Memories...Prom Night

It has been a long time since I've dated but one really stands out in my mind from days gone by.
Believe it or not, it was prom night and I was dressed in my frilliest pink taffeta polka dot gown, thinking about it now, I looked like an Ace of Cakes "Throwing up Pink".
The year was 1984.
My date arrives in his supped up limo, his Ford Escort. I asked him where the limo was? He told me that he waited too long to get one and there were none available for this night.

Strike 1.

Thousands of pictures later, we get in the car and drive to the prom. My hair almost didn't make it because the window on the passenger side was broken open about 3 inches. I asked if he had thought about this when taking his car instead of going in my Mustang. He didn't want to drive my car, well, I don't let anyone drive my car, and he didn't want to be seen with a girl driving him to the prom but I digress.

Strike 2

We arrive at prom embarrassed that I wasn't exiting a Limo with all my friends but exiting a Ford Freakin' Escort!

Again, I digress.

As you may know, the first thing you do when you walk into the venue is get accosted by a Prom Photographer to make a lasting memory of this eventful time in every teens life.
Well, this was not the case for us. My date/boyfriend had to use the little boys room and left me standing there my myself!
I was mortified when it was our turn and it was only me standing there like a schlub!
In retrospect, I am glad not to have a professional visual memory, of which is still on display on one of my parents shelves, of that cheap jerk.
We get to our table and it was wonderful! All my friends were there to support me and dance and eat and talk the night away with stories of where we were going in NYC to hang out at afterwords.
Back then it was all the rage to go to Dangerfield's (does that place even exist anymore?). One of my friends asked us whose limo we were taking and I said anyone's but ours!
It was potty time and all the girls from the table got up and left all the boys to wonder if they were going to get lucky, at this rate mine was not (never did either).
I lifted up my massive dress only to see blood all over the inside of it!
WHATHA...(insert explicit here).
I found the source of the blood on my what I thought was a perfectly shaved leg. I found the gash across my shin and the pantyhose I was wearing stuck to it but it still got all over the dress even though it had stopped bleeding by then. I had no idea that I even cut myself!
I called for reinforcements, my BFF (who by the way, is still my BFF). We cleaned it as best we could and about 1/2 hour later emerged from the bathroom only to see my date/boyfriend waiting my the door asking me what took so long? I told him what happened and he said that he requested our song to be played to dance to and I missed it!
OMG, how sweet was that?
Alas, I missed it and there was nothing I could do about it now, but it was the thought that counts right.
Strike taken away from him, but still Strike 2 because of the bloody leg/dress.
The rest of the prom was a blur, I wound up dancing with my BFF the entire time and date/boyfriend sat at the table talking football or baseball, some kind of sport anywho.
We decide to go in my BFF's limo to NYC and had a fabulous time.
My BFF asked why my date/boyfriend had his hand behind his back the entire time. I didn't realize he had had his hand at his back the entire time and wondered about that myself, afterwords.
I get home at an ungodly hour and date/boyfriend wants to know if I would like to go to his place. I gracefully say No Way Jose, see ya at work.
I exit his Escort and off to bed I went, my own bed, by myself thank you.

A week or so later, this was the days before the digital camera, I get the photos back and notice again that my date/boyfriend did indeed have his hand behind his back.
What was that all about I thought. I showed them to my friends and one of them told me why he had his hand behind his back.
He was carrying a GUN! A gun? To prom? Why?
My friend told me it was because we were going into NYC and he wanted to be prepared!
How stupid can you be?
Even in the 80's NYC was a fun safe place to be, as it is today.
I love NYC!
I went to Art school in NYC after High School and I now work in NYC.
OMG...Super Strike 3!
We broke up.