It Happened on Maple Street

He’d been worried for nothing.

I was a nervous wreck on the way to Eaton on Saturday night. In my entire life I’d never been to a party of kids my own age. I’d heard wild stories, though, and had no idea what to expect. Huber Heights was four times the size of Eaton, and there was probably a lot more bad stuff that went on in Huber Heights, but what if Tim wanted to get drunk? Or they had pot there?

What if all the kids were cracking jokes? I wasn’t funny. Most particularly not on the spot.

I wanted to meet his friends, to be a part of his life. I wanted him to be proud of me.

Eaton was really small. He’d had about a hundred kids in his graduating class. I’d had seven hundred in mine.

He’d know every single person there.

I was scared to death I was going to embarrass him.

I was also afraid I was going to find myself face-to-face with an ex-girlfriend. Maybe someone who meant more to Tim than I did. Someone who’d broken his heart who wanted him back.

Someone who was part of his small-town world and knew him a lot better than I did.

The only good news, as far as I was concerned, was that Tim had insisted that we just wear jeans and sweaters to the party. No costumes for us.

The party was in full swing when we arrived. Tim took hold of my hand at the car and didn’t let go.

“Carol, this is Tara. Tara, Carol, Steve’s girlfriend.”

“Oh, hi!” I smiled and so did the other girl, but I felt like I was under a microscope.

“Hi,” the girl said and then looked straight at Tim. “Barb’s here.”

Tim didn’t so much as blink. I wasn’t even sure he’d heard the girl.

During the next few minutes I met what seemed like a hundred people. Way too many for me to keep track of names. Besides, half the kids were in costume, so it wasn’t like I would recognize them if I ever saw them again.

We made our way out to the garage and sat on a bale of hay.

“Who’s Barb?”

“Barb who?”

“I don’t know. Carol just told you Barb’s here.”

Tim glanced around, still keeping my hand firmly within his. “I’m not sure, but probably Barb Cottrill. I knew her in high school.”

“Were you two an item?” I had to know.

“Heck, no.”

I was still smiling when Carol’s mom joined us, sitting down on a chair across from our bale of hay.

Tim introduced us. I squeezed his hand and said hello.

“Tim says you’re from Huber Heights.”

“Right.”

The woman told me about someone she knew from the Heights. She sat and talked to us for a long time. She asked about my studies, my mom, and Tim’s mom, too. She stayed long enough for me to feel welcome. To realize that I was actually enjoying myself.

I might even be able to go back into the crowd with Tim and, if miracles happened, find something to contribute to a conversation with people my own age so they would like me.

These were Tim’s people. If I didn’t pass muster, they’d tell him so. And their opinions might make a difference. After all, he’d known them all his whole life.