When last we left Me-Ma, she had just finished dancing in the toy store much to the delight of her very precious and much loved grandson Trooper Junior, and turned around to discover, Old Flame, enjoying the "floor show".
I first met Old Flame when I was about 18 1/2 years old. My best friend, Bev, had written a Hee-Haw type show as a fund raiser for the local elementary school that I, along with her children had attended. She gave me a plumb role taking part in several skits,along with singing a duet with one of the male leads, followed by a solo.
The duet that Jim and I sang was, I'd Love To Lay You Down, a Conway Twitty song. It never dawned on me until show night with my parents sitting front and center that it might not be appropriate for the Commissioner's daughter, not to mention, Chairman of the Deacon board to sing a song about wanting to get someone in the sack with a married man. My solo, was, You Ain't Woman Enough To Take My Man.
Back to Old Flame. All I can tell you is it was just one of those things. On the first night of rehearsal I was standing center stage with Bev going over one of my lines. The door to the auditorium opens, in he walks and I couldn't take my eyes off of him. I actually "gasped" out loud. Tugging on Bev's sleeve and pulling her arm:
"Oh my God....who is that?"
His eyes were locked onto mine as well and he was walking our way.
"Oh....that's, __________ _________, he is playing Goober."
As it turns out Old Flame had a wife, so that took care of that as far as I was concerned. But, from then on, where ever I was, there he was also. A shameless and I do mean, SHAMELESS flirt. I was kind of seeing someone at the time and he had also been cast in the show.
The night of the show, Bev (she played Lulu Roman) and I arrived in our Hee Haw attire. I was TOTALLY uncomfortable with my dress and could just imagine what Daddy would have to say about it as it was well above my knees.
Old Flame was standing outside the school as we got out of the car and quickly made his way over to us just as my "date" arrived. Steam was coming out of his ears as he marched over to where we were. He told Old Flame he needed to go find his wife and leave,".....MY woman...alone."
Oh that made me so mad. Not that he had told him to go find his wife, but that he had verbally branded me as his. I wasn't his! How dare he even entertain the notion that I was now or would ever be his!
The show was a success and Old Flame stopped me after the show and asked me out! I reminded him that he was married and thought no more of it.
Several months later, I had moved out into an apartment owned by my great uncle. One of his daughters lived in the unit next door and we met every afternoon after work at the local coffee shop to unwind. One day, Old Flame comes strutting in there big as day. She almost comes unglued talking about how handsome and sexy he is and before he is even in the door has decided to pounce. It should be mentioned that dear ol cuz had quite the reputation around town as "easy". A reputation well earned I must say.
He brushed her off and slide right in beside me telling her to take a hike. This was a small town and he was trouble that I didn't need or want. Well....I didn't need it. I was amazed when he told me that he was now divorced, then proceeded to ask me out. I said that I would need time to think about it but he was welcome to call me and we could talk. Which he did for a couple of weeks, until I finally agreed to go out with him.
We met every afternoon at the coffee shop, out in the open, so it was no big secret. Our first date was very romantic and he pulled out all the stops. Walking me to the door that night, he wasn't happy when I didn't invite him inside. He leaned in once more for a final kiss and said, "I want you to be mine." Something about those words gave me the creeps. I didn't want or need to belong to ANY man!!!!
We made another date for Saturday, the next night, a drive over to Birmingham for dinner. That afternoon as I was getting ready, a deputy car pulled in the drive. I let him in and without wasting any time he told me that Old Flame was NOT divorced and was very much still married and living with his wife. How could I have been so STUPID! I didn't know what to do. I was mad, ashamed and didn't want to ever see him again. Mr Deputy would come back over after his shift which should be about 30 minutes before Old Flame was due to arrive.
To make a long story short, when Old Flame arrived, he was greeted outside by Mr Deputy and informed that he had told me the truth. I sat on the sofa covering my head with pillows trying to block out the shouting.
7 months after that night, I was pregnant and due to be married in a couple of days when Old Flame took a chance and not seeing my parents vehicles in the drive, knocked on the door. I thought perhaps it was an official call and answered the door only to be presented with his divorce papers...the final decree making it all nice and legal. He pleaded with me not to marry this man, to call the whole thing off and give him a chance. I told him I couldn't, that I was expecting a baby. He said he didn't care. I said I had no choice.
So, that is the way it was. When I was free, he was married, when I was married, he was free. Being in a mentally,emotionally and physically abusive marriage, Old Flame became my mental escape. He soon remarried for the third time. During the times of hell, I could take my mind to him and what might have been.
I saw him on and off through the years. On a couple of occasions we did have the opportunity to speak about what might have been.
Seeing him the other day like that was strange. For years.....YEARS.....he was my mental oasis...that safe place I could go to when my real life seemed more like a horror movie.
I picked up the phone Saturday to hear his voice on the other end. He told me that on the rainy....rainy...night that I got married, he was sitting in the parking lot debating about whether to burst through the doors, make a grand scene and object in a major way. He wondered if it would have made a difference. At that time, no. He has just gone through divorce number 3 and also wondered if that changed anything, that he has carried a torch all this time and wondered if after all these years there could be even the slightest hint of a chance for us. Once again, I had to tell him, no. The embers turned to ashes a long time ago.
Later Ya'll...^Belle^
