The year was 1968. Location – eighth grade dance. I had my brown skirt and brown and beige flowered blouse on, I had taped my bangs to my head the night before so they would be straight and I was standing against the wall with two of my friends.
As the music played I watched the other kids dancing, but I had no hope of being anything more than a spectator. I was painfully shy and had never been to a dance. It was thrilling to watch the movements of the others who clearly watched American Bandstand way more than I did, how else would they know how to move like that?
Sipping punch, watching the other students chatting, we listened to the tunes and swayed along with the music.
Then, just like in the movies, I saw the man of my dreams from across the room, and he was coming across the dance floor. My heart stood still - it was Bill Heil, my secret crush!
It sounds corny but in that moment it seemed like time stood still. All peripheral sound and movement ceased to exist and it was as though the spot light was on him, and he was making his way, in slow motion toward me.
I froze. Could it possibly be that he would be coming to ask me to dance? I held my breath, fists clenched at my sides. I don’t even know how!
It seemed like the room lit up like a strobe and then he there he was in front of me, gently pulling me by the hand to the dance floor. The first chords of “Hey Jude” started and, nerd that I am, all I could think was ‘Yes! Thank you Jesus – Hey Jude is seven minutes and eleven seconds long!” I would have seven plus minutes to have Bill Heil’s hand on my waist and my sweaty palm in his hand.
We shifted our weight from side to side and rotated around in a circle like the awkward Frankensteins that we were, and I felt the heavens open up. It seemed like we were the only ones on the dance floor and I thought the Beatles were singing just for us.
When it was over, we separated and returned to our shy places against the wall on opposite sides of the room.
My life was complete and at the end of the night I floated home on cloud nine.
I have had many wonderful experiences over the years, but this one simple moment in time is one of the most purely magical times of my life. I spent seven minutes and eleven seconds of pure bliss in the arms of a boy who may not have even known my name, but in spite of that, Hey Jude will always be my favorite Beatles song.
Hey Therese… Sooooooo glad you wrote up this wonderful, magical memory. Made me recall all those awkward junior high moments — and the power of a song in our memories. Remind me to tell you about the dance memory connection to “Come on Baby Light My Fire…”