate that you've never attempted to feel me up."

Most of our friends just naturally assumed Jenny and I were inseparable and would eventually marry. Jenny and I talked about our futures, but somehow marriage wasn't discussed. I wanted to join the Air Force after I graduated from high school. My grandfather had been a military pilot during World War II, and my father had been in the Air Force during the Korean War, so I felt a calling.

During my senior year in high school, I'd talked with Dad about joining the Air Force, and he agreed I'd benefit from military service. He pointed out I could select a career and the Air Force would train me in that career for free, and later, if I wished, I would qualify for GI Bill benefits that would pay for a good part of my college expenses.

Meanwhile, Jenny planned to enroll in nurses training. She didn't want me to go off to God knows where, leaving her to worry about me, but she was proud of me for wanting to serve my country. At any rate, Jenny and I hadn't sat down and made any plans for our joint future together. I think we both assumed we'd continue being together just as we had been since third grade. Little did we know how our futures would unfold.

After graduation from high school, Kathy planned to attend college to become a teacher. Larry apprenticed with his father's business to become a plumber. I enlisted in the Air Force while Jenny began nurses training. The first couple weeks without Jenny were tough because we'd been seeing each other nearly every day. Because I was in basic training, Jenny knew I had little time to write or call. Jenny wrote me a letter that she had moved into the student nurses' dorm, and a second letter indicated her classes in nurses training kept her busy. After those two letters, they stopped.

Although we didn't have much free time during basic training, I realized how much I missed Jenny. After basic training, I went to technical training in Mississippi to air traffic controller school for four months. We were told we'd have a week's leave between tech training and our next assignment. I thought that during my leave, I'd surprise Jenny by proposing marriage. Near the end of tech training, I sent Jenny a letter saying I'd get a week's leave before I had to report to my next base. I wrote that I was looking forward to us getting together again. However, I never received an answer from Jenny.

It was while on leave after tech training I learned Jenny had married a young doctor and moved away. I was heartbroken to hear that news. I had no idea that in six months I'd lose my long-time girlfriend.

After tech school, I was assigned to Nellis Air Force Base (AFB), near Las Vegas, Nevada. We'd only learned the basics of air traffic control in technical school—we were expected to learn a lot more and gain experience during on the job training.

Nellis AFB had a lot of flying activity and I quickly learned the ropes. It was 1965 and military activity had picked up in South Vietnam. After spending six months stationed at Nellis, I learned the Air Force was looking for volunteers to man some of the military airport control towers in South Vietnam.

I had kept in contact with Bill, a buddy of mine from basic training and air traffic controller school. He was stationed at Scott AFB and wrote that he was going to volunteer because it was a chance to see some action. He said he'd get combat pay, and having served in a combat zone would look good on his record. He convinced me to volunteer too. Since Jenny had gotten married, I didn't have any reason to stick around stateside anymore. I had to spend at least a year at Nellis before I could be released to serve in South Vietnam. My one-year mark ended in late January 1966.

In early February 1966, I flew from Travis AFB, California, on a military contract flight into Saigon (now Ho Chi Minh City), South Vietnam. I spent a couple days processing in and was assigned to a control tower in Pleiku, a small town in the central highlands of South Vietnam.

I'd only been at Pleiku for a few days when were were mortared by the Viet Cong. The mortar attack scared the hell out of me. A couple sergeants there told me they generally didn't hit anything important. The Viet Cong had attacked Pleiku the previous summer and the US Army fought a bloody battle there before driving them off. They had come back again, but in smaller numbers and staged random nuisance attacks.

About a month after I arrived at Pleiku, I received a short letter from Jenny. It was a friendly one apologizing for not answering the letter I'd sent her during tech training. She said she was living in Las Vegas. Jenny thanked me for my service and hoped I was doing well.

What the hell? Jenny had been living in Las Vegas while I had been stationed at Nellis AFB for a year and neither of us knew the other was there.

I was surprised APO mail traveled as fast as it did, but her letter arrived in less than a week. I sent Jenny a five-page letter saying after tech training I'd learned she had married a doctor. I wrote that I missed her, but hoped she had a loving marriage. Then I continued, telling her about my Air Force job at Pleiku. I mentioned that I worked in the control tower as an air traffic controller. I also wrote we'd had several attacks by Viet Cong and the airport had been shelled by mortars, but other than being scared during the attacks, I was doing okay. Finally, I asked Jenny to write me again because I was lonely and didn't hear from many people back home.

Two weeks later, I received another letter from Jenny. In it, she explained why she'd married the doctor. She wrote that she'd met John at the hospital where she was in nurses training. He was about to complete his residency and asked her for a date. Jenny said he was handsome and a smooth talker. Although he was ten years older than her, she reluctantly agreed and went out with him on several dates. On one of their dates, he seduced and impregnated her.

They'd had a quickie wedding, and now Jenny had a daughter named after our mutual friend, Kathy. Jenny continued she learned that John had cheated on her with a hot nurse at his hospital, so she divorced him. Now that she was divorced, she was a single mom with a child and wasn't sure where to turn. That news surprised me, and it all had happened in less than two years.

Well, of course a man ten years older than Jenny could have found it easy to seduce her at 18 years old, because I was certain she'd never experienced any sexual advances, not from me anyway. I wondered why a doctor wouldn't have known about birth control? Cheating on a young woman as lovable as Jenny made my blood boil.

I responded to Jenny with a letter telling her I felt sorry for her and her misfortune. I was concerned if she was doing okay. I wrote that I missed her and still loved her. Would she send me a photo of herself and Kathy? Could I help her out in any way?

In her next letter, Jenny added a couple photos of her holding Kathy, who was about five months old. In return, I sent some photos of me with several of my buddies in Vietnam. I wrote that I thought Kathy was cute and mentioned I thought she must be a sweetie. I also asked what Jenny's plans were now that she was divorced?

Jenny responded that she really didn't have any plans for the future other than just surviving. She said she felt depressed and sad that we didn't stay together. That set me thinking—she was always vivacious and had a positive attitude. Perhaps her depression was getting the best of her.

I wished I could do something to cheer Jenny up; beyond that, I missed being with her. Then a thought struck me—I'd get a week of R&R (Rest and Relaxation) in the middle of my tour. Most of the single guys I was stationed with planned on going to Bangkok to get some pussy, while the married one's were going to Hawaii to spend time with their wives. That's when I made a decision to go to Hawaii, too.

I sent Jenny a letter explaining I'd get a week of R&R, asking if she'd meet me in Hawaii if I purchased airline tickets for her.

Jenny wrote me back that it didn't take her but a minute for her to make up her mind. She said she'd meet me Hawaii, even if she had to swim all the way.

I sent Jenny the specific dates I'd be in Hawaii and asked if she would make airline reservations for herself on those dates.

Jenny wrote she was leaving her daughter Kathy in the care of a friend. The excitement within me grew as my R&R departure date approached. I was going to be with Jenny again.

I had to catch my flight to Hawaii from Saigon. I arrived there about four hours before my departure time, so I went to the Army PX to buy some shaving cream and deodorant. While there, I was surprised to find a jewelry counter that had diamond rings in it. I decided then and there to buy an engagement ring. Jenny wasn't going to get away from me again.

My plane arrived in Honolulu before Jenny's, so I was there to greet her with a plumeria flower lei as she arrived in the terminal. It felt so good to hold Jenny in my loving arms again.

I hired a taxi to the Reef Hotel on Waikiki Beach and we talked nonstop about what we'd been doing for the past two years that we'd been apart. I wanted to see more photos of Kathy and wondered if she had started walking or said her first word yet. Jenny said she was already glad she'd taken me up on flying to Hawaii. At the hotel, I checked us in as Mr. and Mrs. Robert Atkinson.

Our room was on the east side of the hotel, about six floors up, so we had a magnificent view of Diamond Head. From our balcony, we could see swimmers on Waikiki beach. Jenny said she couldn't believe how much I must have spent for such a superb room, but I told her the hotel gave servicemen military rates.

It had been late afternoon when we checked in, and by the time we'd freshened up in our room, the sun was low on the horizon. We were both hungry, but didn't know where to go for dinner. I stopped by the hotel's front desk and asked if there was a good restaurant nearby. The desk clerk gave me directions to a revolving restaurant, La Ronde, near the Ala Moana shopping center.

While waiting to be seated at the restaurant, we learned La Ronde was the first rotating restaurant in the United States. The restaurant made one turn in about an hour, so we had an opportunity to see romantic Honolulu every direction at sunset as the restaurant turned. Besides that, our food was excellent. Over our meal, and while we admired the views, Jenny and I talked about old times and things we did as kids and our dates in high school. I said I regretted not proposing to her before I entered the Air Force. Jenny said she wished I had, because she'd have accepted in a heartbeat.