The Box: Chapter 2

I've come to learn that there is absolute and relative time. When Newton wrote "Philosophiae Naturalis Principia Mathematica" in the late 17th century, he included an appendix of explanatory notes, which included the idea of absolute time. There seems to be disagreements between scientist about the theory, shape and speed of time. All I know is that time seems to pass very slowly for me and yet, it's been 2 years now since the box came into my life. At 12 years old, I've witnessed many things but still the box remains a treasured mystery.

As I examine my 12 short years, much has been packed into this absolute time. Although I remember many details about life before the box, the events of the night I became the protector of the box changed my life completely. However, the more things change the more they stay the same.

Today is the start of summer vacation, 1971. Right at the moment, "Brown Sugar" by the Rolling Stones is the number one song I'm listening to, Richard Nixon will be Time Magazine's Man of the Year, Jack Nicklaus is the best golfer around, Phyllis George of Denton, Texas is crowned Miss America and all of the girls in my neighborhood were wearing hot pants, whenever they can. I love the hot pants, but my mom won't let me have any. I'd look great in hot pants and try them on with Olivia as my audience every time I visit Margo's LaMode Shop in Lakewood. Although I tell myself that it's my mom's strict Christian faith that is preventing my hot pants fashion statement, I think she's just scared I'll look too good in hot pants.

Olivia and I have BIG plans today that include playing outside as much as possible. The closest pool worth swimming in is at the Lakewood YMCA, but I'm not good enough to swim the length of the pool, so that's out. This means we'll be at the shallow, concrete pool at Randall Park about a block from our house. The rest of the time we'll play with the neighborhood kids. Since there is a small apartment building next door to our duplex, there seems to be a constant stream of new faces to play with! I was expecting this year to be like every other, but I was quite wrong about that.

As Olivia and I sprang out the front door at 8:00am to get to the pool first, we came face-to-face with a new family moving into the apartments next door. My spring turned into a full stop when I laid eyes on the new boy next door. Older than me, definitely, but that didn't seem to matter. When I saw him, something exploded in my brain -- I was head-over-heels in love with this boy. Olivia grabbed my hand and said, "Quit gawking at the neighbors. You'll make us late!" I regained my composure and we were off, but that boy -- I need to meet that boy!

Olivia and I quickly found our grove and stayed at the pool until lunch time.
"Have you thought about lunch?" I asked.
"Not until now, but I'm hungry!" Olivia shouted from the far side of the pool.
"Lets go!!" I hollered back and within seconds we were off for the short walk home. The heat of the day meant we were almost dry by the time we got home, but a quick change and we were ready for the afternoon. The rest of the day was Olivia watching her cartoons and me doing chores. She is old enough to help, but they go faster for me if I just do them myself. Two of the chores, dishes and laundry, both give me a partial view of the apartment building next door. All through my chores I kept looking to see if I could spot the new boy, but nothing. That night after mom was gone to work and dad and Olivia were securely in front of the television, I did what I usually did, I went outside with a small radio and sat on the front stoop and listened to music and day dreamed about life. My day dreams had just focused on thoughts of opening the box, when a voice in the twilight came from the general direction of the apartment building next door.
"That's my favorite song playing on your radio." said the unfamiliar voice. There is something unnerving about having a conversation with a disembodied voice and although the voice was unknown to me, I had a feeling I knew who it was.
"May I sit down and listen with you?" he said as he walked up. At least 6 feet tall, dark hair and blue eyes, oh heavens! Just as I thought; It's the new boy next door. Right at that moment I was strangely conscious of my appearance. I say strangely, because I'd never given how I looked much of a thought before.
"Yes, please do!" I said, trying not to sound too excited. He sat there a long time just listening and looking at the ground when, finally he looked up at me and said, "I saw you today while I was helping my mom move into our new apartment next door. My name's Seth -- Seth Morgan." His voice was that country boy smooth as silk sound that was all around me here in North Texas. There's just something comforting about the sound of a cowboy talking. I guess that's why I love a western movie best of all.
"I'm Kate Sage!" not knowing what else to say. "Would you like to choose a station?" I said as I handed the radio over to him.
"Sure!" he said and he quickly moved the station to KLIF 1190AM, a top 40 station. Seth handed the radio back to me and we started to talk about whatever came to mind, where he was from in East, Texas to schools in the area. Seth was 14 and would be going to 8th grade at J.L. Long Junior High. He explained how he had not worked very hard at school and had been kept back a year.
"How old are you?" he asked, big blue eyes fixed on my own brown eyes that I almost forgot who I was.
"I'm 12 -- going into 7th grade in the fall over at Lipscomb Elementary." As I said it I thought, "He's never going to look at me twice now that he knows I'm in baby school." We spent the rest of the time just listening to music and talking about nothing in particular, but with every word he said I fell deeper and deeper in love with him. It seemed like a real short period of time and before I knew it my dad was calling me into the house for the evening. I could sense my dad's displeasure with finding me talking to a stranger. I introduced him, but my dad was not impressed. Honestly, I couldn't have cared less. All I knew is that Seth was great and he was going to join Olivia and I for summer fun tomorrow. I couldn't wait!!

As Olivia and I bolted out the front door, there was Seth sitting on the steps waiting for us. Olivia stopped and looked back at me with her normal, "What have you done?" look on her face. I quickly introduce Seth to Olivia and she was happy to have someone new along to entertain us. We went over to the park and swam for hours and then just like clockwork we were back home for lunch. The difference today is that after we changed clothes we were going to the Lakewood Dairy-Queen Brazier for lunch. Dad had given me a few dollars for lunch and we had our allowance to shop at the local five and dime or drug store. Seth decided to come along with us so we all met at the corner for the walk up to Lakewood. There was nothing special about any of this except that I really was crazy about Seth. After we got home, we found the neighborhood kids playing army across the front yards of the apartments, our house and the Stephenson house next door. There were all out battles waging from the street to the alley, so we joined in. Someone had set up a camp in our backyard just under the clothesline, that included a pup tent. There was a point where I'd had enough of being captured and released by opposing forces, so I crawled into the tent to read a book for awhile. I hadn't been in there long when in crawled Seth. I was laying on the ground on my stomach reading Jane Eyre, my favorite story. Seth took up a similar position and asked me a question about the game. I don't even remember what it was, but before I could answer him he reached over and grabbed my head and kissed me square on the lips. If ever there was an unforgettable kiss, that was it. I thought I was was in love before that, well now I was sure of it. Just as quickly as he kissed me he was gone back to the game of waging war against the Stephenson kids. I remember thinking, "What was that and where has it been all my life?"

Over the next 3 years Seth would come in and out of my life. He moved frequently with his mother, but would always end up around us some where. He was shy, but I knew he was the boy for me. My mother had said I couldn't start dating until I was 16, but at 15 while in the 9th grade at J.L. Long Junior High, I felt I was living on borrowed time when it came to Seth. He was now 17 and a junior at Woodrow Wilson High School next door to the junior high. Seth was now living in the apartment building across the street from us. I could look out of the front window of our house and see his bedroom window. I used to sit there and just stare at his curtains knowing he was just on the other side, playing records and having fun. Seth was driving now and had been for a couple of years. Since he was 'the man of the house' he needed his license to be able to get his mom around town. Seth had grown up fast, just like I was doing. Only we'd done it in such different ways.

One day I saw Seth doing something with his car (he was always fiddling with that car) and so I thought, "Now is the time! Either he asks me out on a date or I'm going to die!!" So, I hung around while he worked and did everything I could to steer the conversation on to dating. Finally, as he laid half in and half out of that dark blue 1965 Mustang trying to install a tape deck in the dash, he sat up and said, "Do you think your mother would let you go out on a date with me sometime?"
"Are you kidding me? YES!!!"  I said, knowing full well this was going to be the hardest thing I'd ever tried to put over in my life. I told him to keep working and I'd go square it with mom. It just so happened that my mom loved Seth. So, I ran home to get the important 'okay' on the plan. When I arrived home she was just getting up and getting ready for her night shift at Xerox.
"Mom!?! Can I talk to you about something, please?" I said, knowing full well that I'd need to do the one thing my mom hated: beg.
"I'm in the bedroom, but you can talk while I get dressed. What's up?" she said with her usual distracted tone.
"I don't want you to answer too quickly, please and I know you may not like this, but.." I said, trying to prepare her.
"Cut out the him-hawing and get to the question, girl!" she snapped.
"Seth has asked me out on a date and I want to go. I know I'm not quite 16 yet, but mom I'll die if I can't go with him to a movie and dinner or just dinner or whatever. Please, mom! Can I go?? Please????" I heard myself begging.
"Don't beg, Kate! You know I can't stand that." she said, and yes, I knew she hated it.
"Mom, I wouldn't ask if it weren't just the most important thing to me ever."
"You'll be 16 in just a few months, can't he wait?"
"Mom! You're not going to make me go tell him I'm too much of a baby to have a date, are you? Please, mom, please let me go!" I said with my hands pressed together in a prayerful posture.
"We'll probably have to lock your father in a closet and Seth is going to have to agree to some rules, but okay, you can go!" she said with a slight grin. I ran all the way over to where Seth parked his car and gave him the good news. He was as delighted and I felt he should be and we planned to go out on Saturday evening. I had only a couple of days to get myself ready and I wanted to be perfect for him. Saturday arrived and we had that all important first date and second kiss. For the both of us, that was it. I was Seth's and he was mine. It was just a few months past my 16th birthday when Seth gave me a promise ring to seal the deal. I really was his, but it would take several years for us to settle down and start a family of our own. In the meantime, I have responsibilities and so does he. Since he is older, his responsibilities would take him away from me for long periods of time and I had to get used to that. In my immaturity, I was always worried that he'd find someone better than me, but I needn't have worried. I was his and he was mine. I was firmly convinced God had made me for him and I for him.

Through those years leading up to my 16th birthday, I thought very little of the box, except the occasional day dream of opening it. There just always seemed to be something more important to do and honestly, I was a little afraid of the box. It was somehow easier to just dream about it than to try and deal with what might be a problem inside. Better to put it off till another time. School was getting harder by the second, I wanted to spend every extra moment I had with Seth. My mom and dad were getting along less and less. By the time we reached Olivia's 13th birthday late in 1974, our parents were separating and we'd be thrown into turmoil as they worked out the divorce. Wow! What a mess!! In fact, their divorce was so messy, I became really afraid of making the same mistake and even tried to distance myself from Seth. He was strong and wouldn't let me get too far away. Since his parents had been divorced since he was really young, he knew I was having a hard time and was just his normal loving self throughout the ordeal. In the end, everything was fine. I had promised both of my parents I would not try to marry Seth before I finished high school, but pretty much as soon as I had graduated, we were setting a date for the wedding.

I was now almost 19 years old and married to the boy I fell in love with when I was twelve and the only boy I'd ever kissed. Our wedding was a beautiful day that I'll never forget. We got married in field of bluebonnets. I wore a pretty dress off the rack and he wore his best dark blue suit. Olivia stood up for me and she was happy for me. It wasn't until I was packing my belongings to move me into our new apartment, that I realized it had been almost 9 years since I'd acquired the box and still it lay unopened. As I tucked the box into my suitcase, I vowed that as soon as I got to the new apartment, I would open the box. The packing continued and as always, I day dreamed of what life was going to be like for me in the future. Would I work? Will I go to college? Are there any children in store for Seth and I? But more than any other question this one played on my mind most of all: What will I learn when I finally open the box?