I HEARD IT THRU THE GRAPEVINE - SOME Dirty Dancing at church? (OH DEAR!) - August 1987

https://youtu.be/hajBdDM2qdg

I Heard it Thru the Grapevine

AUGUST 12, 1987

Wednesday

Well, everything is great in my life right now. You know, things seem to be more calm with me when I’m content with myself and no particular guy is involved. Not to say NO guys are involved, because that wouldn’t be true. Let me tell you what’s going on.

This past weekend was one of the best! All the people involved in my weekend felt so too! I have been used to seeing Louis quite a bit. We’ve had plenty of rehearsals for our church-wide talent show “The Bells Are Ringing.” I was coordinator for the whole show and Louis, Mark, Don and I (all guys within my singles class) were in a pantomime of “I Heard it through the Grapevine.” It turned out really well. Some people said it was the best number of the show. The whole show went well and I felt great for it. Mom thinks the Grapevine number was one of the most natural and most professional things I’ve ever done. I did a lot of dancing which she’s never seen much of before.) The show went smoothly and everyone had fun. (2022 comment - The proceeds of the show went to help us buy bells for the church. They still use them today! The pantomine went something like this. We walked out onstage very reverent and serious like we were going to play handbells for church. Then that bass guitar comes on Boom, boom, boom, boom b.b.b.b.oom - "WE-ELL I guess you understand the news..." I lip-synced and the guys were my backup singers. We choreographed it and we were all in-sync.)

Somewhere this is on tape??

After the show, Don, Mark, LaReshia, Louis, my Sherri and I went to Bennigans. We had a blast! Sherri fit in great! The cutest thing was when LaReshia put her arm through Mark’s, Don immediately stopped, waiting for Sherri and she put her arm through his and I, it goes without saying, put my arm through Louis’s. IT was a wonderful evening and we were all high with excitement. We finished the evening off with singing in the church parking lot and dancing, for no other place to go.

I somehow made it to church the next day and was very pleased by our new “Flying Solo” class. LaDell Lewis was the teacher and I was impressed with his candidness and opaque manner. It was very refreshing. I was elected Class President!

(2022 comment- Remembering back, I remember a group of us - probably Mark, Don, LaReshia and I sat in Braums to come up with a name for our singles group. I also remember Cathy Flynt working there scooping us ice cream.)

That night after Sunday night church, the same group with Keith, Janet Patterson, Jeannie Runion and a new guy, Steve, went on a night-time picnic. That was fun, until the ants came. But we were about to leave anyway.

(2022 memory - I remember LaReshia and I having a private discussion on who we would date in this group. I said “Louis!” and she said yeah, that’d be good - and then she asked me “what about Keith?” I was just all about Louis… But I DO remember Keith having jeans on and when we were playing in August heat, he stripped his jeans off revealing shorts underneath.. I leaned over to ‘Reshia and said “well now he DOES have good legs!” We both laughed big-time!!

AUGUST 18, 1987

Tuesday

Does anyone understand life? If you do, please tell me coz’ I’m confused. Last night I had basically a good one. Louis is on vacation - so he’s in Garland - so we went out to J.T. McCord then went to see Stake Out with “Dreyfuss” (he’s again on my wonderful list) and Emilio Estevez. It was very good! But to backtrack when Louis came in, I gave him a very big hug (I hadn’t seen him for over a week, which is unusual.) I immediately said I missed him and he said he was rather surprised that he missed me also. (started out on a roll.) We went to eat and though we laughed, I immediately started thinking the fire (electricity, or whatever you call it) is not there, after all. You see, we had a phone conversation last Monday (a week ago) and it led me to believe that there were underlying feelings all along. But looking at him and in his eyes, I thought probably not. We, as always, did a lot of laughing and had fun there. I played around with what I thought might be hidden there, but nothing came out of it. For example, I said at one point when he leaned towards me, “Are we trying to get cozy now?” and things like that. He never played around with that. He seems to always let it slide. It makes me wonder if the flirting is gone… or, if it was ever there.

By the time we came back and visited for a couple of hours, I really tested him, but nothing. I even brought up the phone conversation last Monday and he seemed to be oblivious to what I was talking about. (I wish I had things like that taped, because he was saying flirty things.) We talked about his words exactly, “You seem to have these effects on these guys (meaning Barry, Randall, even Kevin and Bradley) but, he said rather puzzledly, not me.” That sorta floored me. He didn’t hurt me or anything but I guess it’s the realization of it all. That’s when it totally hit me that the electricity was just not there, for either of us. It’s funny… on paper, our likes and dislikes are extremely compatible, but no vives. Whereas, someone like Randall, we have nothing in common but my gosh, what electricity! What’s better? Of course, Randall and I are not seeing each other at this point (ever since I slammed the door in his face.) Oh what a tangled web we weave! Louis said he doesn’t really ever spend time thinking about relationships like most people do. I don’t know. Maybe he’s just different. Different than me. All of a sudden, I miss Randall.

(2022 comment - sorry readers, I don’t remember any argument or slamming the door in Randall’s face? - I really don’t think that happened.. Or not quite like that - chances are, Randall didn’t even know I was upset about something/anything.)

August 21, 1987

I ran into Mark Hall downtown and we met for lunch. We both worked downtown and would meet every once in a while. A bit of flirting going on...

AUGUST 26, 1987

Wednesday

Today is Bryant’s 33rd birthday. I’m taking him to a Chinese restaurant in the Plaza of the Americas for lunch in about 15 minutes. That’ll be nice. We’ve only had lunch twice since I’ve worked downtown; once when I first came to work and again after he and Therese’s divorce. I’m really looking forward to it.

Barry was baptized last Sunday. I was so excited for him - I became very teary-eyed. This is something I have been wanting for him since I’ve known him. He just wasn’t ready before now. Sometimes I feel God knows this and he talks to us when we’re ready to listen. It is funny though, how he just wouldn’t listen to me back then, in fact, he told me it bothered him that I prayed. He couldn’t fathom the thought of me relying or wanting someone besides him, even God and religion. But what matters now, is that it’s finally happened for him.

Also, I heard some interesting things about Randall from him. LaDonna (who is Randall’s Louis, if you know what I mean; his good platonic friend and confidante) told Barry that Randall was in the dumps and depressed because we weren’t seeing each other. He also told her that when Carlos followed me back from Mexico, Randall thought he’d lost me. I called her yesterday and told her that when she saw Randall next, to let him know I wanted to talk to him. She said that would be a great idea; he was depressed and we needed to talk.

August 30, 1987

Spent the whole day with Randall