Dear Diary, it's Marilyn

Chapter 2

Chapter 2

It was a sweltering day in August, but the heat wasn’t what was important. What was important was the fact that it was my first day of high school ever.

Yes, I know I was 16 years old but, living in an orphanage, I never got to go to a real school. This was my first day of school ever and I was shaking with excitement.

Grace’s sons didn’t go to a fancy private school; they went to a public school, which meant I got to choose what I wanted to wear. I had read fashion magazines for weeks before trying to decide which outfit of mine would make the best first impression. I settled on a high-waist skirt and button-up shirt.

Grace said goodbye to her sons and me at the front door. She kissed her sons, Robert and Bill, and ushered them out the door. She then patted my cheek.

“Good luck Norma. Be a good girl.” She then shooed me out the door.

Robert and Bill both had bicycles to ride to school but I had to walk. Grace wasn’t wealthy and could hardly afford giving me a place to stay as it was.

By the time I made it to the front gates of school I was sweating and I could tell my hair was already frizzy. Blushing with embarrassment, I focused my eyes on the ground and walked through the gates and through the throngs of students till I found a spot of shade to stand in.

I had gotten to school fairly early but already tons of students stood in circles sharing stories about their exciting summer vacations. My summer vacation had been spent studying to catch up to the rest of the students and walking down to the local cinema to watch films. Robert and Bill always hogged the television.

A bell rang and students began filing to class. I moved with the crowd and asked for directions to my class. I found it without difficulty.

I took a seat near the back, not wanting any attention drawn to me in my current frizzy, sweaty state. Almost immediately though, a boy came and sat down at a desk next to me.

“Hi. I’m Jim.” He greeted me. Jim was wearing a button-down shirt neatly tucked into his jeans. He looked like a decent, respectable sort of boy.

“I’m Norma.” I smiled at him.

“You live with the Mckee’s, right?” He asked, and I nodded. That was Grace’s last name. “I live a couple houses down from you. I’ve seen you walking to town a few times.”

“Yes, I was probably going to the cinema then.” I replied shyly. I had gotten over my fear of boys from being around Robert and Bill, but I still wasn’t used to them.

“You go to the cinemas? Well, gee, I go there all the time! I really liked Adventure Island.” Jim seemed really enthusiastic.

“I’ve never seen that film…”

“Then I should take you some time!” Jim’s suggestion surprised me. Was he saying we should go on a date? Boys and girls never went to the movies together unless it was a date… I had always dreamed about going on a date.

“I’d like that.”

A couple weeks later, Jim officially asked me on a date and we went to the movies to see A Double Life. At the end of the date, we even kissed! It was the perfect date, the kind I had always imagined, the kind from movies.

The next day, during lunchtime, Jim asked me to go steady with him. How could I not accept?

I hadn’t been very successful at making friends. I had spent all my time so far daydreaming about Jim. I did make two friends, Margaret and Sue.