Before neither of us can remember the details, I thought it would be nice to write our love story. Here is part 1 (update: with links to parts 2 and 3):

The Hippie and the Pirate – A Love Story

Part 1: How We Met

It was sometime early September 1976, probably on a Wednesday since that was when our church youth group met. We were going to Montclair to play miniature golf and then get ice cream at Farrell’s Ice Cream Parlour afterwards.

Now, to set this story up a bit you have to know that I had just turned fourteen a couple of weeks before this outing. I had never dated anyone. Heck, I had only (reluctantly) put away my baby dolls on my 13th birthday the year before. I had, however, been talking on the phone with a boy from church in the weeks preceding. We kind of, sort of liked each other. Well, to be truthful he was more interested in me than I was in him. But he was a nice kid and I wanted a boyfriend.

He and I were supposed to meet up for this youth group outing but I got cold feet about it and decided I really didn’t want to lead him on. So I talked to him before we boarded the bus and told him I just wanted to be friends. I had no way of knowing that I had just cleared the way for the love of my life.

My cousin, Sue, went on the trip and we sat together on the bus. We lived next door to one another and were best friends. I don’t remember all that much about the miniature golf but I do remember the ice cream parlor. They had this dessert called the “Pig Trough” which consisted of THREE banana splits. If you ate the whole thing you got a badge or ribbon or something that said “I made a pig of myself at Farrell’s”. Well, of course several of the boys had to do this.

On the bus ride back I decided to walk to the back of the bus to talk to one of the guys who had “made a pig of himself”. I was usually very shy so I’m not sure how I got up the nerve, although I had known him quite awhile. As I was standing there in the aisle (yeah, we were quite safety conscious in the 70s) a girl asked me if I knew who the guy was who was sitting behind her. Apparently she had asked him his name and he wouldn’t tell her. He happened to be sitting with Brian, who used to be in the car pool my mom drove when we attended private school. Maybe that’s what gave me the courage but I simply asked him what his name was. He promptly replied, “David Piercy” then nudged Brian who gave me his seat. The girl gave me a dirty look then spun back around in her seat.

We talked the rest of the way back on the bus. I had recognized his last name and it turned out I knew his eldest brother, Rick. My brothers and I always entered the Park and Recreation track meets each year and Rick had been in charge of those. Other than that I really don’t remember what we talked about but I do know that we hit it off immediately and conversation was easy, even for a shy fourteen year old girl.

I later found out that David had looked out the bus window just as we met and noticed the sign which said how many miles it was to Victorville, where we both lived. Remember this detail because it will come up again later in our story. As we returned to the church parking lot we made plans to see one another at the next youth group meeting.

I had felt a little bit guilty about deserting Sue on the bus but she was very understanding and eager to hear all about David. It wouldn’t be the last she’d be hearing about him.

And that is how it all began.