Looking For Memories: Recollection

By Mike Robertson

Like some people recently retired, Mark had taken on a diversion that pretty well takes up much of his time. At one time, he collected baseball cards, a pastime that required him to acquire cards through trades with fellow enthusiasts or winning cards through arcane competitions when the application of Facebook allowed him to accumulate cards more easily. Several years later, on an airplane flight from Montreal to New York City, Mark glimpses a television show being shown on a computer laptop belonging to a woman sitting in a seat across the aisle of that flight. Mark thinks and then becomes convinced that one of the actresses playing a woman in that show is in fact his first girlfriend. That realization results in a search for the identity of that woman though a variety of methods and sources, an effort that culminates in a rendezvous with his memory.

• Language: English
• Publisher: AuthorHouse
• Release date: Feb 5, 2024
• ISBN: 9798823021333

Mike Robertson

Mike Robertson, resigned for several years to the routine of retirement, continues to pursue the notion that he may have a literary aptitude, a belief that has sustained his endeavours for over a decade and the publication of various projects. His most recent effort, a novel entitled Picture Windows, is his tenth book, joining three collections of short stories, Casting Shadows, Parts of a Past, and These Memories Clear, three volumes of literary entertainments entitled The Smart Aleck Chronicles and three novels, The Hidden History of Jack Quinn, The First Communion Murders, and Gone and Back. Mike Robertson lives in profound anonymity in Ottawa, Ontario.

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LOOKING FOR MEMORIES

RECOLLECTION

MIKE ROBERTSON

AuthorHouse™

1663 Liberty Drive

Bloomington, IN 47403

www.authorhouse.com

Phone: [phone]

© 2024 Mike Robertson. All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means without the written permission of the author.

Published by AuthorHouse 01/30/2024

ISBN: 979-8-8230-2134-0 (sc)

ISBN: 979-8-8230-2133-3 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2024901952

Adobe Stock images depicting people are used with their permission and for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Adobe Stock.

Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

CONTENTS

More Than Decades On

Facebook Baseball

Facebook Follies

Facebook Pictures

Facebook Alternatives

Finding Facebook Friends

A Reminder Of A Party Line

A Second Introduction to Facebook

Facebook After Retirement

Return to the Library

Meeting People From the Past

Facebook Memories Return

Still More Facebook Memories

Another Addiction

Searching School Annuals

Examining the School Annuals

Accidental Appearance

The Woman Across the Aisle

Calling On Diane Roberts

Another Call On Diane

A Plan Years In the Making

Another Plan

Search for A Nameless Mother

The Report

Postscript

H er name was Diane Roberts. It was his first date. They were both fifteen years old when he asked her to the first school dance of the year. They both lived in the same neighbourhood and she was one of the few girls he knew. Since Mark attended an all boys’ school, a school named Saint Michael’s, any dance there was generally regarded as a significant event. In fact, usual arrangements for girls who went to a local girls’ school named Villa Madina were made to accompany any boy who couldn’t arrange for his own date. Accordingly, any Saint Michael’s student who was able to bring his own date to the dance was commonly regarded as a notable achievement. From pretty well the first week of school, Mark was planning to invite her to the first dance of the year, which was scheduled for the second week of October. He was quite nervous about his intention, wondering not only about her reaction but about whether she was accustomed to attending dances at her own school, a local institution called Valois Place which held traditional events called sock hops every Friday night. That thought invoked in him the anxiety that not only would Diane decline his request but that she had a boyfriend and, therefore, would decline any request that anybody made. It was no surprise then that he spent a considerable amount of time worrying about what she would say when he finally got around to asking her to the dance in the second week of October. He also knew that he could be running out of time.

Although he did not know it at the time, it was Diane’s first date as well. When she informed Mark of her lack of dating experience, he was understandably surprised. Diane was considered to be attractive and, therefore, likely to attract admirers, including most particularly the boys at her school. Many years later, Mark was told by someone from the old neighbourhood that she was eventually hired as a model and was to appear in the adolescent fashion section of the Sears catalogue. He himself never was able to see her appearances in the catalogue although Mark’s mother told him that she had seen her there. It took Mark several weeks to get enough courage to actually ask her to the dance. Although he initially planned to ask her to the dance the next time he saw her at either the McDermott’s cafeteria, the diner in the rear of Valois Drug Store or hanging around in the backyard of one of her friends, a girl named Anne who lived next door to Mark. But he never got around to asking her to the dance in person, the presence of two or three of Diane’s friends as well as Anne’s brother and one of his friends impeding his proposal. So he was left with the remaining alternative, to ask Diane to the dance on the telephone, the standard method he thought of asking a girl out on a date.

The prospect of contacting Diane or any other girl on the telephone filling Mark with something close to dread. It was particularly nerve racking for Mark mainly because his mother did not approve of romantic relationships between adolescents. To lessen his anxiety with his mother’s attitude regarding any contentious issue that existed between Mark and his mother, he would sneak into the vestibule with the telephone and whisper his conversations. Mark used that approach and telephoned Diane after finding her family’s number in the local telephone book. At first, Diane didn’t seem to realize that Mark was on the line. That was understandable since he was basically whispering, his mother being in the kitchen, presumably he suspected, trying to listen to his every word. As a result, he took care to ensure that he was speaking as low as possible although he found himself repeating practically every word of his side of the conversation. Once she was able to comprehend what he was saying, principally that he was asking her to accompany him to a dance at Saint Michael’s in two weeks, she seemed amiable enough to agree. More than that, she actually emphasized her assent by quietly giggling. Before saying goodbye, she asked if the event was a formal or semi-formal affair, noting that the Valois Park sock hops were casual. Mark replied that the dance that she had agreed to attend was a semi-formal event. Before he said goodbye, he said that he planned to remind her of their date by telephoning her just after school on the Friday before the dance. She told him when she usually got home after school around four o’clock.

Toward the end of the next week, Mark ascertained that his parents, Fred and Margaret, had been asked by the school to chaperone the dance. Understandably, it was an extraordinary surprise, not only to Mark but also to his classmates who were not familiar with his parents. While he was generally aware of the fact that parents were always asked to ensure that behaviour at school dances was appropriate for a Roman Catholic boys’ school, those who were normally enjoined to attend the student dances were generally well known to the school’s Jesuit administration. Further, in addition to parents of notable students, several teachers often put in time watching over the couples. So when Mark’s parents, who felt inhibited by the most of the other student parents, who were more prosperous, were asked to chaperone, they were surprised and honoured. As for Mark, he was sort of embarrassed. In addition, it also meant that his parents would accompany him and his date to the dance itself. His friends, most of whom were either not going to the dance at all or if they were attending, had been set up with a date from Villa Madina, invested a fair amount of time making fun of him and his date although Mark suspected that they were actually jealous.

Nevertheless, he was self-conscious about his parents’ role at the dance even though Diane was pleased with the news, having known them for several years from the neighbourhood, one of her good friends living next door to Mark’s family. Daine’s parents, who were past middle age and had adopted her when her mother realized that she could not have children herself, were also acquainted with Mark’s parents and were likely also pleased with the news. For their part, Mark’s parents were also pleased with the school’s request. Mark thought that his parents felt complimented, possibly believing that the request was an acknowledgement that there was a certain equality of status with the other parents in the school. In this context, Mark was aware that his parents were somewhat intimidated by the comparative prosperity of the parents of most of the students in Saint Michael’s. Fact was Mark’s parents were generally unhappy with school tuition, particularly since they were under the impression that most of the parents of Mark’s classmates could easily afford the school fees while they couldn’t. Mark also thought that Diane’s parents probably felt the same way.

As the date approached, Diane and Mark discussed their plans for their ensembles for the dance. Diane told Mark that her mother Edna had taken her to Eaton’s downtown to purchase a pink dress with a checkered belt and a fashionable hemline. As for Mark, since students had to wear jackets and ties, there no necessity for him to go to Eaton’s or anywhere else to buy a new outfit. His mother also bought a new dress, an extraordinary development for a woman who usually made her own clothes. The parents agreed that Diane’s parents would drive the couple to the dance while Mark’s parents would drive them home after the dance. It seemed an absurd arrangement although it seemed fair somehow. The Saturday night was coming. Mark and Diane spoke to each other on the telephone the evening before to make certain that all the right arrangements had been made. They had been.

As agreed, Diane’s parents drove the couple to the dance, arriving at the dance at 8 PM where they were greeted by Principal Chase and Father Green from Saint Michael’s and the President of the Student Council Grant Frank, the student who organized the dance. According to student Frank, there were more than a hundred couples in attendance. Diane and Mark ended up sitting at a table with at least a dozen couples. Of them, Mark was acquainted with most of the students from Saint Michael’s. Mark was later told by Grant Frank that there were few girls, including Diane of course who did not attend Villa Madina, a girls’ school also located in the area. Fact was that most the girls attending the dance were probably students at the Villa. Mark’s parents were sitting at a small table, discussing school matters with Fathers Chase and Green. They were served wine and were partaking of the treats that were available. Both pairs of parent chaperones were continually commenting on how well behaved the crowd was. It was obvious that the parents of Mark and Diane were enjoying themselves. They were happy with their roles.

The dance, which was held in the properly decorated gymnasium, was going well. A disc jockey named Ralph was playing records from the top twenty: Beatles, Rolling Stones, and a multitude of soul selections. In addition, a local band from the West Island, MG and the Escorts was playing some of their own songs, many of which were immediately recognizable by the dancers, many of whom did not seem to know how to dance. This wasn’t surprising since Saint Michael’s only held four dances during the school year while Diane’s school operated a dance every two weeks. On the other hand, Diane impressed most of the celebrants with her dancing skills, her regular attendance at the Valois Park sock hops an obvious education. Many of the girls, most of whom were presumably from Villa Medina, were dancing with each other.

About fifteen minutes before midnight, the dance was declared as being officially over. Principal Chase made the announcement. There were made maybe fifty couples left and they began to file out. As agreed, Diane and Mark caught up with Mark’s parents, Fred and Margaret, for their ride home. On their way home, Mark’s parents suggested that they stop at a donut shop for a coffee and desert. Despite their initial surprise and discomfort, the couple soon found themselves enjoying donuts and listening to Mark’s parents relating stories of their history of attending dance halls. The young couple was fascinated by the stories of their frequenting old time Montreal nightclubs with names that were not familiar to them. In addition, they were particularly entertained by the fact that his parents regularly entered dance competitions, sometimes actually winning prizes for their choreographic efforts. By the time the four of them arrived at Diane’s house on Michigan Avenue, the couple on their first date had concluded that their first date was more than successful, Mark was certain that he and Diane would have more than their first date, his future attendance at the Friday night sock hops at Valois Park his expectation. As the car stopped and Diane went to disembark, Mark’s mother motioned for him to open the door on her side of the car and escort her to her door. Mark then walked her up the stairs to her porch, anxious about the likelihood of a first kiss. He noticed that his mother was hopefully gazing at the couple from the car window when Diane leaned forward, laid a chaste kiss on his lips and whispered, Thank you for a wonderful evening. With that observation, Diane went into the house, an enchanted evening concluded. Mark thought it was an fictional scene out of some television show.

The next Monday evening, Mark telephoned Diane. Before they had an opportunity to discuss anything, Diane asked him to ensure that he thanked his parents for their contribution to their enjoyment of the dance on Saturday night. Mark replied by asking Diane to thank her parents as well. From there, they discussed the coming week at their respective schools, a prelude to Mark asking her to the Friday night sock hop at Valois Park. Diane replied by asking Mark why he had waited until Monday to ask her for Friday night. She then giggled, a delightful little titter. Mark was now more than infatuated. He now thought, he was now convinced that he had his first legitimate girlfriend. However, since they both attended different high schools, Mark in particular did not have the self-esteem that teenage boys normally would have if he was known to have a girlfriend. That would be more than believable when you attended Saint Michael’s since as a boys’ school, guys with girl friends were generally pretty scarce. In fact, in Mark’s class, eight of the twenty six students actually had steady girlfriends, class playboys Jim Allison, John Doyle, and Lloyd McKenna in particular seemed to have the exclusive rights to having regular sweethearts. While Diane and Mark were a known couple from the dance, some of Mark’s pals from school teased him but Mark surmised that whoever accompanied them in their ridicule were likely envious. When Diane and Mark got together for their date for the sock hop, he mentioned his intuition to her, who mentioned that a couple of her girlfriends had heard that she had attended a dance at a prestigious boys’ school and the fact alone was enough to prompt gossip.

The sock hop itself was held every two weeks after either the Valois Park basketball team played or the school drama club put on a play or a musical performance of one kind or another. Following the historical precedent of teen dances since the 1950s, the attendees were predictably asked not to wear shoes, hence the designation for the evening. Within a month, during which they had attended two sock hops at Valois Park, Diane and Mark had found that they were fairly competent dancers, at least compared to most of the other guests, some of whom would stand around to watch the two of them dance. Fact was that Diane was surprised during their first date, the dance at Saint Michael’s, to discover that Mark was quite a good dancer, a skill he developed by watching a local television show called Dance Date and practising when no one else was around. While they were enjoying themselves at the second sock hop they attended, Mark almost got into a fight with two students when he interpreted their approach to himself and Diane as something approaching aggression. When Mark removed his glasses, the two guys retreated as quickly as they had come forward. Diane said that one of the guys who had approached them had had a slight crush on her, an obsession that had not lasted too long. He was aware, however, that he and Diane were a couple. To Mark, it was official.

Diane and Mark went out as girlfriend and boyfriend for four months. They saw each other every weekend, either attending sock hops, one other dance at Saint Michael’s, parties held at one of her friends’ places, the movies at the Dorval Theatre, or watching television at Diane’s house when her parents were playing bridge at the local community centre. They were pursuing the classical teenage romance, so much so that their friends, most particularly Diane’s friends, were continually envious. As for Mark’s friends, they were only aware of his relationship with Diane when he took her to a Saint Michael’s event or if a classmate lived in Mark’s neighbourhood. In addition, the parents of both Mark and Diane were content with the couple, pleased that their first respective first girlfriend and boyfriend were so pleasant. So far so that the couple were often asked over for dinner at both houses, sometimes more than once a week. Even Mark’s two brothers, Kevin and John, liked it when Diane was invited over the dinner.

The only shortcoming in their relationship in so far as Mark was concerned was the purity of their physical relationship. Mark himself was not dissatisfied with their so-called sex life, despite the occasional comments of his classmates and friends, the extent of their knowledge of teenage romance based on little more than baseless hearsay. Fact was that snuggling on the couch at Diane’s house and chaste kissing was pretty well the level of their physical contacts. Mark was hardly concerned with the generally wholesome nature of their relationship. Anytime any of his friends brought up the nature of his relationship with Diane, particularly their physical behaviour, he would smile confidently and change the subject if he could. Nevertheless, Mark was convinced that they were in love. As for Diane, she had inscribed I love him on his forearm with a foundation pen the day before Christmas.

His name was Alex Nolan. He lived three doors down from Mark on he same side of the street. He was one grade lower in Valois Park school. He came from a fairly prestigious family. His father owned two gas stations, a garage and drove a new Lincoln every year. Alex was quite popular with the girls at Valois Park, his allowance apparently well beyond any that his classmates were able to receive. As a result, he was able to entertain any girls he dated with more panache than most of his classmates. Consequently, it was no surprise that one of the best looking and most popular girls in grade nine, a blonde beauty named Sharon Burgess had been his steady for several months. Mark and Diane ran into her and Alex one afternoon at the local skating rink. Mark was not acquainted with Sharon Burgess although Diane was well aware of her reputation around the school. Although Mark acknowledged Alex as they passed the couple, neither Mark nor Diane made any attempt to take any notice of Sharon Burgess who normally was used to attention. As the two couples passed each other, Sharon seemed to make a comment to Alex. She was actually asking Alex to identify Mark, who she did not know. Alex told her that he lived three doors down on Parkdale Street but that he went to a boys’ school in west end of Montreal called Saint Michael’s. He also mentioned that he had gone to John Fisher elementary school with him but had not been friendly with him. For some reason, Sharon smiled at Mark but looked at Diane with a peculiar look on her face. The two couples had passed each other for no more than one minute. It had been a strange contact.

The next day, when Mark and his brother were playing ball hockey with Gary, who lived next door, Doug who lived across the street and the Carter brothers Pete and Steve who lived on the next street when Alex walked by carrying a bag from Ted’s Records and Hobbies. He said that he had just purchased the latest Rolling Stone LP. After Alex had passed the four of them, Gary casually asked the boys if Alex was still going out with Sharon Burgess. Pete Carter claimed that he said seen the two of them together having lunch at McDermott’s the other day. They also commented on how attractive Sharon was, a veritable Vixen in the neighbourhood and wondering why she and Alex were a couple. Gary commented that Alex’s family was well off and that fact may have had something to do with it. Pete disagreed, suggesting that Sharon Burgess was probably going out with Alex so she could get closer with Alex’s older brother, Bob who went to university and had his own car. Although Steve, Gary and Doug expressed doubts about Pete’s speculation, they also agreed that it was possible. Mark did not comment but thought to himself that he wouldn’t be surprised.

He didn’t know why but he found himself running into Sharon Burgess twice in the next week or so. In both cases, he saw her in the Pointe Claire shopping centre, an understandable development since he had been told that she lived in the Heights, a more expensive housing development that was constructed by the same company that had built the house that Mark’s family lived in. He did not acknowledge Sharon, she simply not noticing him. In addition, in another surprising twist, maybe a week later, he saw Sharon and Alex at a sock hop at Valois Park. Strangely enough, he had never seen the couple at any previous Valois Park sock hop but there they were. Once more, perhaps like a lot of guys, Mark had begun to fantasize about Sharon, even when he was still going with Diane. In fact, he found himself considering breaking up with Diane, something he had never contemplated previously. On the other hand, despite his romantic ambitions, he could not imagine how he could possibly manage to interest Sharon in a relationship. On the one hand, he could see Sharon dropping Alex, agreeing with most of his friends that Alex did not belong with her. Despite their reservations, there had been, and continued to be a mystery regarding her relationship with Alex. People thought it had something to do with Alex’s family being affluent but on the oither hand, Alex didn’t even have a driver’s license. That left Mark thinking that he might have an opportunity with Sharon. Then, that left the question of Diane, with whom he was still seriously going steady.

It was the Carnival dance at Saint Michael’s in March. He was absorbed with the idea of asking Sharon Burgess to the dance. It seemed an unlikely prospect, more like a fantasy than a plan, his interest in her growing despite the fact that he hardly ever saw her, even though he would often go out of his way to encounter her, sometimes at the recently opened Fairview Shopping Centre which attracted teen shoppers in particular, a large record store, four or five women’s fashion stores, as well as department stores, Eatons and Simpsons. Mark would spend the occasional Saturday there, hoping to run into Sharon, either with a couple of girlfriends or by herself, as long as she was not accompanied by Alex. One of the problems he faced, however, maybe the most significant problem, was even if he did encounter her, he would not know how to engage her in conversation. He was convinced that Sharon would recognize him in the event that he ran into her, their recent meeting at a Valois Park sock hop a pertinent example. However, despite his efforts during the last three weeks of February, he never saw her at either the Fairview Shopping Centre or anywhere else for that matter.

He found himself unable to get Sharon Burgess out of his mind, the Carnival dance at Saint Michael’s the conspicuous reason. It was scheduled for the second Saturday in March. After considerable consideration, sleepless nights being an obvious attribute, Mark decided that he would telephone Sharon and simply ask her to the Carnival dance. He realized that it would take a fair amount of bravery. It reminded him of the occasion when he telephoned Betty Robinson, a grade seven student from the girl side of John Fisher elementary school. He had a major infatuation on her, his first such appeal. It seemed inevitable since she was, at least to Mark, the most attractive girl in grade seven. He did not know her, had never spoken to her, but for several months towards the end of grade seven, he thought about her almost constantly. Finally, in May of his last year of John Fisher, he decided to telephone her, his continuing fantasy about her overwhelming him into lunacy. He called her, nervously introduced himself and was flabbergasted when she said that she knew who he was. Since he was not prepared for her forthright response to his call, he stumbled for more than several minutes before informing Betty Robinson that he wanted to take her to a movie. There was a certain silence before she provided Mark with a fairly loud laugh, like he had been telling a joke, and declined his invitation. Although he should have been prepared for such a reply, he was somehow shocked. Betty then hung up with a curt goodbye. That was the only time he had even spoken to her. Further, he found out that her family had moved out of the neighbourhood when the school year ended. He never saw her again and never thought of her again.

So he finally decided that he should telephone Sharon Burgess and plainly ask her to the Carnival dance. It was a little more than two weeks until the dance itself. It was a Thursday evening and Fred and Margaret were out at Knights of Columbus event. He, therefore, was free to make his telephone call without worrying about interference from his mother, not having to hide in the porch. In addition, he would not have to whisper although