So, last night I told the story of getting to know my best bud. I guess I could write a whole book, so I suppose as I answer a lot of the questions in my book, she'll be a part of the story. But, before I move on to another question, it seems there's another part of our history that I need to share because it had a major part in framing our lives for the past forty years!
I know teenagers today are constantly texting and tweeting and playing with gizmos and gadgets. I'm sure it brings them a lot of happiness. I just don't understand how it could possibly compare to 2-3 hour long conversations on the phone with your friend. Typically, Lanie and I would walk home from school together; first to one house to change clothes and drop off books and then to the other house where we'd hang out 'til supper time. The other one would go home, we'd each eat dinner and then we'd be on the phone for the rest of the evening. Frequently, my mom or my dad or my brother would come up and say "Who are you talking to?" They'd get a look like "Duh!" and I'd say "I'm talking to Elaine."
"I thought Elaine just went home."
"She did."
"And you didn't have enough time to talk?"
"We're doing our homework."
"Do you need help?'
"No."
"Does she need help?"
"No."
"Then why are you doing your homework on the phone?'
Just 'cause it was more FUN to do it that way!!! "Wha'd you get for number three?"..."What?!?"
"That's not what I got. How'd you get it?" And so on, and so on, over and over and over....
And then there were the sleepovers. Those were always fun. But best of all were the nights we spent in Corny. Now talking about Corny is a different topic, but Elaine & I and Corny created some fabulous memories...
The great thing about sleeping in Corny was the bedrooms. We always stayed in the "Big Cabin" where the bedroom upstairs was one big room with a curtain to separate one double bed from the other. The top of my dad's head was always on Lanie's right side. Invariably, Lanie and I would have to talk before we went to sleep and talking would usually erupt into giggles and before you knew it, Dad would be telling us to knock it off and go to sleep. But it was so HARD! I mean we had to recap the day! And what did we have to recap that we couldn't talk about the whole day when we were together? My cousin, Norm!
Norm is nine years older than me; born between my two brothers and the youngest son of my closest aunt and uncle. Consequently, I grew up with Norm as a part of my life. He was another brother. And, I assume, I was the kid sister he didn't have. At least that's how he treated me. Tolerated me, teased me, spoiled me, got annoyed with me; you know how it goes. Well, he was always just my cousin, until the first summer I invited Lanie to go to Corny with us. What a hoot that was! Lanie who didn't even own a swimming suit and felt that she was being exceptionally brave holding onto the pier and sitting in the water! Wooooo! I can't be too hard on her though. I couldn't swim either, but that's another blog! Anyway... that summer was when Elaine developed a king-sized crush on Norm and the crush just kept getting stronger and stronger year after year!
One time, Norm brought his fiancee to Corny with him! Wow! Was that ever a BAD week! I don't even remember the girl's name; I just remember thinking she was NOT the right girl for him! Not that I really thought there was a chance in the world that anything would ever really happen between Lanie and Norm, I mean he was so OLD! But, I was smart enough to recognize that he sure laughed a lot more and had a lot more fun around Lanie than he did with her!
So, Norm... yep. Lanie and I used to lay in bed at night and talk and giggle about her marrying Norm and then we'd be cousins and how great that would be. And then we'd joke because there was a girl in our school named Carolyn Hansen and because of her people always used to get Lanie and I confused and I'd be Carol Hanson and she'd be Elaine Zielke. So then we decided that that would solve the problem. She'd marry Norm and then she'd really BE Elaine Zielke and I'd find and marry some guy named Hanson and I could be Carol Hanson and that would be the way it was supposed to be! Maybe that's what's missing from MY life. Maybe I need to be looking for a man named Hanson. Come to think of it, there is a man named Hanson that I work with in the Seattle Temple... Hmmmm.. I don't think his wife would like it very much if I started hitting on him though! Well, we got it half right!
Sometimes I wonder if Norm & Elaine were really aware of everything I did; all the pains I took to take every opportunity to push them together. Maybe Lanie knew, 'cause she knew that I knew how much she liked him. Maybe Norm knew and just didn't let on and appreciated that I was always throwing jail bait in front of him! If we were swinging in the neighbor's tree swing, I'd ask Norm for a push and then say it was Lanie's turn, so he had to push her too. If the three of us were going somewhere in Norm's nifty Thunderbird, I'd volunteer to sit in the back seat, so she'd get to sit in the front with him... oh my heavens... I'll never forget the first cute, corny flirt that I ever heard from him! We're riding along and all of a sudden I see Norm reach over and pat Lanie's shoulder and he says "Yep. Sure is." I think we both just kinda looked at him like he was nuts, until he pointed to a sign on the side of the road that said "Soft Shoulder." What a cornball! And then there was the day Lanie was shaving her legs in the lake and he saw her shaving her toes and she learned that hairy toes are a sign of being crazy. Theirs was definitely a unique relationship, but boy did we have a lot of fun every summer!
Although Norm wouldn't ask Lanie out while we were in high school (and consequently, she missed our Senior Prom), I think it was only a week or two after graduation when he actually asked her out! I think I was just as excited as she was, because I knew then it was just a matter or time before my best friend really would become my cousin! It's kind of funny. To this day when I tell people about her, I never really know what to call her. It's easiest to just say my cousin, but she's so much more than that. And yet, to say she's my best friend seems to dismiss the fact that she is really, truly family! To quote the Pointer Sisters of the seventies: "We. Are. Fam-i-ly....." Love ya Buddy!
No comments:
Post a Comment