Prom Memories

Hey, romantics, this is Paul. Robin is on the road this week. She left me in charge of this week’s Love Notes, so here goes…

I’ll bet I’ve been to more proms than you. Eleven in all. Seven as a school administrator, three as a teacher, and one as a student. I’ve been to proms in high school gyms, country clubs, private resorts, and one that was actually held in someone’s home. Robin’s prom was at the Westin Crown Center in Kansas City. Fancy, fancy.
 
So when it comes to proms, I’ve seen some stuff.
 
Like the prom where fried chicken was served for dinner. As the evening progressed, we noticed more and more girls with greasy stains on their gowns, just below their armpits and… ah… on their backsides. A little detective work led us to the answer. The gowns tended to ride down on top, so the ladies would hoist them back into place. And their derrieres? Well, the lights were low and apparently so were the hands of some of our young men. 
 
Then there was the Hawaiian-themed prom. A group of enterprising students created commemorative t-shirts they sold for ten bucks each.
 
I got lei’d at SCHOOL NAME prom. 
 
You can imagine how those went over. Small town, conservative values. It was my job to get those shirts back before they went public. There were seventy-three, as I recall. Students resisted until it was announced that prom would not begin until every shirt was accounted for. The last ones came in less than an hour before the doors were to open.
 
So, what do you do with seventy-three suggestive t-shirts? Well, let’s just put it this way. The cafeteria staff had some interesting dish rags the following fall. You cannot make this stuff up.
 
Did you go to your prom? What do you remember? Was it as magical as you hoped or a complete disaster? Mine was… not so good. But also really sweet. My date’s name was Teri. She was one of the most popular girls in our class. I have no idea why she didn’t have a date, but I’m pretty sure I know why I didn’t. I was a shy, nearsighted kid with no car or driver’s license. It took me two weeks to work up the nerve to ask her to go. She said she needed to think about it over the weekend. Talk about a long weekend. Then, on Monday, she said yes! There was only one problem. Prom was in five days, and I didn’t have a tuxedo. Mom and I rushed to the local men’s shop, only to discover that the only color still available was brown. No one – no one – wore brown in the colorful, disco-infused 1970s. I know Teri was disappointed when I told her. Her dress was light blue. 
 
So, let’s recap: Teri had to drive and my tux clashed with her dress. Still, she was totally cool. She picked me up. We ran back to her house for pictures before dinner. I scored points by making reservations at one of the ritziest restaurants in the area. Unfortunately, we blew a tire on the way. A college-aged guy stopped and offered to change it. A true knight in shining armor. After he finished, Teri gave him her number and asked him to call her sometime. 
 
Ouch.
 
Despite the rocky start I have pleasant memories of prom night. We dined on crab imperial, had our picture taken in front of a fake bridge, gorged ourselves on finger foods, and danced more than we sat. I left for college later that summer. Teri and I didn’t cross paths again until our fifteen-year class reunion. She lost her life in an accident a few years later. When I think of her, and prom, I smile. 
 
How about you? Favorite prom memories? Share them in the comments below or on our Facebook page.