TWO-TIMING GOT ME IN TROUBLE

by Unknown Author

Initially appeared in Diary Secrets #12 in 1952.

Lee was the kind of fellow that haunts the dreams of girls who yearn for romance.

You know his type. Good looking, lots of personality, well-groomed, perfect manners and very generous. Besides all that, Lee was considered the most popular boy in our neighborhood. The fellows and girls trusted Lee more than anyone else because he never repeated gossip or talked about people behind their backs.

About a year before my troubles began, Lee had taken me out a couple of times. Nothing serious in the way he had kissed me good night, but plenty serious in the way I dreamed about him for a short while afterward. Then he made Barbara Dill his steady date, and I gave up dreaming about him and began going out regularly with Don Thayer.

Don wasn't just an average fellow. He played fullback and was built for that position. He had a square-cut, smiling face, tousled sandy hair, and was easy-going. But seeing him didn't make my heart turn handsprings like it always did at the sight of Lee. Despite that, I had sense enough to realize Don was worth my full attention.

Right away, two girls were jealous of me for catching Don's interest. I knew both of them reasonably well. They were shrewd, scheming hussies, and I had to keep Don busy and happy to prevent him from noticing them. On several occasions, each of them tried to sneak Don away from me when my back was turned. That almost happened at two dances and several times at Jensen's, where the gang gathered after school for cokes and ice cream.

But Don soon began to return my lavish affection. Slowly at first, then with a rush that nearly swept me off my feet. The football season was over, and we were together every afternoon and almost every evening.

Don was sweet, devoted, and lots of fun to be with. But somehow, I couldn't get excited over the thought of spending the rest of my life with him. Don was impractical in lots of ways. He couldn't decide whether he wanted to go to college or get a job when we finished school. Don was too boyish. He hadn't even started to grow up.

Without letting Don know, I started seeing a lot of Wally Shaw, who had been sent to town to run the Army recruiting station in the post office building. Wally had been wounded in Korea. It was his left arm, but by exercising, he was regaining full use of it.

Wally was a master sergeant, a year and a half older than Don and just as good-looking. He was off duty every night and had plenty of money to give me a good time. He talked and acted like a grown man. His approach to romance was more sincere and manly than Don's had been.

I started it by pretending to cry over the possibility of Wally's being shifted to some other city or being called back to his armored division. Wally assured me that I would have nothing to fear if I loved him. From that moment on, his kisses and whisperings were straight from the heart.

This posed a problem because Wally didn't know about Don, whom I was still going out with once or twice a week. And Don was more insistent than ever that I stop giving him the run-around. He suspected I was seeing another fellow, and he acted hurt. I knew Don didn't believe me when I lied that I was spending more time with my girlfriends.

Soon I had to ask myself why I kept two fellows on a string. But I really couldn't decide which one I liked better although I spent more time with Wally than with Don. The choice might have been easier had Wally been a civilian and not in danger of being called away suddenly. Yet, there was always the possibility that Don would be drafted when he was nineteen.

I liked them both and couldn't make up my mind which one I liked better. I dreaded losing either one, so I continued seeing both of them without either knowing about the other.

Then one night, Don saw me coming out of a movie with Wally. Instead of turning away like a gentleman, he came up to us and asked me for an explanation. Wally resented this, and I was afraid they would get into a fight. But I managed to lead Wally away before their exchange of words became too heated.

When we were alone, I tried to explain to Wally that I had been going with Don before I met him. But Don had talked too much in front of Wally, and Wally was wise and didn't swallow my alibis. Wally came out bluntly before we reached my home and told me he didn't want to waste his evenings with a two-timing girl. Without a kiss or saying good-night, he left me on the steps and turned and walked away.

I was hurt and upset, but I had high hopes that I could straighten everything out with Don. The next afternoon I caught Don alone on a street corner and linked my arm in his. But Don refused to go along with me. He accused me the same as Wally had of being a two-timer and said he didn't want to see me again.

The awful predicament I was in struck me as I stood watching Don walk away. The day before, I had secretly prided myself for having cleverly kept two fellows on a string. That was all over now, and the worst was yet to come.

To ease my feelings, I tried to pretend that I didn't care. I told myself there were other fellows besides Don and Wally. But when I stopped and tried to think of a few, I realized I was facing a blank wall. All the fellows I might have liked already had their steady dates. I decided it wouldn't be wise to get some fellow I wanted away from the girl he was taking out. My best course lay in reconciling either Don or Wally. It didn't matter which one I chose.

Turning to go home, I ran into Lee. It wasn't by coincidence because I often ran into him while out with Don or Wally. As I said before, Lee was the type you could tell your troubles to without fear of gossip. Lee was alone, and I asked him if he'd have a coke with me. He nodded and even took my hand as we walked over to Jensen's.

The place was almost empty, and we took a booth in the back. I told Lee the unvarnished truth. I didn't spare myself or make any alibis as my reason for two-timing Don and Wally. I told him frankly that I hadn't been able to make up my mind about either of them and that I wanted to be reconciled with one or the other.

Lee shook his head and told me my chances were very slim. He also warned me that word would get around that I'd been two-timing, and the result would be that most fellows would shun me. I knew Lee was guessing right, but I was surprised when he asked me what I would do about it.

What could I do? There wasn't much fun in keeping my chin up and hoping for a break. But it wouldn't do any good to feel sorry for me. Without fear of embarrassment, I poured out my heart's deepest desires to him, saying how I wished Don and Wally had been a little different in specific ways. I knew I had done wrong by misleading them, but I'd learned a lesson and would never in my life repeat such a horrible mistake.

Before we got up to leave, Lee patted my hand and said no other girl had ever confided in him the way I had. He told me my intentions hadn't been strictly dishonorable that I'd been misled by my desire to choose the right fellow.

I should have taken comfort in Lee's understanding, but the days that followed were hard to bear. Don and Wally flatly refused to see me. They hung up the instant they recognized my voice on the phone. It was heartbreaking to be a wallflower, but I just had to keep in with the crowd to prevent my popularity from slipping further.

Once in a while, Lee stopped and spoke to me to see how I was making out. I pretended everything was all right, but his eyes reflected doubt. When I saw him, I didn't notice that Barbara, his steady date, wasn't somewhere nearby. I assumed that she was, so I was startled later to find out that they hadn't been going together for over a month.

I had scarcely time to start dreaming of Lee before he phoned one night to ask if I'd go out with him. I hid my wild excitement with a friendly consent. Lee hadn't hinted where we were going, but I put on my best dress and spent a lot of time fixing my hair and touching up my nails. I was breathless when he rang the doorbell and just smiled at him as he took me by the arm and led me down to his car.

We drove to Glen Heights, where there was a mid-term dance. I saw very few faces I knew. That meant I'd be dancing with Lee all evening. Lee began by telling me that the dance was a strange place to talk about what he had to say. However, he'd chosen it for one reason. In a brightly lighted ballroom, he could catch my every facial expression and the look in my eyes that would tell him better than words how I felt toward his remarks.

I can't remember all he said because the one big thing crowded out the others. Yes, Lee was in love with me. He'd been making up his mind about it since the afternoon when I'd told him of my troubles with Don and Wally. Lee admired my frankness and sincerity. He liked the way I kept my chin up afterward. And he liked my hazel eyes, my brown hair, and the way I smiled. Barbara hadn't been sincere. She hadn't wanted anything but a good time.

I told Lee I wanted love and devotion more than all else and promised he would never find me lacking in either. It was like a dream to be dancing in Lee's arms after all those things had been said. But we left the dance early to find that our lips could express sweeter sentiments than words.

Since that wonderful night, our thoughts have never strayed from each other, and only time is needed to fulfill the promises we treasure in our hearts.

END

BONUS MATERIAL from the same issue

Confidentially Yours

By HELEN BLACKWELL

Dear Miss Blackwell:

I had been going with a fellow for almost a year before we got into an argument and broke it off. It may sound silly to you, but I felt embarrassed when we were out with other couples because my boyfriend never dressed up. It was the last straw when he took me to a dance wearing a red and black checked flannel shirt and corduroy trousers. I told him that he would have to dress up like the other fellows, or else. He said if I didn't like the way he looked, I should find some fellow who always wore a tie.

Less than a month later, we broke off; I started going with a boy who lives in the next town. He always wears the right clothes for every occasion, and his manners are perfect. Wherever we go, I'm proud to be seen with him. But some of my girlfriends say that he dresses too well, and it's a sign that he is vain and conceited. Could this be true? I'm puzzled because he isn't snobbish or boastful.

B. E. T. — Richmond, Va.

Dear B. E. T.:

Clothes do not necessarily make the man, despite what some people may say. From what you have written, I would not say that your present boyfriend is conceited, but I am quite certain that your former date was very much so! He showed no consideration for your feelings by his sloppy way of dressing, and his rude refusal to heed your suggestion marked him as a very selfish person. Frankly, you should be thankful you took his advice and found a fellow whose manners are those of a real gentleman.

Dear Miss Blackwell: I have always thought that honesty is the best policy, but I am faced with a very perplexing problem that I may lose by telling the truth.

Last spring, I exchanged class rings with a fellow, but somehow we didn't seem to get along and stopped seeing each other. After several months, I began going out with a fellow who didn't know anyone in my crowd because he was taking the college preparatory course. One night he asked me to exchange class rings, and I gave him the one I was wearing before I remembered that it belonged to the fellow I had previously been going with.

A month has gone by now, and I'm still wondering if I should tell my new boyfriend the truth about the ring. M. L. -- Belfast, Maine

Dear M. L.:

Let me ask you this question. Would it be better for your new boyfriend to learn the truth from someone else or from you? I guess you know the answer to that one! You should have no trouble explaining the situation to him, and he will undoubtedly like you better if you solve the mix-up honestly.

Dear Miss Blackwell:

My conscience is bothering me since a fellow who used to go steady with one of my closest girlfriends has started to give me a lot of attention. We've been out together several nights, and although I have enjoyed his company very much, I'm not sure there will be any romantic sequel. He has told me that my girlfriend was too demanding and always complained that he wasn't a good dancer. Despite that, I know she still cares for him, and I'm afraid people will say I stole him away from her if we keep going together. What should I do? C. A. — Racine, Wis.

Dear C. A.

You will have to choose between the two of them. If your friendship with the girl means more to you than his company, you should stop seeing him. But if you have grown fond of him and don't mind breaking up your friendship with the girl, by all means, come out in the open and state your preference. If you did not give the fellow a rush while he was going with your friend, no sensible person would accuse you of stealing him from her.