The following “letter” is part of the continuing series from the unpublished novel by James Garrett, “Benicia Letters Once More”. He does not plan to publish the book but instead is choosing to share the letters with the readers of the Benicia Herald. The letters continue the storyline of Garrett’s first novel “Benicia and Letters of Love”. Each “letter” tells of love in one of its many forms from a separate point of view. Benicia is represented prominently in the letters because of Garrett’s deep fondness for the city of Benicia. He hopes readers see themselves or others they know in the letters because the concept of “Love” is universal.

Letter 10: The Boy of My Girlhood Dreams

Dear Mr. Garrett,
My first taste of love came at a dance in the Benicia High School gymnasium when my friend told me someone wanted to see me by the trophy case in the lobby. I’ll always call it the Benicia High School gymnasium, though for decades it has been the Civic Center Gym. It still looks just about the same from the outside.
The dance was after the football game that evening and I went to the dance alone. I walked to the dance because I didn’t have a car and many kids in Benicia, boys and girls, walked in those days. Life isn’t like that today, which is sad for all of us.
The name of the boy my friend said wanted to see me was the boy on whom I think I must have had the biggest crush ever. He was a “heart throb”, tall, well mannered, athletic, and popular. But he had always been so reserved. It was as if he was calculating and selecting in everything he did.
We had gone to school together for years. Along that time we shared the experiences many kids had in the Benicia of that time. We never dated each other during that time.
Honestly, girls would almost hover around him at times from the seventh grade through high school. He was polite, laughed and joked with them all, and was a gentleman. In high school, until our senior year that night at the dance, he occasionally dated some of the girls in a sweet, and innocent, way.
The trophy case in front of where he stood waiting for me has long been located in the lobby of the present high school gym. He seemed to know from which door I would exit the gym area to the lobby and was looking right at me when I turned to see him.
Someone might think he was bold or that he would be nervous. I think, like anyone in the same setting, he was a little nervous, and he definitely had a degree of boldness. What he had overall was confidence. He had made a decision and was going to follow through on it and see what happened. I’m glad he did. Wow! He was a fast worker!
He asked me to go steady and we kissed in front of the trophy case. It is a good thing Principal Lawrence Hamann, that a sweet, caring man, didn’t see us. I don’t think he would have agreed with that demonstration of affection on campus.
I never went to a dance alone that year after that kiss, and neither did the boy who asked me to go steady. We dated a few times after we graduated, but doors to other places and other experiences called to each of us and opened to us.
I never went steady with anyone again until I met the man I married, whom I love dearly. There will always be a special place in my heart for the boy of my girlhood dreams who thought so well of me that he asked me to go steady.
(unsigned)

James Garrett is a lifelong resident of Benicia and a former teacher at Benicia High School. He is the author of the following novels: “Benicia and Letters of Love”, “The Mansion Stories”, “Chief Salt”, and “One Great Season, 9-0!” He also compiled a three-volume work entitled “The Golden Era: Benicia High School Football, The 1948 through 1960 Seasons, “A” History with Comments.” He can be contacted at jgstoriesnpoetry@aol.com.

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