Three Word Wednesday - The Gravel Pits
Liberal (Adjective) - open to new behavior or
opinions and willing to discard traditional values. (of education) concerned mainly with
broadening a person's general knowledge and experience, rather than with
technical or professional training.
(Noun) -a person of liberal views.
Profane- adjective relating or devoted to that which
is not sacred or biblical; secular rather than religious or a person or their
behavior) not respectful of orthodox religious practice; irreverent.
(Verb)-treat (something sacred) with irreverence or
disrespect.
Quarrelsome (Adjective)- given to or characterized
by arguing.
This
story is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either
products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance
to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely
coincidental. All rights reserved.
Summer seemed long and boring in Delaware, Ontario.
A small city surrounded by farms and lots of highway screamed dull, dreary and
mind numbing, repetitive events at the town hall. Bingo was played by the
adults four times a week. Once a week there was a teen dance; but really there
was much to do in the summer unless you walked, or biked miles to swim in the
abandoned Komoka gravel pits which had filled up with water. All the teens did
it at least those who didn’t work on the family farms did.
Kathleen
Jones hated living there. She hated that her parents had died and she now lived
with her Great- Aunt Frieda. It was nineteen seventy, Kathleen should be going
to great concerts and seeing the great bands that came through London, that is
if her parents were alive and she still lived in nearby London, Ontario. Instead
she was stuck in Dullsville; miles and miles of pastoral land far from any of the
biggest cities where all the cool bands came. She thought about hitchhiking to
London, but that was fraught with danger. There had been so many horror stories
about that and just last year a young girl had been kidnapped and murdered. She shivered at the thought that they still
hadn’t found the killer.
Great-Aunt Frieda had kept Kathleen close to home
for months. She had even balked at Kathleen going to the gravel pit with
friends. Great- Aunt Frieda had become quarrelsome and difficult. Great-Aunt
Frieda had ranted about how liberal parents were becoming and how she would not
succumb to such frivolity as to allow the sexes to come together at a swimming
hole and how anyone could grab young girls there. She had insisted on more
visits to the nearby church for prayer. When Kathleen had recoiled at so much
religious instruction Great-Aunt Frieda had gone on and on about how it was a
serious matter to profane a church. She hadn’t profaned a church talk about exaggeration.
After Kathleen promised to study her bible, Great-Aunt Frieda allowed her to
frequent the boring weekly dances. Kathleen longed to go to the gravel pits and
sun in her bikini and show off to some of the boys in their classes like some
of her friends. Tommy Gunderson had begged her to show up and join him and some
of his buddies from a swim and a picnic. Frankly Kathleen was flattered. Tommy
was a year older and all the girls wanted him to ask them out.
Kathleen had
finally convinced her that Great-Aunt Frieda would take all precautions and not
get into any vehicles even of people she knew if Great-Aunt Frieda had only let
her go. Great-Aunt Frieda would only allow Kathleen to go with her best friend
Terri if her brother, Karl came with them to the gravel pit.
Karl annoyed Kathleen. He was two years older than
Terri and Kathleen and bossy. If there had been a choice Kathleen would never
have agreed but she wanted to go she had to see Tommy. And Tommy had to see her
in her teeny weeny yellow polka dot bikini. So they would ride their bikes tomorrow and stop at
the Sulfur Springs for a sip of water and then on to the gravel pits for a
refreshing swim. She could hardly wait.
To be continued next week
©Sheilagh Lee July 23, 2014
Although a bother I think Great Aunt Frieda may be proved to have a point...but as a dullsville baby myself I would be heading for that gravel pit too...
ReplyDeletethank you for reading Jae Rose. I actually lived in Delaware for two years as a kid and even living in London we biked the several miles to the gravel pits in the summer, It took hours.
ReplyDeleteMy college boyfriend grew up in a small town and said there was nothing to do, so everyone was into drinking, drugs, sex, or some combination of the three. Frieda's worries are no doubt correct, but she isn't offering an attractive alternative to teen culture, either.
ReplyDeleteDefinitely sometimes too much clamping down can lead to secret rebellion as well. thanks for reading Ann.
ReplyDeleteHaving done such things just after WW2 in the UK I can understand her frustration. Perhaps things were safer then. Certainly going in groups helps but not with acquaintances that probably dont care two bits about you. Trouble is looming but that is your forte isn't it Sheilagh?
ReplyDeleteLove the story, Sheilagh. In my childhood I enjoyed summer very much: no school, reading and playing...Love, how you make alive surroundings: 'highway screamed dull' - just one of them ~ waiting for more, of course :)x
ReplyDeletethank you for reading old egg we'll have to wait until next week to find out the trouble Kathleen gets in.
ReplyDeleteThank you humbird, I did too, but I'm channeling my older sisters who were teens in the late sixties and found Delaware dull.
Kathleen wants to see Tommy so also Tommy wanting to see Kathleen. Let them be, hoping nothing untoward happens! Nicely Sheilagh!
ReplyDeleteHank
We'll see Hank read today's post to find out more.
ReplyDelete