The Tale of Dishonest Bob from New York City - continued

My memory fades behind the curtain of so many years; a lot of different vacations seem to blend together in my mind.  However, I do remember certain things about that particular visit to the  Ellison household. 

At that moment in time, Nonie and Greydon had two rather interesting and inquisitive teenage girls, and a rather rambunctious, outspoken adolescent boy.   Both the girls, Judy and Terry, had striking red hair.  Judy, the older of the two, had shorter, straight hair which was a bit more subdued in color; she wore glasses and seemed to be in charge.  Terry was younger- but not by much- and she had a head full of wild, red curls.   That should have warned me.  You know what they say about redheads!  

Initially,  I sensed that they were eying us carefully from a bit of a distance.  Possibly having four relative strangers as overnight guests (and for several nights too)  was not their idea of a good time.   Here we were invading their home and their space and their privacy. Who knows, maybe they were even thrown out of their bedrooms to make room for the “Downstate Guests”.  Come to think of it, I'll have to ask them about that.      I actually don’t remember where we all slept while we were there although I know for certain that Bob and I did not sleep together. Remember this was in 1970 and we were not married, and in 1970 you didn’t sleep together before you were married.   

During that stay on LeRoy Street, I remember that my Aunt Anne O'Donnell and her cousin Nonie (Judy and Terry's Mom) spent a great deal of time sitting on the back porch, smoking and drinking and talking for what seemed like hours and hours on end.  Boy, could those two talk! 

I also remember taking "little Rickie" to the drag races.  Actually, even though Bob did the driving and Rickie was just a kid, he very much took us to this event.   Rickie certainly could talk too and he seemed blissfully happy to be able to explain all the particulars of drag racing to a neophyte such as myself.   I had never before been to a drag race and, as a matter of fact, I haven't been to one since.  Oh the wonderful things you get to do "up in the country". 

I remember at one point during our visit, when Judy and Terry got up a little closer to us, Bob and I stood in the kitchen chit-chatting with them as they shared their tales about their boyfriends and the wonders of living on the marvelous west side (of Binghamton).  For those of you who don't know Bob very well, I have to say, he is a fantastic interviewer and it has always amazed me the questions he can ask with relative ease and immunity.  And, for those of you who don't know Judy and Terry very well, they are one of the best tag teams I have ever met.  And I mean that as a true compliment.  They go together like peaches and cream or peanut butter and jelly.  You can't imagine one without the other.

I remember Bob and I took a lot of walks around the neighborhood during that visit to the Ellison's and I think we even had a fight or two.   Eventually our visit was over and we returned to the hustle and bustle of the Big Apple and our usual work-a-day week.   

It wasn't until many years later that we discovered that my dear, sweet, "innocent" boyfriend had been given the infamous label of "Dishonest Bob from New York City".   One day when Bob -who was by now my dear sweet, "innocent" husband- was driving Terry- who was now a sophisticated college student attending courses at State University at Albany- from Binghamton to Albany, New York,  Terry shared the following story (and I paraphrase it since I have heard it second and third hand).   

It seems that shortly after our LeRoy Street "invasion" back in 1970, Terry went to put on her favorite little ring, and, horrors of horrors, it was missing!  It was a lovely pearl ring, and it had great sentimental value to her. She loved that ring as only a teenage girl can love a ring.   I understand Terry, I really do, I know the feeling well, I was once a teenage girl with a favorite piece of jewlrey and God forbid it should go missing.  Cost is not the issue here, it is what it means to you.  And, as a young teenager, at that moment in your life, it is of ultimate importance.

OK, so now you accept the fact that the ring is indeed missing.  You've looked everywhere, and it is nowhere to be found.  Now the next question that pops into your head is, where the hell did it go? Or maybe your head said, where the heck did it go?  

It certainly couldn't  have disappeared into thin air.   Oh, I know,  you think to yourself, - and believe me I understand it is a perfectly rational and logical thought - that shady character, that wild hot-shot stranger from New York City, he must have taken my ring.   That's it, he stole my ring!! 

I'm not sure what the other half of the tag team thought at the time, but when you bring your investigative findings to the attention of your wise and loving Mother, she will have no part of it.   Even though this guy, Bob, is a stranger to the Ellison household and a big city slicker, she still won't accept the guilty verdict; she gives him the benefit of the doubt.  I guess sometimes, actually many times, mothers are wiser than daughters and this time this mother proves right.   A short time later, the beloved pearl ring is found peeking out from under the bed.   And Bob would never have known he was Dishonest Bob from New York City if you hadn't confessed.  But then again, doesn't it make a cute little story?

Love Ya, Tag Team 

Regards to your Dad, the Farmer!!

P.S. Photo is Bob - circa March 1971 - when we were dating