By well into March, day time temperatures had been getting well up into the 60s, and morning temperatures haven't been as cold as they had been. Friday, March 18th started out with 30 degrees and was to get up to nearly 60 for that day...In fact, this was the time of year that the Mister Softee ice cream truck would begin to come through the neighborhood on weekends...That was always a treat. https://youtu.be/WsCDGY8e0P8?t=5 When the cubs were drawing with Clarence's Laptop Saturday of the week before, which was March 12th, Clarence and the other cubs noticed the time read out in the lower right corner of the screen had skipped to an hour ahead. That mystery was solved only after Al had mentioned, "I would say it's the adjustment to go to daylight savings time, but that's not until a week before May". Then Clarence had mentioned, "Oh, wait a minute. I remember we have day light savings sometime in March in my time". "That explains it", Al said to Clarence. "Your laptop is recognizing daylight savings time as now for 2018. And daylight savings time here in 1960 will be after Sunday on April...", Al then checked the calendar hanging in the dining room,"...the 24th". Al then assured Clarence, "When the clocks catch up with your laptop after midnight going from Sunday the 24th of April to Monday the 25th, the time read out on your laptop will be correct again". Mystery solved. Of course that was still to be another five weeks and two days away yet before April the 24th, being that it was still Friday, March 18th. After school had let out that Friday for the weekend of the 19th and 20th, the younger cubs had fun singing the Itsy Bitsy Spider song aboard the bus on the way home...Bus driver, Stimpson Mink, would even sometimes toot the bus horn to the rhythm of the song as they rode along. After the cubs and teens who lived in Duran arrived home, the phone rang at the residence of Frank and Wanda Coyote...It was Cindy Coyote calling from her parent's place in Vaughn, wanting to go on a date to The Hop with Jerald. Frank told Jerald that he'd need the car, that green, 1955, six cylinder, Chevy station wagon, to run a few errands, then Jerald can have the car for the evening to pick up Cindy to go out on a date. Jerald then told Cindy, "My dad will need the car for a while. How does eight o'clock sound?". "Eight o'clock's wonderful. I'll be waiting for you then...Love you", "Love you too, Sweetie", Jerald replied before they hung up. It was shortly after 7:00 when Frank Coyote completed the errands he had to run, and then pawed the keys over to his teenage son, Jerald, and said, "Take good care of 'er, Son". "I always treat Cindy right", Jerald assured his dad. "Well, I was also talking about the car too", Frank replied. "You know me, Dad. I'm not that kind of driver", said Jerald. "Okay, Son. Well see you later this evening", Frank said. "See you then, Dad", Jerald said as he got into that '55 Chevy wagon, fired up that six cylinder motor, then headed out to Vaughn to pick up Cindy. There was still plenty of time in which to show up at Cindy's home in Vaughn before eight so there was no rush driving along Highway 54. It was a clear starry night. Temperatures in the upper 40s. And only a five mile per hour breeze as far as it was for wind that evening. A short while before 8:00, Jerald pulled up to the residence of Cindy and her family in Vaughn. It was Cindy's dad, Fred Coyote, who greeted Jerald at the front door. After the friendly greeting, Fred called, "Cindy. Jerald's here". As Cindy came to greet Jerald, Cindy's mom, Charlot, came into the living room and to the front door to wish Jerald and Cindy a good evening. "Thank you, mam", Jerald said to Charlot Coyote. "Thanks. Mom", Cindy said to her mom. As Jerald and Cindy just about got to the car, Cindy's dad, Fred, called to them, "You two behave now. See you tonight". "Oh, Fred", Charlet said as Jerald and Cindy were getting into the car, "You don't have to treat them like cubs". Before long, Jerald and Cindy were riding north out of Vaughn on Highway 54 in that '55 Chevy, six cylinder wagon, to where they would eventually later be making that left turn onto Route 66 in Santa Rosa, then to The Hop. North of Vaughn, Cindy and Jerald decided to deviate off from Highway 54 to cruise some secondary roads, which made the trip to The Hop a bit longer...More romantic that way. Eventually they turned onto Route 66 and it wasn't long before they could see the lights of The Hop up ahead as though it were a beacon in the night lighting up beside Route 66. And within a few minutes, Jerald and Cindy had arrived, and were pulling into the parking lot. There were the two car hops, attractive female foxes on roller skates, who were waiting on customers who chose to have their food and drinks brought out to their cars...Those who want the curb service would blink the head lights to indicate so. Upon Jerald and Cindy going inside, the jukebox was playing a song from the 'King of Rock-n-Roll'; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=feqvtZx_op4 They met a few of friends from the high school in Estancia that Jerald Coyote attends, including Danny Otter (Hot Rod Danny) and his girl friend, Lidia Otter. And there were a teenage Great Pyrenees couple from the high school in Vaughn where Cindy Coyote attends. Jerald and Cindy sat at a booth and socialized with some friends, some of whom pulled some chairs they got from some empty tables up to the booth. Danny and Lidia Otter also pulled up a couple of chairs...Of course, Danny Otter would eventually brag about the cars he had beaten, and bets he had won, in road races with that Studebaker Golden Hawk of his. "Bet it won't beat my car", Johnny Fox told Danny Otter. "Ya puttin' me on, or is that a challenge?", Danny Otter asked Johnny Fox. "A challenge", Johnny replied. "And I'm puttin' $20 where my mouth is". "My $20 sez ya won't", Danny agreed to the bet. "Just name the time and place". "Okay...Highway 54. Just south going out of Santa Rosa. This coming Sunday night at 10:00 sharp", Johnny Fox told Danny Otter. "You're on", Danny replied. "The railroad crossing coming into Vaughn is the finish line". "Got it", Johnny Fox agreed. Like Danny Otter had earned the nick name 'Hot Rod Danny', Johnny Fox had also earned the nick name 'Hot Rod Johnny', because of a 1957 Chevy he drives that is equipped with a fuel injected, Turbo-Fire V-8. Jerald, Cindy and some of the others later ordered the most commonly ordered idem on the menu at The Hop...the jumbo shrimp basket with slaw, onion rings and hush puppies The Hop is so well known for. As a song began playing on the jukebox, Jerald and Cindy Coyote, and Danny and Lidia Otter joined other couples out on the dance floor; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rLdgInejEbw This wasn't the first time Jerald and Cindy Coyote had danced at the hop...However, now that they've had sex together, dancing together seemed to possess a special meaning it had never have had before...almost a specially sanctioned, sacred feeling to it. The feeling was so good to Jerald to Cindy, they stayed out on the dance floor for the duration of another selection the jukebox played; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pU_8D5jBqd0 After the song and dance finished, the jumbo shrimp orders were up, thus Jerald and Cindy made their way back to their booth with the others to enjoy their meal. Patty Coatimundi, the waitress, asked what everyone wanted to drink...Cindy ordered a Coke, Jerald ordered a root beer, Danny Otter ordered a Dr. Pepper, and the rest of the bunch ordered Cokes. After spending some time dining and socializing, Jerald, Cindy and the rest of them had a go at some pin ball machine games, as another song on the jukebox played; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SLP_pk6H11c After several games of pin ball, 'the gang', as they so referred to themselves for that evening as, got some of those home made cherry turnovers The Hop was so famous for, and topped with home made vanilla ice cream. Jerald and Cindy stayed for one more dance as the jukebox played; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G55yNWCnXTI When Danny and Lidia Otter left for the evening, Danny couldn't resist showing off in that Studebaker Golden Hawk. As sometimes typical with some teenagers leaving The Hop, Danny floored it, spinning that Golden Hawk in a partial 'doughnut', fishtailing onto Route 66 westbound, and high flying it off into the night down the highway. "Wow!" That's one cool gone cat!", a teenage badger exclaimed. When 'Hot Rod Johnny Fox' left in his high performance '57 Chevy, he slowly drove out onto Route 66, then stopped facing westbound...And then Johnny Fox revved up that loud engine several times, then took off down Route 66 like he was racing down a drag strip. It was getting late, so Jerald and Cindy left after the their tab was paid and a tip left...provided by Jerald of course. And when Jerald and Cindy pulled out in that 1955, six cylinder, Chevy wagon, it was in a sane manner...no tire spinning, no revving the engine, no fishtailing it, and no high tailing it down the highway. As Jerald dropped Cindy off at home, Fred Coyote asked Jerald and his daughter Cindy, "Did you two have a good time?". Jerald and Cindy both replied, "We did". "I'm so happy for you two", Fred affirmed. "Aw, that's so wonderful", Fred's wife, Charlot proclaimed. As Jerald arrived home back in Duran, teenage sister Dotty, and 8 year old sister Cheryl were still watching TV with Daddy Frank and Mama Wanda...It was late, but after all, being it was a Friday, there was no school tomorrow. "How was the date?", Frank asked his son, Jerald. "It was great", Jerald replied, which Daddy Frank, Mama Wanda and the siblings were so happy to hear. That evening had been a very wonderful evening.
