In February of 1970, I was a freshman at Henry County High School and I was preparing to have my first Valentine’s day with my first girlfriend at the time.
The only place that I remember that had a very nice selection of heart-shaped candy boxes was Ward Drug Company on the Square in McDonough. We would go there and look at the different sizes of heart-shaped candy boxes. Of course, the bigger the box, the more money you had to spend on your girlfriend.
There was always this one huge heart-shaped box displayed on an easel and we always wondered who in town received this Holy Grail box of candy. We did learn later on that there were several boxes that size and every time they sold a box, they brought out another from the back room in the drugstore. However, we didn’t know this at the time.
I had an old Ball wire top fruit jar that I saved my money in and I needed to find out how much was in there so I could figure out what size candy box I could afford.
Back to being in love for the first time. I had an English class with her and our teacher was Miss Snyder. Miss Snyder was an attractive tall, slender blonde fresh out of college. Now that I look back on it, I think I had a crush on her too. But I didn’t buy her any candy.
The whole ninth grade class had signed up to see the movie Romeo and Juliet at the McDonough Theater on the Square. The picture show, as we called it, was open during a school day just for the ninth grade students. You had to buy your ticket in advance and have a permission slip (remember those) from our parents saying it was OK to attend. Of course most everybody signed up to go because you got out of school. The only thing they didn’t do was bus students to the theater. We had to walk, which was fine with us because it took longer to get there and back and it took up another class period.
We were all very familiar with going to the picture show. This would be my first time with my girlfriend and I started planning the day in advance.
We left the school house, located on Cedar Street, after lunch that day and preceded down Covington Street (Now John Frank Ward) to the town Square.
I had two older sisters and they had their boyfriends coming over to our house quite often and I asked them what type of cologne the teenage boys liked to wear. They recommended English Leather. I went to Ward Drug Company and brought my first bottle. It came in a wooden box and had the largest wooden top on it and I have never seen one that large since. I thought if I wore some English Leather it might help my chances of getting to hold her hand at the right moment during the movie.
Now, I had never seen Romeo and Juliet before, but I knew it was about two young people falling in love with each other and they wanted to be together forever. I think we were supposed to read the book but I didn’t make it through the first chapter from what I remember. The book didn’t interest me very much but the girl did.
But sitting in a dark room with no windows, watching a giant movie screen, eating popcorn and drinking a sweet drink AND wearing English Leather, how could I go wrong? I knew this would work for sure with all of these ingredients. I might even get to put my arm around her, I thought. That would be a grand slam!
It was hard to concentrate on my girlfriend and the movie at the same time. We were told we would be tested on the movie and to pay attention, but the movie didn’t seem to be that important at the moment. I was waiting for that special moment and it finally came and I remember sliding my hand on top of hers. It worked and I was in hog heaven!
About the time I was getting ready to go for the arm movement. I looked over in the aisle and saw my mother walking towards me. I quickly dropped my hand and sat up straight. I know you are probably thinking, “what was your mother doing there?” My family owned the McDonough Theater and she had been called to get some more help in the concession stand. My cousin, Porter Maddox, and I worked in the concession stand on Saturdays. We would make seven dollars a day plus all the popcorn and drinks we could consume, but I had no plans on working that day.
What caused the rush in the concession stand was the fact that everyone who attended had already purchased their tickets, so whatever money they had left could all be spent on drinks and popcorn.
My romantic afternoon quickly came to an end and I had to go help out. The most popular drink was called a mixed drink – orange, grape and Coca Cola in one cup. It was really good. The hotdogs that were prepared in a steamer were a big hit too. I still have the steamer and it still works.
That was a day I have never forgotten and I think about it every Valentine’s Day. I think that if this happened today, the young people would have a hard time looking into each others eyes and holding hands at the same time. When you both have a cellphone in your hands and are texting at the same time, you are pretty much missing out on any romantic moment. I wish it was 1970 again. Happy Valentine’s Day! I think I’ll go fix a steamed hotdog and drink an orange, grape and Coca Cola mixed drink!
