Rites Of Passage (Part 4 of 7)

High School, in and of itself, is a sort of rite of passage. When a young man begins high school, he knows that boyhood is just about over. Another rite of passage is when he turns sixteen. In the Mormon culture, a person is not supposed to date until he or she turns sixteen years old. The first time I ever asked a girl out on a real date was rather awkward. I had no idea how to do that, and I was too embarrassed to question someone else how I should go about it. My birthday was on the twenty first of September and the school Homecoming dance was on the twenty eighth. I waited until the day after my birthday because I thought I had to be sixteen to even ask a girl out. Since none of the girls in the sophomore class had turned sixteen themselves, I had to turn to older women. I decided to ask a girl who had graduated from high school the year before. I had actually given this much thought and I had identified a girl a long time before who I was going to ask out first. I had even imagined the whole date. I would have my Mom drive me to the girl’s house, take us to a fast food restaurant near Cottonwood High School, and after dinner, we’d walk the several blocks to the dance. I had no idea that it was a formal dance. It’s probably well that when I called the girl, she was already going to the dance (with the guy she eventually married.) I asked another girl, a senior, but she was already going as well. By this time I figured I was too late so I decided I’d go stag to the dance. But somehow I learned that you don’t go stag to this kind of dance, so I just stayed home that night.
After this somewhat shaky start, I finally got the courage and had the occasion to ask a girl out. This time I asked her well in advance. It was to a Cross County team party with a dinner. It was on the twenty eighth day of October. I didn’t know it then, but exactly six years to the day, I would go on my first date with the woman that I eventually married. Thus began for me a wonderful journey that would culminate six and a half year later when I married Rhonda Noveroske in the Salt Lake Temple. But it all began with that very first date.