Our theme for this Anniversary Week, so far, is “Scott vs. Fate.” Fate tried and tried to put Misty and I together. Looking back it seems that the harder fate tried to get us together the harder I tried to derail the process. So far in our story (through 1988) the score stands at Scott 2, Fate 0. The high school years were not much. Here are a couple of examples.
Following the Opryland trip at the end of 8th grade I was thrilled when I had three classes with Misty to start 9th grade. Eventually, because of some schedule changes that was pared down to one. That one class was English class. By the second semester I sat directly in front of Misty. This led to much conversation.
Later that year we had a chance meeting at Hickory Hills Cinema, our local theater at the time. A friend (or 2) and I were going to see something, probably Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure for the second or third time. When we got there we saw Misty and a friend or two. We ended up going to see whatever it was that they were there to see. Sadly enough, I think it was Police Academy 6.
The following week was a flurry of activity among our mutual friends. I remember more than one conversation all following the same pattern.
“Do you like her?”
“Yes.”
“She likes you.”
“OK.”
“Are you going to ask her out?”
“I guess.”
I don’t specifically recall asking her out on a date. That very well could have come by proxy. To this day, I have no idea how it happened. Regardless, by the spring of 1989 we started dating.
Scott 2, Fate 1.
We “dated” for about 3 months. For two non-driving 9th graders, this meant that my mom would drive me to Misty’s house to pick her up, and then drive both of us to the movies. After the movie the two of us would walk over to Pizza Hut to eat. Then we would sit on the curb and wait for my mom to pick us up.
We went a few other places together. We went to the Miss Spring Fling pageant at Forest Hills (because her mom wouldn’t let her go to the Sadie Hawkins Dance). We attended the Miss Bradshaw pageant. I can’t say we went together, though. I met Misty there following a Baseball game (still in uniform). I spent most of the night trying to keep my baseball spikes from sliding on the slick concrete floor of the auditorium.
Misty even convinced me to participate in the Spring Fling Flung pageant. This was a male “beauty” pageant. This led to me and another freshman in the same dress (actually two dresses sewn together) as lip-synching Siamese twins in front of the entire student body. We carried a guitar and lip-synched to the Judd’s “Mama He’s Crazy.” We did not win, but there is photographic evidence floating about somewhere.
There were other “dates” as well. Mostly, though those three months were spent writing notes in school (I still have all of the notes she wrote to me) and talking on the phone for hours upon hours. I’m pretty sure it was around this time that my parents decided my brother and I needed our own phone line.
Through all of that I think I finally managed to hold her hand. Three months and I couldn't even kiss her. It was all I could do just to hold her hand. I remember sitting on the curb outside of Pizza Hut, looking at her hand, and agonizing over what to do. When it came to girls, I was such a pansy.
Eventually school ended and so sis our dates. We became a phone only couple. After a few weeks, I said or did something stupid, got mad, and hung up on her. That was the end. I spent the summer regretting it and waiting for the new school year to begin. I hoped and prayed that we would have more classes together. We didn’t. She had a new boyfriend.
Scott 3, Fate 1
Later that year we reconnected. We started talking on the phone from time to time. As the months and years went by we talked more and more. Through our high school years we became very good friends. I would call her or she would call me almost nightly. If Misty was out, I would talk to her mom for a few minutes. I found out later that she would later tell Misty, “That pitiful Scott Coats called again.” Her mom liked me, for the time being.
Finally during our senior year romantic stirrings began once again. Once again my fear and hesitation would get in the way.
By this time I considered Misty one of my best friends. We talked often about almost anything. Except dating. I could never quite bring myself to broach the subject.
Prom approached. At this point our friends, once again, got involved. They knew we were good friends and they all knew we wanted to be more than friends. The matchmaking began in earnest.
“Scott, are you going to ask Misty to prom?”
“Misty, if Scott asks you to prom will you go?”
“Scott, if you ask her she’ll say yes.”
This went on for a few weeks. Misty and I were talking every night. Once again, I fought fate. I could not bring myself to ask her. Night after night I would stretch out the conversation as long as I could, trying to build up my nerve. Night after night I would start to ask then hesitate. Night after night I would hang up the phone then spend hours stomping and screaming, furious at myself.
With about a month to go before prom I knew I had to do it. We talked on the phone as we did every night. I tried my best to stretch the conversation out. I tried my best to build up the nerve to ask. We hung up. I was furious again. I’d had enough.
I picked up the phone and redialed Misty’s number. She answered almost immediately. Finally, after weeks of promises to friends and self-loathing, I asked. “Will you go to prom with me?”
Her answer stung worse than any punch I’ve ever felt. “No.”
She went on to explain. I’d waited too long. She got tired of waiting. Someone else had already asked her and she said yes. She was going to prom with a friend of mine.
I dropped the phone’s receiver onto the cradle and sat on the edge of my bed in shock. I was devastated. I felt betrayed. I felt stupid. I felt like throwing things.
And that’s where the high school portion of our story ends. Me devastated, betrayed, and stupid. Misty dating someone else.
Scott 4, Fate 1 and we’re entering the late innings. Fates chances are not looking good.
Luckily, we all know the outcome.
P.S. It wasn’t long after that that I forgave (mentally anyway) the friend. He probably never knew how mad I was. I was never mad at him, though. I was mad at me. In fact he reads the blog now. So I should take this chance to say, sorry if I ever acted like a jerk after that. It’s only because I was a jerk.
Tomorrow: Fate wins the pennant, Fate wins the pennant!
Reading these anniversary posts is a high point of the days this week. So glad you have such a vivid memory of this! Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteI think if that friend read the blog he would say that he honestly always wondered if there were long-lasting hard feelings about the way everything happened senior year (even though you never showed it) and would be very happy (even 18 years later) to know that there weren't. He would probably also tell you that being at your wedding was one of his fondest memories of "early adulthood," not just because it was the first time that 2 people his own age, that he knew well, were getting married, but that they were both very good and valued friends of his, and he had a feeling that they had always been right for each other. Obviously he was right about that one. That's just a guess (although and educated one) of what he might say. Happy Anniversary!
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