When I had just turned fourteen, we had our first high school dance. A dance in an all girls country day and boarding school, I hear you ask? Yes, complete with decorated gym. And since I didn't know anyone, my roommate, whose mother had friends in the area, arranged for a blind date. He was a nice boy.
I don't really remember the dance or what I wore, it was the after party I remember. We were transported via the pregnant pumpkin . . . our name for the plump little sawed off yellow school bus used to move the boarders en masse when needed. The after party was held in the basement of a huge old homestead. My eyes went wild when I realized it was one big make-out fest. Should I mention at this point, how sheltered I was . . . or that boys were my best friends and playmates . . . not someone I wanted to be glued to . . . mouth to mouth, in someones darkened playroom. And to make matters worse, we were late and seating was at a premium. I was forced to sit on his lap. Not a parent in sight. Could I please just be swallowed by the earth now!!! And so he and I kissed. The earth still did not move.
Later back at the dorm, we were rehashing our evening. No one else it seems was the least freaked out . . . except me. And then my roommate mentioned that it was indeed possible to get pregnant with your clothes on - her brother having impregnated his girl friend while using a pair of undies for contraception. And so my brain started to reel. I had after all, sat on his lap . . . with our clothes firmly attached, but still. Huge tears rolled down my face. I was 14 and pregnant in 1963. Life was at an end. My friends all looked at me in such sorrow, not a one being any better informed about the birds and the bees. Apparently I began to sob because a housemother arrived and then the headmistress. She being the kindly soul that she was, managed to put two and two together and assure me that I was indeed not pregnant and that life could go on, but not before the housemother had called my father . . . In retrospect, I wonder how hard he chuckled.
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4 comments:
While I did not attend an all girls school, I was as backwards as you were when it came to the birdz and beez! I was probably the same age as you when I too learned how babies got here. You're not the only one!!
I remember walking home from school discussing this. We all agreed that the "act" was optional, and that our parents "would never do that"!
My Mom used to tell us that when she received her first kiss from our Dad she wanted to jump out of the window, because she thought she was pregnant too. I am telling you though that I would feel very uncomfortable with my kids at a place like that even today....great memories though!!
Not really sure how old I was when I learned the facts...still in elementary school, I'm sure. And, of course, having 8 younger siblings probably contributed to my early knowledge! That, and the fact that I was quite a precocious reader. :o)
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