A Slice of Life
Bill Lites
The way I remember it, over time I kinda lost some of my interest in Rita, and found Divoran to be a lot more interesting and easier to talk to. Soon, we were talking to each other, on the phone, almost every evening. I believe she was losing interest in Bud at the same time. One day I told DiVoran I had something I wanted to ask her, and could I come over to her house.
When I got there, DiVoran remembers, I seemed a little nervous, so her mother offered me a basket of potatoe chips. I set the basket of chips on the footstool in front of the chair I was sitting in. As we talked and I munched away, I dropped some crumbs on my pants. In a nervous jester to brush the crumbs off my pants, I inadvertently knocked the basket of chips over, and the chips spilled all over the living room rug. Divoran burst out laughing. Boy was I embarrassed! But then we were both laughing, and she assured me that it wasn’t a problem and helped me pick up the chips. The reason I had gone to see DiVoran was to ask her if she would go out with me. When I asked her, she said, “What? I thought we’re just good friends!” “We are.” I said. Then she said, “But I’ve never flirted with you! You are the only boy I haven’t flirted with.” She was surprised, and didn’t know what to say. But then, after she got over the shock, she said, “Yes, I’ll go out with you, but what about Rita?” I told her that I didn’t think Rita was really very interested in me anymore, and that she had all but told me so.
The next thing I remember, we were enjoying running around together all over town, on my motorcycle or in my 1940 Chevy; going to movies, roller skating, playing miniature golf and going to the local A&W Drive-in for hamburgers and malts. One night we were parked, in the Chevy, on a high ridge overlooking the city lights, and one of the local radio stations was signing-off (midnight). Their theme song was the beautiful “Canadian Sunset” instrumental softly playing in the background. The announcer said, “At this time we are closing out our day’s activities with the beautiful “Canadian Substitute. Join us tomorrow at 6:00 AM…” by then we were both laughing our heads off. To this day, we still laugh every time we hear that song played. I asked DiVoran to go steady with me that night. I gave her my class ring to wear around her neck on a gold chain. She said it was too big and too expensive, and gave it back to me. I was so upset by her rejection that I threw the ring out the car window. She was shocked! Then we both got serious and got out to look for it. She finally realized how serious I was about her having my ring, that she took it and wore it. We finished out the school year having a great time going places, talking and laughing our way together.
–—-To Be Continued—–
Bill is a retired Mechanical engineer living with his wonderful artist/writer wife, DiVoran, of 63 years in Titusville, Florida. He was born and raised in the Southwest, did a tour of duty with the U.S. Navy, attended Northrop University in Southern California and ended up working on America’s Manned Space Program for 35 years. He currently is retired and spends most of his time building and flying R/C model airplanes, traveling, writing blogs about his travels for Word Press and supporting his wife’s hobbies with framing, editing and marketing. He also volunteers with a local church Car Care Ministry and as a tour guide at the Valiant Air Command Warbird Museum there in Titusville. Bill has two wonderful children, two outstanding grandchildren, and a loving sister and her husband, all of whom also live in Central Florida, so he and DiVoran are rewarded by having family close to spend lots of quality time with.
One of Bill’s favorite Scriptures is: John 10:10
Old Things R New 
I wonder what happened to Rita and Bud. I am looking forward to the rest of the series.
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