It was 1958, I was thirteen, and had just started high school where I met a boy that I really liked, his name was Walter Dudek.
We started spending time together at school then progressed to the movie theatre so that we could kiss in the dark, and no one would object.
When my father found out who I was spending time with, he was furious, telling me he was no good and came from the wrong side of town.
One night Walter came to pick me up at the house. It wasn’t funny at the time but amuses me now.
All I remember is my father chasing Walter through back yards, over fences, and down several hills. As they kept running, my father was yelling, “You stay away from my daughter, you stay far, far away from her, or it will be hell to pay.”
This is the picture I still see in my head. My father was four foot, eleven inches tall, and Walter was five foot, six inches in height. I never realized my father could run so far or jump so high.
I didn’t stop seeing Walter for several months afterward, but he never did he come to pick me up at home again.
