Wednesday, June 12, 2013

FML Madness - Trish Doller

Today I'm happy to have a story from Trish Doller, author of Something Like Normal and Where the Stars Still Shine.

It was the 80's and Skate World was one of the most popular weekend hangouts in my small Ohio town. We'd go there in packs, driven by someone's parent since we weren't old enough to drive, and spend the evening session rolling around in circles, playing video games, and checking out boys. Usually once or twice a session they'd have a Ladies' Choices skate, where the girls would ask the boys for a turn around the rink during a "couples only" song.
One weekend I spent the evening checking out a cute blond-haired boy who was hanging out in a clump with a group of his friends. He kept looking at me, too, so when the Ladies' Choice skate came around, I felt reasonably confident that if I asked him he'd say yes. So I worked up the nerve and took the chance.
Holding the hand of an unfamiliar boy as we went 'round and 'round the rink was pretty romantic. Magical. We talked as we skated, so it wasn't awkward. He was really nice. And while I don't remember his name anymore, I remember that I was alternately thrilled and disappointed that he was from a town about two hours from mine. I mean, back then long distance phone calls were expensive and there was no such thing as the internet, so there wasn't much of a chance I'd ever see him again.
Anyway, as we rounded a curve, our skates bumped and we tumbled to the ground. That was embarrassing enough, but he was really sweet about it. He helped me up and assured me, "It's okay. We can keep skating." Except we couldn't...because the back seam of my corduroy jeans had split wide open. And telling him was about a thousand times more embarrassing than the fall.
Instead of hanging out with me as I sat on the sidelines, the cute boy went back to his friends and I spent the rest of the night worrying about how I was going to leave without the whole skating rink seeing my underwear.
FML.

Oh, the humanity! I really hope someone brought you change of pants or something.  Why can't things like that ever happen when no one is watching?  Thank you for sharing, Trish!

Today I'm giving away a copy of Something Like Normal.  Leave a comment with your favorite song to skate to.  If you don't have one, just leave your favorite song.

Tomorrow, Matthew MacNish will be dropping by to share his story.  You won't want to miss it.

Trish Doller's debut novel, Something Like Normal, was one of the most anticipated titles of 2012, named an IndieBound New Voices Pick and a finalist for NPR's Best Teen Books of All Time. She has been a newspaper reporter, radio personality and bookseller, and lives with her family in Fort Myers, Florida. Follow her on twitter @trishdoller. trishdoller.com

2 comments:

  1. What ever happened to corduroys? I used to love cords.

    Great story, Trish (even though I'm sure it was terrible to live through)! Thanks for sharing.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Oh, man...corduroys...I had the coolest pair of corduroy pants in high school. They were so soft. Sigh...I wish I could bring them back.

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