MUSHY'S MOOCHINGS: BILLY JEAN – Part 2

Wednesday, December 19, 2007

BILLY JEAN – Part 2

Donald did not share his life with me much, outside of telling me about his parents and his sister in Chattanooga, but I unloaded on him about everything. The two girls and the problem I had with Billy Jean. It was he that suggested that girl number one become pregnant and that I had to marry her!

It was brilliant! At least at the time it seemed so.

So, I set off on the task of breaking the news to Billy Jean. I am sure I could have picked a better time, but one night, while she and I was on a “double date” with Larry, another friend from the base, and his girl, I decided to tell her my sad news.

This guy, before I knew what was happening, was on the roof of my Falcon going at it with his girl. Suddenly there was a loud pop and the roof dented in from their weight. I got out and began screaming at Larry for being so inconsiderate as to ruin my car!

Ah man, it ain’t hurt!” he shouted back.

He hopped into the backseat and put his feet up against the roof and pushed. There was another loud pop as the metal returned to its former shape! Man, was I relived.

Anyway, he got out, took the GI blanket I kept in the trunk, and walked off into the darkness.

I settled back in with Billy Jean, who was determined to calm me down, and before I knew it we were “going at it” too! This was not what I wanted to happen, but, hey, you take what you can get, when you can get it!

So, I decided to wait for another opportunity.

It came soon enough, so I started telling her, and about how I had to do the right thing.

You don’t have to do that, we can run away and start over somewhere else,” she sobbed. How could you anyway?”

I…I don’t know…it…it just happened, that’s all,” I said.

The rest of the evening was nothing but sobs, and questions about “why” and her telling me “you don’t have to,” and I began to realize that this was not going to work and that it was hurting her worse than the truth would have. However, I was deep into the deception now and I had to play it out and make that night the last night.

With Billy Jean, nothing was easy. She was so attached and thought she was so in love that it took days before I could leave work or the barracks again.

She began by sitting inside my car, so I locked it. So, she started sitting on it!

For about a week, every day I left work and crossed the street to the barracks, she would be sitting on the front fender of my car! Once she even started in the door where I worked, but I ran to the bathroom, raised the big window, stepped out on the ground on the opposite side of the building, and ran to the barracks. Lucky for me the Sgt. Hollingshead and Lt. Summers were gone for the day!

For several weeks she called the barrack’s pay phone and asked for me. Everyone knew to tell her I was not there.

Finally, late one evening I left the barracks to go to the NCO Club, and there she sat. I decided to confront her one last time…if that was possible.

Somehow I convinced her that there was no future for us and she needed to stay away. I even threatened to have her base pass pulled. Oh, I saw her from time-to-time dancing in the club, but finally she stopped making eye contact.

Looking back on this, I do feel shame, and for years she haunted me.

Sometime after we were married, Connie once sat in the car while I stood a two hour guard duty on an “Open House Weekend” at the base, and later as I stood an “honor guard.” When her book became boring, she began to rummage through my glove-compartment and found pictures of Billy Jean at some party. Man, did I do some tall talking! I think I told her she was seeing a friend of mine and he had left the photos there.

Even after we had been married for a couple of years, and while I was attending the University of Tennessee, Connie found a matchbook from a motel some 30 miles away in my ’69 Mustang! There was a room number written under the cover and the motel was just a few miles from where Billy Jean’s grandparents lived.

I will never know for sure, but I knew I had never been there, and the only person I could think of that might have put the matches there was Billy Jean. It was a long time before I got over the feeling that she was out there watching me – waiting for the right moment!

13 comments:

Kevin said...

Damn dude - had a taste before you dropped the hammer! At least you had the stones to tell her to her face. There's some girlies in my past that I've treated pretty poorly, too...
Can't say it enough - I really enjoy your reminiscences. You're brutally honest, even about stuff that you're obviously not proud of.

Lin said...

Gads, your candid tales so remind me of all the dumb and dramatic things we all did as kids. I just love it!

NotClauswitz said...

Once you pop a roof, even if you pop it back it stays popped, and the paint starts to go at that ridgepoint where it buckled - at lest my POS Karman Ghia was like that...without any of the excitement. I once had a girl in the back of that little thing and the best I can say is marginal space...and another time I had to drag a girl away from it(ans me) because it was just not going to *happen* - she was f*up and simply stone-nuts crazy. Santa Cruz, 1980.

Jose said...

Can't say I went through any of that, my 71 Chevy Impala's back seat saw some action but no heartbrake.

Buck said...

I came soon enough, so I started telling her, and...

While I'm SURE that's a typo, it's a funny typo! ;-)

BRUNO said...

Hell, dude---YOU had to beat 'em back! Me---I had to LOOK for 'em, and use a six-pack for bait....!

Ralph said...

Boy, did this post bring back some memories - none good.
Later
Ralph

fuzzbert_1999@yahoo.com said...

Dirtcrashr - I didn't keep her long enough to see the rust come, th '69 Mustang came soon enough! The Falcon was later stolen and used in a robbery in Louisiana! They found it burned...least I heard.

Buck - You were right...a typo! It came...not me!

Yep guys, we all got our little stories!

FHB said...

Remember you tellin' me about the roof poppin' thing. Sounds hilarious now, but I bet that did piss you off.

phlegmfatale said...

Gawd, Mushman-- you were SUCH a whore!

PRH said...

I'd like to see Mushy in his best 1981 Michael Jackson "doo" singing "Billy Jean" followed by "Thriller"...........;0

J said...

Mr. Mush you were quite popular with the ladies huh? I love your stories. Like I said before, it was your past. At least you know that some of the things you did were wrong. :)

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