Bobby Joe, My First Love?



1958 with Cat Boots

Everyone has a "first love" and I was no different.  My first love was a boy named, Bobby Joe.  He was a new kid in school around 1956 or 1957--I really don't remember but I think it was my Sophomore year.  I thought he was just about the cutest boy I had ever laid eyes on at the time.  He had dark hair, cut in the standard "DA" look and beautiful blue eyes.  But my friend, Patty, captured his attention immediately.  So what else is new--boys always liked Patty--she knew how to flirt and garner attention from any boy in school, and besides that she had developed very early with a very nice figure that put all of us"late bloomers" to shame. And by the way, Patty still has a very nice figure--I just saw her last year at a high school reunion.   

But this story isn't about Patty, although she is bound to show up in my stories from time-to-time.  This story is about my first love, Bobby Joe Keene.  He was sweet on Patty and gave her some pictures of himself and she took more pictures of him to add to her collection.  I would ask to see her billfold so I could look at his cute pictures.  Once when she wasn't looking, I "borrowed" one of the pictures of Bobby Joe.  I thought she wouldn't notice because she had so many of him.  And besides, I was in love and desperate.  I took that picture home and taped it over my bed so I could stare at him every night before I fell asleep.  I thought he was even cuter than Ricky Nelson, who was then my favorite person in the whole world.  I made sure that picture was removed if Patty was coming by, but she rarely came over because was from a very large family and always had chores, plus she cleaned homes for several of the school teachers and other ladies in town for extra money, so she was always busy--and had money!  All I had were a few dollars from occasional babysitting jobs that didn't pay much in those days.

All I could think about every single day for that entire year was Bobby Joe.  I was getting desperate for him to notice me, so I asked some girl to tell him that I "liked" him.  I am not sure what she told him but the message in return was to tell me he "hated" me.  You can just about imagine how those cruel words absolutely broke my heart utterly and completely.  I cried myself to sleep that night and cried for days afterwards.  How could he "hate" me?  I never did anything to him other than be totally in love with him.

The story doesn't end there because later that year in our newspaper class, he began to be flirtatious with me and even kissed me one day in class behind the teacher's back.  I don't know if I was still in love with him by then and maybe I was over the puppy love stage, but I still had that picture hidden away.  He was just an adorable little flirt!  I confessed to Patty a few years later at our 10th or 20th high school reunion that I took that picture of Bobby Joe from her wallet and told her I was in love with him.  She said she knew--she was a good friend.  She didn't ask for the picture back though and I really don't know what happened to that picture. 

So what happened to Bobby Joe?  I really don't know--he moved on to another town somewhere, another school, probably broke more hearts, but I would like to find him because I am very curious to see how he looks these days.  That once dark hair may now be gray, and he's probably wearing glasses over those pretty baby blues, and fat--yes, let's say he is very fat now--and bald--and has five kids and 15 grandchildren!

Here are some pictures of me around 1958.  I am sitting on our car wearing my gold high heels, and posing in new slacks, and in one I am with my little dog, PeeWee.  Sorry you missed out, Bobby Joe--I really would like to have been your girlfriend if only a short time!