deepundergroundpoetry.com
DRIVE-IN
The whole town is abuzz. Excited for the grand opening of the Monty Drive-in Cinema off Highway 7. Having just started my Freshman year of college and new in town, I decide to go to a movie alone wanting to see first-hand what is the big deal about this new theater.
I hop into my brand new, green ‘53 Ford Customline, a high school graduation gift from my parents, and head to the drive-in, 2 hours early to insure that I get a good parking spot. After buying my ticket at the booth I choose a spot on the second row, space #23 as identified by a plaque attached to a steel pole, standing next to the space, whereon a speaker is cradled.
I roll down my windows to enjoy a peaceful indian Summer’s breeze. An orchestra of crickets can be heard coming from the direction of the Peaceful Rest cemetery located just to the left of the theater. I grin thinking how fortuitous it would be to lie in my final resting spot watching movies for eternity.
Feeling hungry I walk to the concession stand to buy some popcorn and a cherry coke. While standing in line I feel a gentle tap on my shoulder. Turning to see my tapper I am awestruck to see standing before a stunning young lady with shoulder-length, curly auburn hair, glowing porcelain skin and striking blue eyes. In the sweetest voice I have ever heard she asks “aren’t you in my Freshman English class?” Never having seen her before and not wanting the conversation to end I lie and say “yes, I think I am.”
We exchange names and chat about school, the drive-in, “Sudden Fear, “ the movie we were about to watch. Too soon we arrive at the service window. I place my order and wanting to impress my gorgeous linemate, without thinking, I say “and whatever she’s having.” She giggles and says “Okay” and places her order as well. The cashier says “that’ll be $3 please.” My heart leapt into my throat and I felt flush...I only have $2. Looking into my eyes, sensing my distress she smiles, grabs my hand and presses $1 into my sweaty palm. I mouth the words “thank you” and she gives me a reassuring “it’s okay” nod.
Still terribly embarrassed I say, as we begin walking to our cars snacks in hand, “well I guess I’ll see you around campus” she responds, with some urgency, “wait do you want to come and meet my friends?” Risking further humiliation I say “sure.” While we share some laughs and make small talk with her girlfriends my eyes are riveted on her only. She is so attractive dressed simply in a navy blue pleated, knee-length skirt with polka dots and a white lace blouse.
With the movie soon beginning I am about to politely excuse myself when I hear these words coming out of my mouth asking “would you like to sit in my car?” without hesitation and with conspiratorial glances at her friends she says “I would love to watch with you” as we leave arm in arm she flips her skirt and looking back says to her friends, in a mock gloating tone, “bye bye girls” they all giggle.
“Is this yours?” she says, pointing to the car, as we approach space #23. “Yes,” “nice car!” I explain about the gift to which she responds sarcastically, with eyebrows raised “nice parents!” As I am reaching for the passenger door handle she asks, wouldn’t we be more comfortable sitting in the backseat.” Who am I to disagree with such sound logic. I respond, “yes.” She gets in first and slides across the dark green vinyl bench seat making room for me. We briefly glance at one another with nervous smiles and then sit in awkward silence, munching on handfuls of popcorn, until the show begins.
We sit miles apart with arms folded in our laps until a particularly frightening scene comes on screen and she gasps, draws near and buries her face in my chest . Oh no, I think as I feel myself getting hard and a bulge grows in the crotch of my chinos. She grabs my hand and ZING! I am lightning struck. Her head now rests on my shoulder and I say, in my ever-awkward manner “you smell good.” “Yeah I know’’ she says “it’s my roommate's Wind Song.” I drape my arm across her shoulders and she cuddles right up against me. Now oblivious to to the film she begins to toy with my shirt buttons. Unhooking two she slides in her hand and rests it on my bare chest.
Before this I had never “made out” with a girl. So with slight hesitation I bend down to kiss her. She is waiting with welcoming warm lips. The sensation is powerful. We kiss long and hard.
Needless to say, neither of us would remember the movie we, ostensibly, watched that Summer night but our first kiss will remain etched in our memory. Before that magical encounter I believed love-at-first-sight to be an endorphin-fueled obsession rather than true affection but I knew, when I first gazed into her enchanting, sapphire-like eyes, that we shared a bond forged before we were born.
Hey what’s the holdup! I am shocked out of my reverie by my foreman’s voice. I look around and I’m standing in the middle of the abandoned Monty Drive-in Cinema lot now overgrown with weeds. The once imposing screen is now in tatters. I tell him I was just remembering the first time I came to the theater 33 years ago. He says “there no time to daydream bud. The Peaceful Rest people want possession of this lot pronto.” I climb up into my bulldozer and begin the demolition.
Rushing into the house through the front door still dressed in my hard hat, dirty coveralls, and work boots. “Sweetheart!” I call out....”Sweetie!” She appears in the doorway leading to our garden. “Hi honey...why all the excitement? You know better than to come into the house with dirty boots! What’s that you're carrying?” I explain, “well you know how I‘ve been working on the Monty Drive-in demolition?” “Yeah” I go on “the foreman said I can keep this” I hold up the now rusty metal pole with the #23 plaque and speaker cradle still attached. A broad smile grows on her face and tears spill from her eyes as she too remembers the magic that occurred that night so many years ago. We then begin to laugh remembering my awkwardness. She says “I’ll plant it in the garden as a symbol of our love.”
A minivan with out of state plates navigates the narrow grave site access road in Peaceful Rest cemetery. The older woman behind the wheel says, to her two young adult passengers, “I remember when this used to be the Monty Drive-in Cinema. Your grandma and grandpa met for the first time here 60 years ago. In the 80’s your grandpa helped demolish the drive-in to make room for this part of the cemetery, She parks the van near the second row of grave markers. They get out and begin walking down the row. The older lady stops in front of
a rectangular tombstone on which is inscribed the names, birth and death years of her parents. With tears in her eyes she reads the epitaph
Here lies two blissful lovers
watching movies for eternity
Planted to the side of the gravemarker is a rusty steel pole with a worn plaque bearing #23
I hop into my brand new, green ‘53 Ford Customline, a high school graduation gift from my parents, and head to the drive-in, 2 hours early to insure that I get a good parking spot. After buying my ticket at the booth I choose a spot on the second row, space #23 as identified by a plaque attached to a steel pole, standing next to the space, whereon a speaker is cradled.
I roll down my windows to enjoy a peaceful indian Summer’s breeze. An orchestra of crickets can be heard coming from the direction of the Peaceful Rest cemetery located just to the left of the theater. I grin thinking how fortuitous it would be to lie in my final resting spot watching movies for eternity.
Feeling hungry I walk to the concession stand to buy some popcorn and a cherry coke. While standing in line I feel a gentle tap on my shoulder. Turning to see my tapper I am awestruck to see standing before a stunning young lady with shoulder-length, curly auburn hair, glowing porcelain skin and striking blue eyes. In the sweetest voice I have ever heard she asks “aren’t you in my Freshman English class?” Never having seen her before and not wanting the conversation to end I lie and say “yes, I think I am.”
We exchange names and chat about school, the drive-in, “Sudden Fear, “ the movie we were about to watch. Too soon we arrive at the service window. I place my order and wanting to impress my gorgeous linemate, without thinking, I say “and whatever she’s having.” She giggles and says “Okay” and places her order as well. The cashier says “that’ll be $3 please.” My heart leapt into my throat and I felt flush...I only have $2. Looking into my eyes, sensing my distress she smiles, grabs my hand and presses $1 into my sweaty palm. I mouth the words “thank you” and she gives me a reassuring “it’s okay” nod.
Still terribly embarrassed I say, as we begin walking to our cars snacks in hand, “well I guess I’ll see you around campus” she responds, with some urgency, “wait do you want to come and meet my friends?” Risking further humiliation I say “sure.” While we share some laughs and make small talk with her girlfriends my eyes are riveted on her only. She is so attractive dressed simply in a navy blue pleated, knee-length skirt with polka dots and a white lace blouse.
With the movie soon beginning I am about to politely excuse myself when I hear these words coming out of my mouth asking “would you like to sit in my car?” without hesitation and with conspiratorial glances at her friends she says “I would love to watch with you” as we leave arm in arm she flips her skirt and looking back says to her friends, in a mock gloating tone, “bye bye girls” they all giggle.
“Is this yours?” she says, pointing to the car, as we approach space #23. “Yes,” “nice car!” I explain about the gift to which she responds sarcastically, with eyebrows raised “nice parents!” As I am reaching for the passenger door handle she asks, wouldn’t we be more comfortable sitting in the backseat.” Who am I to disagree with such sound logic. I respond, “yes.” She gets in first and slides across the dark green vinyl bench seat making room for me. We briefly glance at one another with nervous smiles and then sit in awkward silence, munching on handfuls of popcorn, until the show begins.
We sit miles apart with arms folded in our laps until a particularly frightening scene comes on screen and she gasps, draws near and buries her face in my chest . Oh no, I think as I feel myself getting hard and a bulge grows in the crotch of my chinos. She grabs my hand and ZING! I am lightning struck. Her head now rests on my shoulder and I say, in my ever-awkward manner “you smell good.” “Yeah I know’’ she says “it’s my roommate's Wind Song.” I drape my arm across her shoulders and she cuddles right up against me. Now oblivious to to the film she begins to toy with my shirt buttons. Unhooking two she slides in her hand and rests it on my bare chest.
Before this I had never “made out” with a girl. So with slight hesitation I bend down to kiss her. She is waiting with welcoming warm lips. The sensation is powerful. We kiss long and hard.
Needless to say, neither of us would remember the movie we, ostensibly, watched that Summer night but our first kiss will remain etched in our memory. Before that magical encounter I believed love-at-first-sight to be an endorphin-fueled obsession rather than true affection but I knew, when I first gazed into her enchanting, sapphire-like eyes, that we shared a bond forged before we were born.
Hey what’s the holdup! I am shocked out of my reverie by my foreman’s voice. I look around and I’m standing in the middle of the abandoned Monty Drive-in Cinema lot now overgrown with weeds. The once imposing screen is now in tatters. I tell him I was just remembering the first time I came to the theater 33 years ago. He says “there no time to daydream bud. The Peaceful Rest people want possession of this lot pronto.” I climb up into my bulldozer and begin the demolition.
Rushing into the house through the front door still dressed in my hard hat, dirty coveralls, and work boots. “Sweetheart!” I call out....”Sweetie!” She appears in the doorway leading to our garden. “Hi honey...why all the excitement? You know better than to come into the house with dirty boots! What’s that you're carrying?” I explain, “well you know how I‘ve been working on the Monty Drive-in demolition?” “Yeah” I go on “the foreman said I can keep this” I hold up the now rusty metal pole with the #23 plaque and speaker cradle still attached. A broad smile grows on her face and tears spill from her eyes as she too remembers the magic that occurred that night so many years ago. We then begin to laugh remembering my awkwardness. She says “I’ll plant it in the garden as a symbol of our love.”
A minivan with out of state plates navigates the narrow grave site access road in Peaceful Rest cemetery. The older woman behind the wheel says, to her two young adult passengers, “I remember when this used to be the Monty Drive-in Cinema. Your grandma and grandpa met for the first time here 60 years ago. In the 80’s your grandpa helped demolish the drive-in to make room for this part of the cemetery, She parks the van near the second row of grave markers. They get out and begin walking down the row. The older lady stops in front of
a rectangular tombstone on which is inscribed the names, birth and death years of her parents. With tears in her eyes she reads the epitaph
Here lies two blissful lovers
watching movies for eternity
Planted to the side of the gravemarker is a rusty steel pole with a worn plaque bearing #23
Published 15th Mar 2018
| Edited 8th Jul 2019
Author's Note
This is a repost originally written under a different nom de plume, Lerd Goin.
Illustration by Arthur Sarnoff, "A Midnight Encounter"
Illustration by Arthur Sarnoff, "A Midnight Encounter"
All writing remains the property of the author. Don't use it for any purpose without their permission.
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comments 16
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The author encourages honest critique.
15th Mar 2018 7:21pm
Drive-ins were paradise on a summer's night. I'll certainly never forget. Great ending to this, brought a few tears. Fine work in its entirety.
15th Mar 2018 7:31pm
Thank you Crow! I'll admit I shed some tears writing this. I originally wrote it with a steamier back seat encounter but decided that it was too juvenile and cheapened the story. I am glad you like the piece...I too miss drive-in's but, unlike this piece, my memories are as a small boy.
Cheers!
Cheers!
15th Mar 2018 7:27pm
A real tear jerker. A well captured scene about how life evolves but somethings tie us together forever.
15th Mar 2018 7:39pm
Thank you Tim! I am touched by your comment because you understood me completely. I appreciate your words of encouragement.
Cheers!
Cheers!
15th Mar 2018 7:38pm
15th Mar 2018 7:41pm
1st Apr 2018 4:24pm
1st Apr 2018 4:31pm
Anonymous
5th Apr 2018 8:21am
Moments beheld perpetually, so beautifully etched here Bob
5th Apr 2018 6:11pm
Thank you Sophie! Our love and memories can be perpetual if kept alive. Cheers!
2nd Jul 2019 2:54am
This was VERY romantic, Gahddess! if only that poor drive-in could have stayed around long enough for those lovers to take in a few more shows from their final resting place. Well done!
2nd Jul 2019 10:03am
Thank you so much, Mary! I originally wrote it with a little more sex and sexual humor in the backseat but took it out because it didn't really seem necessary to the romance. I still have it, I think. Call it the directors cut :) I cn message the stanza if you like.
28th May 2020 5:28am
Well done! Such a beautiful and lovely story. Nicely written, engaging.... I enjoyed it
28th May 2020 7:03am
12th Jul 2020 6:36pm
A gripping and beautiful love story with a bit of tearful ending. I do want to see the director's cut though. :)
12th Jul 2020 8:57pm
Thank you for reading this piece. It means a lot to me. I love your comment and I sent you the director's cut.
