… Jenny Lee was frantic, well, maybe more than
frantic, as she prepared herself for the big number that she was to sing at the
State U senior class dance coming up in a couple of weeks in early December just
before the semester break. This would be the last time that she would be able
to impress a certain young man, a fellow classmate, a fellow Class of 1964
classmate, as well. Impress him enough in her scheme of things, her methodically
thought out plan, that he and she would be walking arm and arm around the dance
floor come May and the senior prom. Of such plans kingdoms have been made, and
broken.
Now the reason that Miss Jennifer Lee was frantic
was that her singing sisters, not biological but musical sisters, The Velvetones,
and members of her graduating class as well had not learned the song that Jenny thought
was sure to set that certain young man’s heart aflame, their cover of the
Shirelles’ I Met Him On A Sunday. Among
the reasons for that delay was Betty Barnard’s little problem, her little two
months pregnant problem (a story worthy of its’ own sketch but this is about
Jenny so we will move on) a hard fact that Jenny only found out about a couple of
days before, Sarah Kelly’s fear that she
would not pass her biology class (taken for the second time after not being
passed freshman year) and not graduate with her class in June (and more importantly
not marry Arch Devlin as planned that month since he had insisted, pretty
please insisted, that they both be graduated before walking down the aisle), and
Susie Ricco was having boy trouble, voice trouble, car trouble, parent trouble,
boy trouble again, term paper trouble, applying for graduate school trouble, and just plain ordinary vanilla trouble depending
on the day, hell, hour, hell, minute, you posed the question. Jesus.
Normally Jenny would not worry about the girls being
behind in their song preparations since they had been doing a local (college dance
and local bar scene) girl doo wop act that had been a great hit (although
slowing a little lately she noted) since the spring of freshman year. They had
wooed audiences with their covers of He’s
So Fine, Leader of The Pack, My Boyfriend’s Back and the myriad other songs
that were like catnip to budding love boys and girls alike just then. But this
was different; this one had to be perfect, Johnny Price perfect (the now named
object of her desire). No mistakes, especially as she was planning (via Johnny’s
co-operating friend Trig Smith) to be singing her parts directly in his direction.
See she had met him on a Sunday, that glorious Sunday in late October of this year
and they had been off and on flirting, dating, flirting since then. This was to
be the icing on the cake.
As the big dance day approached things were a little
better with a couple of days to go (although Betty was perfectly sick most of
the time and Susie was having boy trouble number three for the year), but not
exactly the way she wanted them. She was ready to cry when she scheduled two
intense sessions for the day before the dance. Things did not look good. Then the
earth fell in. Trig called to say Johnny had been called away and would not be
attending the dance. She collapsed. About an hour later though the world turned
a big sun red bright again when Johnny called. Called to say (1) he was sorry
that he would miss the dance and her doo wop (he repeatedly said he was really
crazy about her group’s singing), (2) Trig had filled him in about what she had
intended to do at the dance, and (3) oh yah, would she go to the senior prom
with him in May. Of such acts kingdoms are made, made indeed.
… hence I Met
Him On A Sunday.
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