What if I would have gone to my Senior Prom with this guy...would I have forgotten all about it?
Well in the past month or so my friend, Doug, and I have been having an ongoing conversation on facebook in which he remembers taking me to my Senior Prom. I remember that he took my friend, Julie, to her Senior Prom and she is a few years older than me. He says he asked her and she does not remember going with him. So, because he remembers the tux, the car etc., I decided to just give up and go along with the memory. I mean I would have wanted to go to my Senior Prom with Doug, so why not just remember it that way....so here it goes, my story entitled, "What if.... I went to the Senior Prom with Doug Farrer"
It was Spring of 1982, and the Senior Prom was quickly approaching. I'd had a great experience at my Jr. Prom, with Lance Malone and I was really hoping beyond hope that he'd perhaps take me again. That wasn't to be, he had some other prior engagement. I was beginning to feel an enormous amount of stress because I didn't have a date and the time was drawing closer, I couldn't go dateless to the Senior Prom, I mean I was the lead actress in both school plays, a class senator in student government, a Wrestlerette and the class Salutatorian. I knew none of the guys in my class would ask me, they were all spoken for with girlfriends. I was not girlfriend material at Indian Springs.
My prayers were answered when a week before the prom I received a phone call from the white knight himself, Doug Farrer. He was attending BYU and said that he'd been informed by his mother that I did not have a date to the prom and he was offering to take me. Well, my heart just did about a thousand mega beats in those few moments and I graciously accepted his kind offer, believing in my 18 year old heart that this would surely top the junior prom riding in the MGB with Lance playing Paul H. Dunn talks the whole way to and from Indian Springs...well, maybe not the whole way, we did talk some. I mean, I knew Doug, he was funny, athletic and nice, oh and not to forget...very good looking! There was one small hurtle, he was 6' 4" and I was barely 5'. But I didn't let that worry me too much.
I quickly set out to secure a dress, the one I had seen in the window of one of the formal shops in the mall. They had my size and I just had to have a few minor alterations, like about 8 inches cut off the bottom, even with my 4" heels... So I had my RED dress and found some matching red nail polish and shoes and I eagerly awaited the evening of the prom! Oh and I didn't tell anyone that I was going to be coming with Doug, I wanted it to be a suprise.
As I got ready for the BIG event. I spent two hours putting hot rollers in my hair and using the curling iron to get all the layers just perfectly in place and the height just right. I sprayed on a ton of hairspray and fixed my makeup, then tried to calm the fighting tigers in my stomach...I was overly nervous with excitement. Then he came. Pulled up in the YELLOW CADILLAC, OWWW!!! My family and I watched him come up the driveway and on to the porch, I was at my bedroom window just peeking out one corner of the pull down shade, with my mom. My dad, brothers and sisters were all fighting for a place at the front window, with their noses pressed to the window and their arms waving furiously at Doug..(You see, we all loved him). He looked so amazing in his White tux, with Black lapels, he was carrying a coursage. The wrist kind, red roses with white baby's breath! My dad opened the door and with his big smile, Doug came in and said hello to everyone. I came out, and he said in his amazing Doug Farrer way..."Inez, you look GREAT!" I turned as red as my dress and managed to croak out the words, "You look very handsome." I thought I was going to burst with happiness. I was going to my Sr. prom with Doug Farrer, nothing could be better at that moment.
We went to eat dinner at the Mt. Charleston Lodge; the dinner was amazing and all paid for by our good friends the Orcutt's who owned the lodge...they were so wonderful, years later when Eric and I had our reception, they provided all the food and didn't charge us one single penny! Oh, but back to my Sr. prom with Doug. I'm sure we ate steak and lobster or something wonderful like that...but how can I possibly remember what I ate when I was sitting there with DOUG FARRER!
We drove the 50 miles to Indian Springs and had lots to talk about. He told me about BYU and all his adventures and I was so excited because I would be heading to BYU in the fall. We arrived at the Indian Springs High School theater..which is where we had our proms. It was decorated beautifully with balloons and crate paper and I'm sure there was a disco ball hanging from the ceiling. The music was so good and as we walked in everyone gasped..the music stopped and everyone turned to look at us! Yes, I had done it, I had the right date at the right moment and we stopped the music just by entering and we took the dance floor..the music started again and we began to dance to Human League's "Don't you want me baby". The 4" heels really helped a lot, and I had practiced walking and dancing in them, since I am not known for wearing high heels...I was proud of myself I only stumbled once and Doug caught me. I have to admit some of the time Doug did have to lift me off the floor, I mean especially for slow songs like "Love Lift us Up where we belong" and he even got down on his knees to dance with me for "Rosanna". Oh but we got everyone in the whole place dancing to "867-5309 (Jenny)". We danced and danced and danced!!! You should've seen Doug bust the move (Is that the right term?) It was almost like that famous scene in Saturday Night Fever!!! Maybe there were even a few Bee Gee songs that night. It was an amazing night and Doug didn't step on my feet not even once. Infact, if I remember correctly, he let me stand on his feet for awhile, just to help me "stand a little taller" and relieve his back muscles from trying to bend over so I wouldn't have to kink my neck so much.......
It was time to drive home, and on the way up the Mountain road, we stopped for just a few moments...it's not what you're thinking...we stopped to get out and see the lights of Las Vegas. They really are amazing on a clear night from that vantage point..or at least they used to be back in 1982! I do believe we saw some wild horses and a desert tortoise crossing the road, Doug was so good to stop and let it cross. I didn't really want the evening to end, it had been so magical and Doug was the nicest prom date, he was a real gentleman and we never ran out of things to talk about, even though there were times in our riding home from Mutual all those years we didn't always have that kind of ease between us. I'm sure it had something to do with the fact that I was "so mature" at 18 and Doug had completed a year at BYU, oh and not to forget all the magic that was in the air...I know for a fact that we saw like 3 shooting stars on the way home that night.
I won't tell you about the goodbye scene at the door because a lady never talks about the end of a date and what did or didn't take place. All I can say is Doug still remembers taking me to my Sr. Prom and it's been like 27 years.
The big mystery to me though as I look back on this important event in a girl's senior year is "Where are the pictures?" I can't seem to find one single picture of Doug and I. I'm sure that I would have made sure that pictures were taken at my house or at the prom, I mean I was wearing that amazing RED dress that I had finally worked up the guts to wear and Doug looked so amazing in the WHITE tux with BLACK lapels.
So if any pictures ever surface...I'll be sure to post them.
