Welcome to Day Two of the Flowers and Stone celebration!
Darlina Flowers came from a very strict religious upbringing. She’d been sheltered and deprived of worldly knowledge, leaving her ill-prepared to strike out on her own at eighteen. Because of her lifestyle choices, she was estranged from her mother for a few years.
But she always had a fire in her gut, a strong desire for freedom. And Darlina loved music.
So, it was only natural for her to seek out live music once she arrived in Abilene. Because she was not old enough yet to get into the nightclubs, she spent a lot of time at the Faded Rose Club, where Marketa had lost her liquor license for serving minors. She always had live music on the weekend, satisfying Darlina’s craving. But then, when she wanted to go to a different club to hear Luke Stone and his band, her sister stepped up and made a fake I.D. to get her in the door. Here’s an excerpt:
Norma entered the club first, flashing her driver’s license. Darlina followed, presenting hers.
The man working the door glanced at the I.D., then at Darlina, back at the license, then back at her. “I’ve seen you before. Aren’t you one of Marketa’s dancin’ girls?”
Darlina squirmed uncomfortably. “Yes, I work for Marketa at the Faded Rose.”
The man scratched his chin. “Young lady, I don’t think you’re old enough to get in here, but this card says you are, so I’m lettin’ you in on one condition.”
“What’s that?” She twisted the I.D. back and forth in her hand.
“That you’ll let me introduce you to the boss man. He’s been talking about recruiting some of you girls to work over here. That’s how come I recognized you. I’ve seen you dance at Marketa’s.”
“Oh, you have? Well, I don’t have any objections to meeting your boss, and by the way, I won’t be drinkin’ tonight.”
“You ladies go right on in and have yourselves a real good time. You’re gonna love this band. I’ll come around and find you as soon as my relief shows up.”
Darlina nodded, and they entered the darkened club.
The first thing Darlina heard was Luke Stone’s creamy, smooth baritone voice singing a Marty Robbins ballad. “It’s a sin, a sin the way I love you. Because I know our love could never be…”
While I would never advocate for breaking the law with a fake I.D., at the time, it never crossed my mind that was what I was doing. I used it several more times to get into clubs around town. And it always worked.
What’s the most risque thing you’ve ever done that could be considered crossing the line of law and order? Let’s talk.
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If that’s the worst you’ve done, Jan, you’re OK in my book. We just sought out clubs that didn’t check ID or ones that accepted a few dollars as a legitimate form of ID.
Lol, Dan. I can’t say that’s the worst I’ve ever done, but for this segment of the story, it fits. 🙂 Thanks for visiting!
Congratulations, Jan! So happy for you. Now for your question: What’s the most risque thing I’ve ever done? As a young pregnant teen (16yrs.), my boyfriend, the father of our baby, “borrowed” a neighbor’s car. We packed most of our belongings and fled in the middle of the night. Neither of us were able to confront our parents. We were on our way to the east coast and the car broke down. Two guardian angels rescued us and then when we stopped in Denver, we left them. Stayed over two weeks in Denver, managed to find an apartment, and my boyfriend got two jobs. Eventually, the “law” finally caught up with us and we were sent home. Our families were extremely supportive, which shocked us. And the car was returned. Though we married right out of high school, we divorced several years later. Yet our daughter is a light in our lives.
Wow, Mary! That’s quite a story. So young. Guardian angels were busy during all of that, keeping you safe and protected. And while the marriage didn’t last, as you say, your daughter is an amazing and wonderful soul brought into the world by the two of you. I think that story needs to be in a book. 🙂 Thank you for stopping by and for sharing! Hugs and happy weekend!
Congratulations on your Bookiversary. Can I guess that Darlina Flowers is you? Anyway, I am one of those boring people who haven’t done much borderline legal stuff, except for speeding. Well, when I was 15-16 I smuggled unwanted literature and printing press equipment for the underground movement into the Soviet Union. We got caught and we were held at gunpoint and interrogated.
Hi, Thomas. Yes. Flowers and Stone is a true story and I am Darlina Flowers. You were very young to smuggle anything into the Soviet Union. That is a hair-raising story. Thanks for leaving a comment.
I didn’t have a fake ID, but when I was fifteen, I passed for eighteen. That got me into some R-rated movies. 🙂 And like Darlene, I used to drive a car (mostly on back roads) before I had a valid license.
I am loving all of these true confessions, Joan. 🙂 Glad you never got caught at either the movie or on the back roads. 🙂 Thanks for visiting!
Happy book anniversary Jan. That is an interesting excerpt! When I was a teenager, girls were not allowed to go out after sunset. I was quite bold but could never think of crossing the lines drawn by the society and family. Now, times have changed and girls have started taking liberties. ?
That is true, Balroop. Time have changed. I am so glad you stopped by and left a comment to add to the conversation!
I had a fake ID too, but it only worked in certain places. Later I used an older friends id since we both had blonde hair and blue eyes. It was definitely interesting times and like you I was more there for the music. Once I hit 21 I lost interest in clubbing 😉
Lol! I am loving all these true confessions. 🙂 It was all about the music, and you ended up with a musician, too. What an interesting journey life is. Thanks for visiting!
Happy Book Anniversary, Jan. ?
Thank you, Gwen! It’s great to see you!
I loved the excerpt, Jan! I think the 60s would have been an amazing time to be a teenager!
Times were different back then, for sure. Another post I have planned will show that more clearly. Thank you for stopping by and sharing! I appreciate your support, Mae!
Happy Book Anniversary, Jan. When I was sixteen, the drinking age was 18, and I used to go to bars all the time. I didn’t have a fake ID, but they never carded back then. It was fun, but also dangerous. Great excerpt, my friend. I could tell love was in the air. <3
Lol. I think Texas was a lot more strict about letting minors in. The nightclub where I worked had lost its liquor license for serving to minors, but it gave me a place to go hear live music even though I was underage. I’m glad you like the excerpt. Thank you for stopping by!
Jan, our sister did the same thing with me when she was living on the Denver City Hwy with her first husband. We went to a local place that played live music. She gave me one of her old driver’s license to get in and no one said anything. I was terrified and don’t remember a whole lot. I ordered a plain coke and I know I didn’t even try to dance but was really worried someone would ask me. Luckily they didn’t because I didn’t have a clue how to dance, but I sat all alone at the table for a good while. Jean just disappeared. I don’t think I took a good breath until we left. I think I was sixteen. Ah, the memories. I hadn’t thought of this in thirty years. Love you, Sister.
Wow! I never knew that. Jean gave us both a lot of firsts. What on earth did you wear? Did you put on false eyelashes? We’ll have to talk about this. 🙂 I would have been 12 at the time. I’m sure Mama didn’t know. Thank you for commenting!! Love you!
There are a lot of crazy stories about that. I group of boys that were a year younger than me, got together and shaved their hairlines back in the form of male pattern baldness. Worked like a champ.
Ha! That’s a good one. 🙂 Too funny. I suppose you were the only one of legal age? Thanks for sharing, Craig!
That was part of it.
I was married and had a 4-year-old before I could legally go to a bar. (The age was 21 at the time) I didn’t even try to get in as I looked 12. My daughter wanted to try so I lent her a pair of old glasses and a business suit jacket so she looked a bit older. She came home disillusioned. No one asked her for ID and the drinks were too expensive! I did however drive a car without a drivers license and was pulled over. I was only given a warning by the kind policeman. Perhaps because he saw I had a toddler with me. I got my license soon after. This made for a great part of the story!
The legal age at the time of this story was also 21, and Darlina was 19. That’s hilarious you helped your daughter get into a club. Funny that no one asked for ID, and yes, the drinks were expensive. I didn’t drink anything, so I didn’t have that issue. Great that the policeman had a soft heart. Thank you for sharing, Darlene!
The funny thing was, that the law changed from 21 to 18 one month after I turned 21. Go figure!!
I enjoyed the excerpt and the photograph, Jan. While in college, before I turned 21, I snuck into a club that reportedly played the best dance music in town. The bouncer was in one of my classes, so he let me in. I won the limbo contest that night…LOL!
Oh, how I love your comment, Jill!! You have me laughing out loud. It’s good to have friends in high places, sometimes. Thank you for sharing your risque adventure.
Wow, Jan! You were adventurous. I don’t advocate this: I bought a sports car when I was in my 20s. I took it to a rural FM (paved), straight road to see how fast it’d go. Nothing happened, but what an idiotic, dangerous thing to do!
Lol, Vera. Yep. That was dangerous, and I’m so glad nothing bad happened. I certainly don’t advocate for breaking the law, and you have to remember this was in 1970. Times were different. Thanks for visiting and for leaving a comment.