NAMESAKE

GIRL WITH A BLACK HAT

 

Two teen girls, best friends, wanted one thing more than anything else in the world. They wanted boys to know they were alive, to like them, ask them to a movie. I was one of the two girls who had no luck.
We loved to jitterbug, but had no partners to toss us over their heads, through their legs. Some times in the evening when the grocery store had closed and their lit long tiled entrance was swept clean, Betty and I would practice our steps there. Our hopes of getting some attention, a partner or two never happened.  In retrospect, if I were a boy, I wouldn't have stopped for those two dopey girls either.

 

Betty was a newcomer to America. She and her whole family moved here from Puerto Rico. There were eight of them who managed to live on the second floor above the grocery store. Betty never invited me upstairs to see their place or meet their family, but she met mine. Okay, Betty had a big family but more than that she had big tits and I was still flat. Betty forced me to wear a bra and fill it with tissue paper. It was uncomfortable and always lopsided. I packed it away in the bottom of my dresser drawer for future use.

 

One evening after dinner she didn't meet me, nor the next evening either. I rang her doorbell and her mother yelled out the window, 'Ella, no esta aqui.' I knew no Spanish but knew what Mrs. Danzig meant. Night three not only is Betty where we always met, she is holding hands with a really cute boy. With a big, gloating smile she introduced Roy to me. 'We're going to Wally's for Root Beer Floats. Want to come along?' she asked and added, 'Dutch Treat.' I was glad for Betty but angry at myself, The Dud. Like the Three Musketeers, we walked three abreast, with Roy in the middle, had our floats and I gave Roy my fifteen cents while he paid the other thirty.

 

Our friendship, our lives changed a lot. Betty and Roy were together almost every evening, Saturdays and Sundays. My mother kept begging me to make new friends, join a club, go to the YWHA and stop crying around the house like a weeping willow ready to die. I tried and finally met Lucy who loved dancing too. We went to all the Astaire/ Rogers, Donald O'Connor, Anne Miller movies, but it was not the same as when
Betty and I practiced.

 

Terrible news was spreading around. Betty ran away with Roy to Elkton and got married. Her parents threw her out of the apartment. I heard more news, all nasty, all ugly, and ached for my old friend. She and Roy were living in a tiny apartment, really awful–and she was getting fat. Out walking just to fill some time, I bumped into Betty, tried to avoid staring at her belly, but didn't think I succeeded. I did manage to hug her and ask 'How are you, Betty? Are you happy?'  Her eyes lit up like fourth of July rockets. 'Our place is small but will you come visit us? Roy has a really great, close  boyfriend named Brandon. You'll love him. We are 1121 Woodmont. Saturday at 2, O.K.? Betty didn't wait for my answer. She waved as she wobbled away.

 

I was excited, had a sort of blind date and knew just what I would wear. My mom had her dressmaker measure me and make a new fall outfit for me just in case we had someplace to go or I got a real date.
I wore a new bra because the hidden one I never wore was  way too small. My black velvet pencil line skirt and green/gray tweed short jacket fit perfectly. Black pumps, short leather gloves and my pride, a wide, black velvet hat, something like English ladies wore to tea, mAde me feel pretty, impressive.

 

Betty was waiting outside for me. She tried to whistle but only spit came out. We both laughed. The stairs were tricky for her so I stayed behind to be sure she didn't fall. I was sweating with a bad case of nerves.  Roy was standing at the railing waiting for us. He had a glass of beer in his hand, offered me one, but I declined. 'Come on into the kitchen, Rhona, Brandon is anxious to meet you. My heart raced. The look on Brandon's face startled me. There was a glow as if he saw an angel, or maybe god. He gulped before he could say, 'Hi, I'm Brandon. Are you a movie star? You look gorgeous. I love your big black velvet hat. It really becomes you. ' The flattery darn near floored me. 'Let's go someplace nice for lunch. The treats on me.' We agreed on Burger Bill's and enjoyed everything. Betty couldn't eat the fried onions she said as they made her sick.

 

Brandon and I knew that something magical, electrical, had happened to us. He had me wear my big black velvet hat everywhere we went. He loved it and me.

 

When spring came, I bought a big, white straw hat and got engaged to Brandon. Betty named her daughter after me, Hattie.