CHAPTER FIVE

The Lovely Maidens

When there were no dances at Troy High, we hopped on the Fifth Avenue bus and went to the Friday night dances at Catholic High in Lansingburg. In fact, that’s where Billy met his girlfriend and future wife Rose Cullen. Billy became the first one in our group to actually have a girlfriend in high school. Larry and I became friends with some of Rose’s school buddies who lived near Beman Park: Sue Gibby, her cousin Eileen Gibby, and Ellen Delahany.

We often hung out on their street or in Beman Park. When we first met them, we acted all goofy, like most young guys do when trying to get girls’ attention. I usually just listened because I felt insecure and uncomfortable trying to tell jokes and stories, especially to girls. However, Larry was an excellent pitchman and had all kinds of lines and jokes. I, on the other hand, couldn’t tell a joke to save my soul.

Larry and Billy occasionally went on double dates with Rose and Sue. Of course, I ended up staying home those nights, because I didn’t have a date or the money to go on one. However, I did kind of like Sue. She was tall and pretty, even though she had a slight case of acne. She had a warm smile and nice personality and was always pleasant to me, even when I got up the courage to call her on the telephone. However, when I did call, she invariably developed an incredible urge to wash her hair, usually about five minutes into our conversation. I think she must have had an awful case of dandruff or something. One thing I know for sure, she had the cleanest hair in Beman Park. Besides being turned down by Sharon and brushed off by Sue, a series of incidents with girls created a template of emotional and hormonal frustration that I would unknowingly have to endure well into the future.

My neighbor and now freshman classmate, Tony Centannini, and I met two girls who lived in South Troy. Three days a week they attended the Mary Warren School, part of Holy Cross Episcopal Church located near the corner of Federal and Eighth Street. Maryanne was a pretty brunette about our age and her friend Diane Saberansky, an unattractive, dishwater blond, was her best friend and school mate. Of course, both Tony and I were attracted to Maryanne, especially me. However, as fate always seemed to dictate, Tony was the one whom Maryanne seemed more interested in.

We would meet them near Tony’s house each afternoon and walk them all the way down to their houses on First Street ne