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In the summer of 1964, eighteen-year-old Evelyn Smithson had just finished her shift at Rooney’s Diner in downtown Minneapolis, Minnesota. In her eighth month of pregnancy, the teenaged runaway was exhausted and looking forward to a relaxing evening in her apartment. But when Evelyn stepped out into the darkness and the pouring rain, she was mugged and brutally stabbed. Since Evelyn Smithson was now the fourth young woman in the downtown area to be attacked in precisely the same manner, residents feared they had a serial killer in their midst. As Evelyn lay there dying on the city sidewalk, she reflected on her life and the events that had led to this horrific scenario, praying to God to save her unborn baby. Minutes later, the young pregnant woman was discovered by her best friend, Shirley Mulrooney, who immediately summoned an ambulance. Unfortunately, as the emergency room staff worked diligently to save the life of Evelyn Smithson, they realized that was a losing battle; however, the viable fetus could be saved via emergency cesarean section. Sadly, just as her newborn daughter took her first breath of life, Evelyn Smithson exhaled her last. Since the baby’s father was purportedly killed in Vietnam, and the mother was now deceased, the orphaned child was soon adopted by a loving, affluent couple in Rochester, Minnesota. Franklin and LaVonne Barth named their newborn daughter Cassandra. At long last, their lives were full again, and Cassandra enjoyed a typical, happy childhood…until thirteen years later, on a cold December night, when everything changed, and Cassandra’s life would never be the same. With the onset of her first menses, thirteen-year-old Cassandra Barth became plagued by horrendous nightmares and daytime visions of the brutal stabbing death of a pregnant woman she had never seen or met. As a result, Cassandra’s health, disposition and schoolwork suffered tremendously, spiraling the adolescent into a dark depression. As a last resort, her parents took her to a psychiatrist, and with the aid of hypnotherapy, the Barth family’s lives were cast into an abyss of questions, worry, fear and intrigue. Through their daughter’s hypnotic sessions, Franklin and LaVonne Barth learn that the woman in Cassandra’s dreams is none other than her birth mother, Evelyn Smithson. Therefore, the time had come to reveal the truth about Cassandra’s birth and subsequent adoption. But even more frightening was the fact that Evelyn’s killer, as seen through the eyes of Cassandra while under hypnosis, doesn’t resemble the serial killer who had been convicted of her murder all those years ago. In light of Cassandra’s unique and extraordinary connection to her deceased mother, the psychiatrist and detective working the case invite a composite sketch artist to join their team. During that session, a concrete image of Evelyn Smithson’s killer soon emerges, which sends the detective in an entirely new direction on his hunt for the truth. Will Cassandra’s visions of her birth mom’s murder help find the real killer? Is it possible that this executioner had been living freely amongst them, disguised as one of their most prominent and beloved citizens, for the past thirteen years? Will Cassandra’s involvement and intuitiveness ultimately lead the authorities to this cold-blooded murderer, or has this gifted adolescent unwittingly constructed a portal, making her his next target?

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Published by Outskirts Press, 2019-12-06 18:12:24

Congenital Witness by Vickie McGillis

In the summer of 1964, eighteen-year-old Evelyn Smithson had just finished her shift at Rooney’s Diner in downtown Minneapolis, Minnesota. In her eighth month of pregnancy, the teenaged runaway was exhausted and looking forward to a relaxing evening in her apartment. But when Evelyn stepped out into the darkness and the pouring rain, she was mugged and brutally stabbed. Since Evelyn Smithson was now the fourth young woman in the downtown area to be attacked in precisely the same manner, residents feared they had a serial killer in their midst. As Evelyn lay there dying on the city sidewalk, she reflected on her life and the events that had led to this horrific scenario, praying to God to save her unborn baby. Minutes later, the young pregnant woman was discovered by her best friend, Shirley Mulrooney, who immediately summoned an ambulance. Unfortunately, as the emergency room staff worked diligently to save the life of Evelyn Smithson, they realized that was a losing battle; however, the viable fetus could be saved via emergency cesarean section. Sadly, just as her newborn daughter took her first breath of life, Evelyn Smithson exhaled her last. Since the baby’s father was purportedly killed in Vietnam, and the mother was now deceased, the orphaned child was soon adopted by a loving, affluent couple in Rochester, Minnesota. Franklin and LaVonne Barth named their newborn daughter Cassandra. At long last, their lives were full again, and Cassandra enjoyed a typical, happy childhood…until thirteen years later, on a cold December night, when everything changed, and Cassandra’s life would never be the same. With the onset of her first menses, thirteen-year-old Cassandra Barth became plagued by horrendous nightmares and daytime visions of the brutal stabbing death of a pregnant woman she had never seen or met. As a result, Cassandra’s health, disposition and schoolwork suffered tremendously, spiraling the adolescent into a dark depression. As a last resort, her parents took her to a psychiatrist, and with the aid of hypnotherapy, the Barth family’s lives were cast into an abyss of questions, worry, fear and intrigue. Through their daughter’s hypnotic sessions, Franklin and LaVonne Barth learn that the woman in Cassandra’s dreams is none other than her birth mother, Evelyn Smithson. Therefore, the time had come to reveal the truth about Cassandra’s birth and subsequent adoption. But even more frightening was the fact that Evelyn’s killer, as seen through the eyes of Cassandra while under hypnosis, doesn’t resemble the serial killer who had been convicted of her murder all those years ago. In light of Cassandra’s unique and extraordinary connection to her deceased mother, the psychiatrist and detective working the case invite a composite sketch artist to join their team. During that session, a concrete image of Evelyn Smithson’s killer soon emerges, which sends the detective in an entirely new direction on his hunt for the truth. Will Cassandra’s visions of her birth mom’s murder help find the real killer? Is it possible that this executioner had been living freely amongst them, disguised as one of their most prominent and beloved citizens, for the past thirteen years? Will Cassandra’s involvement and intuitiveness ultimately lead the authorities to this cold-blooded murderer, or has this gifted adolescent unwittingly constructed a portal, making her his next target?

TM

Congenital Witness
All Rights Reserved.
Copyright © 2020 Vickie McGillis
v3.0

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DEDICATION

This book is dedicated to all the courageous wom-
en who put their child’s welfare first, choosing the
adoption option when faced with unforeseen chal-
lenges and circumstances beyond their control.

Whether we believe it or not, God has a plan for
each and every one of us, whom He knitted together
in our mother’s womb. And each of us is endowed
with a special gift. While it may take some more
time to realize than others, we all have a purpose in
this lifetime to which we were destined.

Even in the wake of hopelessness, despair, destitu-
tion and poverty, there is love. And as long as we
choose love (and life), in accordance with His prede-
termined plan, God will continue to smile upon us.

—Vickie McGillis



&217(176

Prologue i

Part One 3
1. Can’t Help Falling in Love 20
2. You’ve Really Got a Hold on Me 32
3. Where Have All the Flowers Gone? 44
4. The End of the World 53
5. Where Did Our Love Go? 77
6. I Want to Hold Your Hand
93
Part Two 111
7. You Light up My Life 129
8. Undercover Angel 143
9. Tonight’s the Night 157
10. Cold as Ice 168
11. Somebody to Love 188
12. You’re No Good 216
13. If You Leave Me Now
14. Hopelessly Devoted to You 245

Epilogue



352/2*8(

In the summer of 1964, eighteen-year-old
Evelyn Smithson had just finished her waitressing
shift at Rooney’s Diner in downtown Minneapolis,
Minnesota. In her eighth month of pregnancy, the
teenaged runaway was exhausted and looking for-
ward to a relaxing evening in her apartment, just
three blocks away.

Evelyn stepped out into the darkness and the
pouring rain that Friday night, July 3, when just min-
utes into her walk home, she was mugged and bru-
tally stabbed. Since Evelyn Smithson was now the
fourth young woman in the downtown area to be at-
tacked in precisely the same manner, the residents
feared they had a serial killer in their midst.

As Evelyn lay there dying on the city sidewalk,
she reflected on her life and the events that had
led to this horrific scenario, praying to God to save
her unborn baby. Minutes later, the young pregnant

I

woman was discovered by her best friend, coworker
and roommate, Shirley Mulrooney, who immediate-
ly summoned an ambulance.

Shirley escorted and comforted her best friend
as best she could. Unfortunately, as the emergency
room staff worked diligently to save the life of Evelyn
Smithson, they realized that was a losing battle; how-
ever, the viable fetus could be saved via emergency
cesarean section. Sadly, just as her newborn daugh-
ter took her first breath of life, Evelyn Smithson ex-
haled her last and was, thus, pronounced dead after
giving birth.

Since the baby’s father was purportedly killed
in Vietnam, and the mother was now deceased,
the orphaned child was soon adopted by a loving,
affluent couple in Rochester, Minnesota. Franklin
and LaVonne Barth named their newborn daughter
Cassandra. At long last, their lives were full again,
and Cassandra enjoyed a typical, happy childhood…
until thirteen years later, on a cold December night,
when everything changed, and Cassandra’s life
would never be the same.

With the onset of her first menses, thirteen-
year-old Cassandra Barth became plagued by hor-
rendous nightmares and daytime visions of the
brutal stabbing death of a pregnant woman she had
never seen or met. As a result, Cassandra’s health,
disposition and schoolwork suffered tremendously,
spiraling the adolescent into a dark depression. As
a last resort, her parents took her to a psychiatrist,

II

and with the aid of hypnotherapy, the Barth family’s
lives were cast into an abyss of questions, worry,
fear and intrigue.

Through their daughter’s hypnotic sessions,
Franklin and LaVonne Barth learn that the woman
in Cassandra’s dreams is none other than her birth
mother, Evelyn Smithson. Therefore, the time had
come to reveal the truth about Cassandra’s birth
and subsequent adoption. But even more frighten-
ing was the fact that Evelyn’s killer, as seen through
the eyes of Cassandra while under hypnosis, doesn’t
resemble the serial killer who had been convicted of
her murder all those years ago.

In light of Cassandra’s unique and extraordinary
connection to her deceased mother, the psychiatrist
and detective working the case invite a composite
sketch artist to join their team. During that session,
a concrete image of Evelyn Smithson’s killer soon
emerges, which sends the detective in an entirely
new direction on his hunt for the truth.

Will Cassandra’s visions of her birth mom’s
murder help find the real killer? Is it possible that
this executioner had been living freely amongst
them, disguised as one of their most prominent
and beloved citizens, for the past thirteen years?
Will Cassandra’s involvement and intuitiveness ul-
timately lead the authorities to this cold-blooded
murderer, or has this gifted adolescent unwittingly
constructed a portal, making her his next target?

III



3DUW 2QH



1

&$1¶7 +(/3 )$//,1* ,1 /29(

I t was another unseasonably cool and rainy sum-
mer night in downtown Minneapolis, Minnesota,
in July of 1964. Having just finished a long eight-
hour shift waiting tables at Rooney’s Diner, eigh-
teen-year-old Evelyn Smithson was ready to call it
a night. The eight-month-old fetus she was carrying
had put tremendous pressure and strain upon her
lower back that evening.

The pretty brunette couldn’t wait to get home to
her cozy two-bedroom apartment, which she shared
with her 21-year-old coworker and friend, Shirley
Mulrooney. After that exhausting shift, Evelyn in-
tended to soak in a hot bubble bath, put her feet up
while watching the late-night movie on television,
and dive into a large bowl of popcorn smothered in
melted butter, with just a dash of salt, as her feet and
ankles were already quite swollen. In fact, her shoes
were so tight that Evelyn worried she might have to

3

9LFNLH 0F*LOOLV

buy a bigger pair of shoes, which she could hardly
afford, if her baby didn’t come sometime soon.

“Goodnight, Shirley,” Evelyn called out, as she
sauntered over to the coat rack at the end of the
dining counter. She collected her purse and her large
black shoulder bag, and then she slipped on her
oversized black and white polka dot raincoat over
her pink uniform with the white collar and matching
apron.

As she headed for the door on that dismal,
gloomy evening, Evelyn couldn’t help but notice
the song playing on the jukebox. It was “Chapel of
Love” by The Dixie Cups. Some of the other patrons
must have paid for that tune, for Evelyn avoided
selection B17 at all costs. That particular ballad al-
ways brought tears to her pretty green eyes, for it
dredged up some excruciatingly painful memories
from her past.

“I’ll meet you back at the apartment in about
twenty minutes,” Shirley shouted back, while count-
ing up the money in the cash register. “You just get
off your big fat feet and into a warm tub right away,
ya hear?”

“Yes, Mother Hubbard,” Evelyn playfully
sneered. “You just wait until you’re carrying an extra
30 pounds around, with an eight-month-old baby in-
side you after working an eight-hour shift, and then
we’ll measure how fat and swollen your feet are at
the end of the day,” she challenged. “Then we’ll see
who gets the last laugh.”

4

&RQJHQLWDO :LWQHVV

Shirley just chuckled and retorted, “Yeah, yeah.
I’ll start popping the corn as soon as I get home,
and then we’ll watch the late-night movie together,
okay?”

“Sounds good to me,” Evelyn replied, with a
heavy, grateful sigh. “I’m really looking forward to
a nice relaxing evening with my best friend…and my
first Saturday off in over a month,” she inserted. “I’m
gonna spend my Fourth of July weekend doing abso-
lutely nothing!”

“Are you sure you’re gonna be all right by your-
self this weekend?” Shirley inquired. “I really hate to
leave you all alone when you’re this far along.”

“I’ll be just fine,” Evelyn insisted. “Go and have
fun tubing on the river with your friends this week-
end…and that’s an order!”

Fortunately, it had been a slow Friday night at
Rooney’s Diner, so Shirley decided to close her un-
cle’s restaurant early and meet Evelyn back at the
apartment for a girls’ night in, with buttery popcorn,
some overdue girl talk, and a late-night horror flick
on television.

After locking up, Shirley Mulrooney started walk-
ing down the sidewalk towards their apartment, just
three blocks away. Through the wind and pouring
rain, Shirley noticed a large dark figure lying on the
boulevard up ahead. Her pace quickened, and then
her heart started to pound when she realized that
the person in peril was none other than her cowork-
er, roommate and best friend, Evelyn!

5

9LFNLH 0F*LOOLV

Shirley immediately rushed to the aid of her un-
wed, pregnant friend, who lay there helplessly in the
pummeling rain, bleeding profusely from her back
side.

“Oh, my God!” Shirley shrieked, as she watched
the pounding rain wash her friend’s bright-red blood
into the gutter.

“Evelyn, what happened? Are you all right?
Talk to me!” Shirley ordered, as she gazed into her
friend’s glazed eyes. In that fleeting moment, Evelyn
Smithson uttered a muffled whimper, and then her
emerald-green eyes closed for good.

Shirley Mulrooney sprinted to the nearest tele-
phone booth on the street corner, and dialed the
operator. “I need an ambulance at 112 Delaware
Street right away!” she bellowed. “My friend is un-
conscious, lying in a puddle of blood on the side-
walk…and she’s…she’s eight months pregnant!”
Shirley screeched. “Please hurry!”

During those critical minutes, while the young,
beautiful and bewildered waitress named Evelyn
Smithson lay there dying in the street, she flashed
back upon her short life of eighteen years…and, oh,
what a truly wonderful life it was, up until about
eight months ago.

Evelyn Faith Smithson enjoyed a very happy
childhood in Waukeshaw, Minnesota, even though
she was an only child. Sadly, her mother had suf-
fered several miscarriages before finally carrying a
baby to term, so Evelyn Faith was born to an older

6

&RQJHQLWDO :LWQHVV

set of parents than most of her peers. Nevertheless,
Evelyn was blessed with many girlfriends in the
neighborhood who were around the same age, so
she never felt lonely or left out.

Gerald and Phyllis Smithson were two very lov-
ing parents who doted on their one and only pre-
cious child, Evelyn Faith. Mr. Smithson worked for
Waukeshaw Flooring, installing tile, linoleum and
carpeting, while Mrs. Smithson earned extra income
as a seamstress, working out of their living room in
their humble two-bedroom, middle-classed abode.

By the tender age of fourteen, Evelyn had learned
how to sew from her naturally talented mother, and
so she had always presumed that she would follow
in her mother’s footsteps. Evelyn also loved to cre-
ate and design her own dresses, skirts and blous-
es, which were always the envy of her friends and
various schoolgirls who also attended Waukeshaw
Junior High School.

Inasmuch as Evelyn dearly loved her family and
friends, the first image that popped into her mind
during the last hour of her fading life on that cold
and rainy July night in 1964 was the handsome face
of her beloved and long-lost love, Harvey Griffin.

Evelyn had first laid eyes on Harvey Griffin two
years earlier, when she was sixteen years old. After
celebrating her sweet-sixteen birthday dinner with
her parents on Saturday evening in April of 1962,
Evelyn had gone out with her girlfriends to hang
with the crowd at Candy’s Malt Shop and scope

7

9LFNLH 0F*LOOLV

out all the cute guys cruising the loop in their fast,
chromed-out shiny cars.

As the gang of gals sipped on their cherry so-
das, dreamily listening to Dion’s new hit single,
“The Wanderer,” a beautiful 1957 red and white
Chevrolet Corvette convertible pulled into the drive-
inn, manned by a sandy-haired, brown-eyed hand-
some football star named Harvey Griffin.

While the giddy girls giggled and gabbed, the
strapping young football player exited his pristine
vehicle. All the girls turned their heads and stared,
except for Evelyn Smithson, for she was busy trying
to dismiss the unwelcome advances of a dark-haired
“greaser” who wouldn’t take “no” for an answer,
having asked Evelyn out on several occasions, much
to her dismay and repeated declinations.

That’s when Harvey Griffin stepped into Evelyn
Smithson’s affairs, and blindly walked right into her
life, completely unaware of how this one act of kind-
ness would forever bind the pair.

“Get your grubby hands off her!” the tall, good-
looking young man driving the little red Corvette
demanded.

When Harvey’s warning went unheeded, he
stuck his face into that of the dark-haired, slick
young lad clad in the dingy white T-shirt, with a pack
of cigarettes stuffed in his left shirt pocket and faded
blue jeans with both pant legs rolled up, displaying
his scuffed black shoes.

His name was Lenny Skazinski. Sixteen-year-old

8

&RQJHQLWDO :LWQHVV

Lenny had five older brothers, most of whom were
foul-mouthed, and some had even done time in jail
on charges of drug possession, vandalism and petty
theft. Therefore, most of the parents in town for-
bade their daughters to date any of the boys in the
Skazinski family.

“Mind your own damn business, you block-head-
ed jockstrap!” the 5’6” lad with the acne-scarred
face retaliated. “This is between me and her,” Lenny
asserted, while grabbing and holding Evelyn by the
arm.

“Let go of me, Skaz, you spaz!” Evelyn howled, as
she tried to pull away. “You’re hurting me!”

“Okay, that’s enough, Skaz!” Harvey intervened.
“It doesn’t look like she’s enjoying your company,”
he affirmed, as he hovered over the lad, “so just do
us all a big favor, junior, and hit the bricks!”

Obviously, that slick young boy was no match
for the sharp 6’1” wide receiver, so Skaz made the
wise choice to surrender and head home with all of
his teeth intact, since he had been roughed up once
before, requiring excruciating dental work and some
very harsh discipline from his old man.

Harvey Griffin, on the other hand, was high-
ly revered in the tight-knit river community of
Waukeshaw, Minnesota, which was best known for
its beautiful bluffs, scenic lake and river views, in
addition to its hometown pubs and athletic heroes,
both past and present.

Once their unnerving guest had disappeared

9

9LFNLH 0F*LOOLV

into the fog on his black Goodyear bicycle, Harvey
nervously introduced himself to the lovely young
lady who had been so rudely mishandled and man-
handled. “Are you okay?” he asked. “I’m Harvey
Griffin. What’s your name?”

“Yeah, I’m fine,” the blushing young beauty re-
turned, clearing her throat as she gazed into her
hero’s deep, kind, hazel-brown eyes. “My name is
Evelyn Smithson.”

“So very nice to meet you, Evelyn,” Harvey re-
plied, while politely offering to shake her hand.

“Nice to meet you too, Harvey,” Evelyn asserted,
as she shook his meaty, sweaty, calloused hand. She
quickly retracted her hand, however, and wiped the
residue on the side of her clean white ankle pants
(not because she was disgusted by Harvey’s calluses
and perspiration, but because of the thunderbolt
that his touch had ignited in her soul).

After that electrifying encounter, Evelyn just
smiled, and then she started walking back toward
the door of the malt shop to reunite with her girl-
friends, who had already taken their places in the
group’s designated booth, and were boldly waving
her in from behind the storefront window.

As her trembling hand reached for the door
handle, Evelyn turned around and shouted, “Oh!
And thanks a bunch for helping me out back there,
Harvey!”

“Hey, Evelyn!” Harvey hollered back. “Would
you like to go for a ride with me?”

10

&RQJHQLWDO :LWQHVV

“Um,” she considered, looking back at her un-
doubtedly jealous girlfriends, and then toward the
handsome football player standing by the little red
Corvette.

“Sure,” she replied, readily accepting his invi-
tation. Evelyn instead waved goodbye to her girl-
friends, much to their chagrin, and then she hopped
into the shiny convertible.

“Just so long as you get me home by midnight,”
Evelyn asserted. “I mean it, Harvey,” she explained.
“My parents will have a total conniption if I’m not
home by twelve, and then I’ll be grounded for a
month!”

As they drove off, Harvey responded, “Yeah, I
know what you mean. Last time I got home past cur-
few, I got clobbered like never before. My pop back-
handed me so hard across the cheek that I tripped
over the ottoman, fell down and cut my lip on the
coffee table…split it wide open…eighteen stitches. I
still have a scar on my bottom lip where my tooth
went clean through,” he expounded. “See?” Harvey
turned his head and pulled his bottom lip down to
show Evelyn his healed battle scar.

“Gosh, Harvey…that’s terrible!” Evelyn reacted.
“Does your dad hit you a lot?”

“Nah, just every once in a while,” he divulged.
“Dad has a short fuse, but I can usually tell when
he’s really mad, so I just try to stay out of his way
and hide out in my room when he gets like that. At
least he never hits my mom, so that’s good,” Harvey

11

9LFNLH 0F*LOOLV

volunteered. “He knows that if he ever lays a hand
on my mother, I’ll knock his block off!”

Evelyn didn’t quite know what to make of every-
thing Harvey had just shared with her, although she
had the distinct feeling that this handsome stranger
she had just met, and who had willingly come to her
rescue, needed to talk, and so she felt compelled to
remain engaged in the conversation.

As they turned off the main road towards Poplar
Peak Park, Evelyn inquired, “So, what about your
brothers and sisters? Does your father hit them
too?”

“Well, uh…I don’t have any brothers or sisters,”
Harvey stumbled. “I mean, I had an older brother,
but he, uh…he enlisted in the Army and was sent to
Vietnam.”

Harvey’s sensitive brown eyes suddenly began
to tear up as he cleared his throat and illustrated,
“George was killed two years ago. His helicopter car-
rying supplies back to the base was shot down by a
sniper. All four of the soldiers were killed instantly
in the crash. At least he didn’t suffer, or so we were
told.”

“Oh, Harvey…I’m so sorry,” Evelyn reacted,
reaching for his hand in an effort to comfort her new-
found friend. “I can’t even imagine how hard that
must have been on your family. I’m an only child,”
she offered, “but if I had a brother or sister who was
killed, well…I don’t even want to think about it!”

“Yeah, well…that’s part of the reason my pop

12

&RQJHQLWDO :LWQHVV

is so angry and bitter all the time,” Harvey shared.
“George’s birthday and the holidays are always the
hardest,” he sighed heavily. “Anyway, to make a long
story short, my dad’s filled with anger, and my mom,
well…she just cries a lot.”

“So, who takes care of you, Harvey Griffin?”
Evelyn sweetly inquired. Her own parents absolutely
doted on her, sometimes to the point of being over-
bearing and overprotective, in her opinion. But, af-
ter hearing Harvey’s life story, Evelyn had gained a
new perspective, and she suddenly realized that her
life was comparatively quite wonderful, indeed.

Unbeknownst to her, Evelyn’s inquiry had sent
Harvey’s mind to a place he had never even ven-
tured before. His hazel-brown eyes grew misty when
he realized and shared, “I guess I just take care of
myself…and you know what, Evelyn? If it wasn’t for
football, I don’t think me and my dad would even
talk at all,” he huffed. “But, at least he makes it up
to me by letting me take his Corvette out on the
weekends.”

“She sure is a beauty,” Evelyn complimented,
while trying to swallow the lump in her throat that
had formed during the disheartened young man’s
late-night confessions.

“Yeah, well…my pop treats this car better than
he treats me most of the time,” Harvey lamented.
“At least I have our football coach, Mr. Michaels, to
talk to. We’re pretty tight,” Harvey expounded. “I
hate to say it, but Coach Michaels has been more

13

9LFNLH 0F*LOOLV

like a father to me than my own dad these past cou-
ple years.”

“Gee, that’s really sad,” Evelyn replied. “I guess
everybody has a story to tell, don’t they? That’s why
we should never rush to judgment, because we nev-
er know how anyone else feels until we’ve walked a
mile in their shoes,” she proclaimed. “I don’t know
where I heard that…probably in church, but it’s a re-
ally good lesson…at least that’s what I think. Sorry if
I’m rambling on, Harvey.” Evelyn then blushed and
admitted, “Sometimes I just talk way too much.”

“No, not at all,” Harvey responded. “I kinda like
it. You know what, Evelyn?” he suddenly acknowl-
edged. “I have never talked to anyone about this
stuff before, not even my best friend, Ben…and yet,
for some reason, I find it very easy to talk to you,”
Harvey affirmed, as he caressed her soft, supple
hand and watermelon-colored fingernails.

“Say, did I mention that today is my birthday?”
Evelyn blurted, in an effort to brighten the gloomy
mood and cheer up the downtrodden young man
who had defended her honor earlier that evening at
the drive-inn.

“No foolin’?” Harvey reacted, with an ear-
nest smile. “So, how old are you…fifteen, sixteen,
seventeen?”

“I’m sixteen today!” Evelyn happily proclaimed,
throwing her arms up into the air, followed by a not-
so-subtle hint. “My parents said I can start dating
now.”

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“Hey, that’s great!” Harvey exclaimed. “So, you’ll
be a junior at Waukeshaw High next year then,
right?” he probed. The pretty blonde with emerald-
green eyes nodded her head in agreement.

“I’m turning seventeen in June, so I’ll be a senior
next year,” Harvey happily announced. “Only one
more year of high school left, and then I can leave
my parents’ house and finally do what I want to do
with my life!”

“And just what might that be?” Evelyn eagerly
inquired.

“Well, my dad really wants me to pursue a foot-
ball career,” Harvey disclosed. “He was a big football
player at Waukeshaw High, so he expects me to fol-
low in his footsteps,” Harvey chuckled. “He actually
thinks I’ll be good enough to make it to the pros,
and then he can watch me playing NFL football on
television and brag me up to his business and golfing
buddies while they sit around drinking beer all day
on Sundays.”

“So, what’s wrong with that?” Evelyn remarked.
“There’s nothing wrong with a father wanting some-
thing more for his son than he had for himself,
right?”

“Yeah, but, well…as much as I love playing foot-
ball, what I really want to do for a profession any-
way,” Harvey professed, “is to be an airline pilot.”

“Are you kidding?” Evelyn reacted, with surprise.
“I still have two more years of school left, but what
I really want to do is…now don’t laugh,” she giggled.

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9LFNLH 0F*LOOLV

“I want to go to stewardess training to become a Pan
Am stewardess.”

“Hey, that’s really cool!” Harvey responded,
much to her delight. “Wouldn’t it be neat if I became
an airline pilot and you were a stewardess?” he fan-
tasized aloud. “Then we could travel around the
world together and be jet-setters and globetrotters.”

“Sounds like a dream-come-true to me,” Evelyn
concurred, “except that…well, I don’t know if I’m
pretty enough to make the cut,” she fretted. “Those
Pan Am stewardesses are all so beautiful, refined
and sophisticated, and I’m just a…”

“What?” Harvey interrupted, with a grimace on
his face. “Of course you’ll make the cut! Take a look
in the mirror, Evelyn Smithson,” he urged the young
lady, tilting the rearview mirror in her direction.
“You’re a very pretty girl…and you have the most
beautiful green eyes I’ve ever seen!”

Evelyn had never received such a sweet and
genuine compliment in all her sixteen years. She im-
mediately blushed and suddenly found herself at a
loss for words.

Obviously, the youngsters were hitting it off
splendidly, and so Harvey pulled the car into a popu-
lar scenic overlook called Poplar Peak, where all the
teenagers went to go parking, and where they could
finish their stimulating conversation in a more pri-
vate location and get to know each other better.

“It’s so beautiful up here at night, with all the
twinkling city lights,” Evelyn acknowledged. “I’ve

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only been up here in the daytime, so I’ve never
seen Waukeshaw like this,” she reluctantly divulged.
“Actually, Harvey, I…I’ve never been on a date before.”

Harvey turned off the ignition and fiddled with
the FM radio dial. As The Penguins’ hit song, “Earth
Angel,” wafted through the dashboard speakers,
he noticed how beautiful Evelyn looked in the soft
moonlight, with her long blonde hair blowing in the
breeze, and her glossy pink lips sparkling with twin-
kles from the stars above.

“I hope you don’t think I’m being too forward,”
Harvey proposed, as he held and caressed Evelyn’s
soft, silky hand, “but I would really like to kiss the
birthday girl right now, if that’s okay with you.”

With Evelyn’s approving smile, Harvey leaned
over and kissed her eager, velvety lips. Although
that was Evelyn’s very first kiss, she had never felt
anything quite like it in her entire life. The warm tin-
gling sensation pulsated through her entire body,
from her plump, berry-flavored lips, right down to
her rose-colored toenails.

“Happy birthday, sweet sixteen,” Harvey whis-
pered in her ear. As he pulled away from that long
magical kiss, his heart skipped a beat, for in that ten-
der moment, Harvey Joe Griffin realized that he was
falling for Miss Evelyn Faith Smithson, and that she
was most definitely the girl for him.

Through watery eyes, Evelyn glanced up at
Harvey, and with a lump in her throat, she declared,
“This is, by far, the best birthday I’ve ever had!”

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Four weeks later, Harvey took Evelyn out to din-
ner, and then he presented his sweetheart with a
very special gift. “Happy one-month anniversary!”
he announced.

As his pretty young girlfriend opened the small
box wrapped in shiny red paper, she was aghast
when she found a shiny gold necklace with a gem-
stone, resting atop a soft cotton pillow. “Oh, it’s just
beautiful, Harvey!” Evelyn exclaimed. “And it’s my
birthstone…a diamond, for the month of April.”

“Well, I felt bad that I didn’t have a birthday
present for you on your birthday, since we just met
that night,” Harvey explained, “so I thought maybe
a birthstone necklace would be appropriate for our
anniversary.”

“It’s the perfect gift, and I absolutely love it!”
Evelyn gushed. “Here, put it on me.” After admiring
her new jewelry in the rearview mirror of her boy-
friend’s crimson Corvette, Evelyn turned to Harvey
and planted a fervent kiss upon his contented lips.
“I’ll cherish this beautiful necklace for the rest of my
life, Harvey Griffin,” Evelyn promised. “Thank you.”

“I’m very happy to hear that,” Harvey returned,
“because there’s something I’ve been meaning
to ask you.” He cleared his throat and beseeched,
“Evelyn Smithson, will you go steady with me?”

Evelyn was ecstatic. With joyful tears in her de-
lighted emerald eyes, she avowed, “You didn’t even
have to ask, Harvey. You had me from the first night
we met, so of course I’ll go steady with you!”

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After Harvey had lovingly kissed her goodnight
and dropped her off at home, Evelyn slowly walked
up the stairs to her bedroom, dreaming of the day
when she would stroll down the aisle, wearing a
flowing white gown, surrounded by family, friends
and flowers, and being forever united with her dar-
ling Harvey in holy matrimony.

She turned on her clock radio, and soon her fa-
vorite new song began to play. As Elvis Presley com-
menced his beautiful ballad, “Can’t Help Falling in
Love,” Evelyn was overcome by passion, love and
joy as she thought about her glorious future with
Harvey Joseph Griffin.

“Mrs. Harvey Griffin…oh, how I love the sound of
that,” she dreamed aloud, as she changed into her
pajamas and slipped beneath the covers. “Thank
you, God,” Evelyn praised, as she finished her night-
time prayers and slowly drifted off to sleep. “This is,
by far, the happiest night of my life!”

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