The Two Birthdays I’ll Never Forget
Thinking about past birthdays, I have a few. Oh, a couple, but just a couple of very significant so-called celebrations.
Probably the most fun and rewarding celebration was one I planned to surprise my sister, Judy. She and her family had moved back to Wisconsin, so in my mind, this was a celebration. One of her much-anticipated and one for her birthday.
I found out that a very special person, Johnny Mathis, was performing in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. She always loved John Denver, and I couldn’t think of a better gift to give her. So, my husband, Michael, her husband, and I planned to pick her up from work to go to someplace special for the celebration. She became quite confused when we kept driving, as going to Milwaukee was quite a bit further than she anticipated for any special restaurant.
To say she was both surprised and pleased where we were going made all the secretive planning worthwhile. After the performance, we went to a very special restaurant, Maders also in Milwaukee,
I love these kinds of presents as memories are better than gifts any day.
Then on to the next not-so-nice birthday celebration. I said I can only remember two, and this one is a dandy.
It was the day and night of my eighteenth birthday. It was during a time that my long-time boyfriend and I decided to go our separate ways. You know, you go out with other guys, and he goes out with other girls, yeah, like that. It was a birthday where a couple of girls and I were going to go to the outdoor theatre. My father also, for the first time, let me use the family car.
Well, I was off for my fun night with the girls. We stopped at what was called Ward’s Dairy Bar. A teenage hangout that most parents didn’t care for, so, of course, that is where we had to go. While sitting in a booth by the window, my ex-boyfriend came past, exercising his idea of going out with other girls. This didn’t sit well, as he certainly didn’t waste any time replacing me, so when it was mentioned that there was a beer party going on in a field out of town, my friends and I were all in. It was still light out, and we could easily make the outdoor.
Approaching the field, driving for about a mile into a corn field, the party had already started. Beer was being passed around. Since I hate beer, I had no problem with not drinking.
Then the fun began. One of the girls who was to join us at my party drove in and announced that Art and my Father were on the way to the beer party. Panic set in, and another couple was in the front seat, and a guy who felt I was too intoxicated (Remember I hate beer), made me sit in the back with him, actually passed my dad and Art. We were going out, they were coming in. The next thing I knew, we were on Highway 151, stalled in the middle of the highway, and Art was pulling the driver out of the car, and they were fighting on the highway. To say my dad was traumatized is an understatement. Well, dad got the fight broken up, sent Art on his way, and took me (much to my dismay) and one of the girls home.
Well, that was the end of the outdoor, the sleepover, and I might add the use of my dad’s car ever again, and it made for the most memorable of all birthdays for me ever.
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