As promised, RA and Fergie, arrived the next evening at the cottage and took us out for a date. I believe we may have gone to Hansen's Resort or the Aqua Lodge for music and a drink.
The next night we were driven rather rapidly down the steep and winding mountain lake road in RA's car ( I think it was a station wagon) to a bar called the Solitude Inn on Route 17. It appeared to be a place frequented mostly by some rough-and-ready cowboy types and very few women. I can still remember the smokey, stale beer smell that hit you in the face when you walked in and the way the guys at the bar turned around and stared. We didn't sit at the bar but at a tiny, rather junkie little table off to the side. I never felt threatened as RA and Fergie knew some of the guys at the bar and chatted with them briefly when we arrived. Although it was an interesting place to see, there wasn't much to do there and I don't remember staying very long. For years afterwards Sharon and I would sing-song, "Say Howdy Dowdy to Solitudy" whenever we drove past the Solitude Inn on our way to and from "the country"
(A brief aside to explain what I mean by " the country": I have always called the area around Binghamton, NY and Friendsville, PA and St. Joseph, PA. "the country". My Grandpa T. J. O'Donnell always referred to the farm where he grew up in St. Joseph's PA as " The Garden Spot of America" and "God's Country". It is a beautiful spot that in recent times is referred to in all the tour books, as the Endless Mountains of Pennsylvania. A lot of Irish Immigrants settled in the area (one of the roads is actually called Irish Hill) because it reminded them so much of home. But, as usual, I digress.)
I believe it was the 2nd or 3rd date night when RA told me that something important had come up and he wasn't available for the next evening's planned trip to Owego or Oswego ( I always get them mixed up) with Sharon and Fergie and me. He told me he had arranged to have have his friend escort me that evening instead. I can only imagine that this arrangement had a lot to do with Fergie not wanting to give up his planned date with Sharon. Having met my Aunt Marie, he knew full well that Sharon would not have been allowed to go alone with him to Owego. I remember being disappointed that I wouldn't be seeing RA. I also remember that this guy he sent in his place was about the most boring date I ever had in my enter life. He was totally uninterested in me and I was not in any way interested in him. The next night, RA was back on the scene, raring to go. I was happy and it appeared to me that he was happy too.
One night the four of us went down into Deposit and sat in a booth at a local bar and had a hamburger and fries. It was on Main Street in town across the street from the Movie Theater and the Super M Market. Back in the summer of 62, RA and Fergie seemed to know everyone in the place. I guess that's what it's like if you are born and breed in a town the size of Deposit, NY. I don't remember being introduced to any of their friends, though. Each night when we went out, RA spoke about himself a lot. He talked about his "good Daddy" and his "bad Daddy"(i.e., his step dad). He spoke about his job in road construction. He was a bit sarcastic, but he seemed reasonable enough and had a decent sense of humor. I don't remember him asking much about me or my life.
That summer Sharon left to go back to the city (rather, Freeport, Long Island) before my parents' rental at the Farmhouse was finished so I went to stay with my family at the Farmhouse for a few nights before our vacation was over. The night before my family and I were scheduled to go back to Brooklyn, RA, took me out for dinner at a restaurant in Town called Crane's. It was a little more upscale than the hamburger joint on Main Street and I remember dressing a little fancier, albeit very modestly, and spending a little more time on my hair and makeup. I was feeling confident when we sat down at a table in the dining section. RA went to the bar to get us drinks and he took longer than necessary to complete this simple transaction. I could see from where I was sitting ( a half wall separated the bar area from the dining area )that it appeared to me that he was in a bit of a confrontational verbal interaction with some people near the bar. When he arrived back at the table, I asked if everything was okay and he he said, yes, but I could feel the tension all around us. We finished our meal and left. I will finish the rest of this story tomorrow because it as a bit emotional for me and I am too tired tonight.
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