Magnificent Melanie, episode 1
Magnificent Melanie, episode 2
It was mid-May 1978 and the weather was getting nicer each day. On a Thursday, Melanie asked Jason if he’d like to come over after school and maybe stay for dinner. “We’re just having hot dogs, so it’s nothing fancy. I’ve already cleared it with my parents, and they’re fine with it. Your sister’s been over a couple of times with Wendy, so they know her.”
He didn’t have detention that day and otherwise had no extra-curricular activities so he said, “Sure.”
“I just think you ought to meet my family. I’ve told them so much about you,” she said.
“Yes, really, I have,” she nodded enthusiastically. “I think you’re sort of special, okay?”
“Wow, thanks,” was all Jason could say.
When they got to her house later that afternoon, her brother Mark, a lanky 20-year-old with feathered brown hair and a mustache, was in the open garage with his friend Steve as they worked on a rusty 1967 Plymouth Barracuda. There was a hint of marijuana smoke in the air along with the Old Gold Filter cigarettes, while an FM rock station played.
“This is my brother Mark,” she said. “Mark, this is Jason, the guy from school I’ve been talking about.” Then she said back at Jason, “And that’s his friend Steve.”
“Hey, dude,” Mark said as they shook hands, and then Jason shook Steve’s hand.
Jason asked about the car they were working on and after a few minutes of discussion between the three of them, Melanie took Jason’s hand and said, “Okay, I think we should go in the house now. I gotta introduce you to my mom.”
“Later, dude,” Mark said to Jason, adding, “Just remember, when you marry the woman, you marry her whole damn family,” and laughed out loud. Jason got a slightly uneasy look on his face.
“Oh shut up, Mark,” Melanie retorted. “Are you trying to get him to run away?”
Melanie led him to the front door of the split-level house, telling him, “I also have an older sister named Donna. She’s married and lives with her husband,” adding, “Obviously.”
Through the front door they went up the stairs to the living room where Melanie’s mother was sitting on the couch drinking creamed coffee and smoking cigarettes while watching the Mike Douglas Show on TV.
“Hi, Mom. This is Jason, the boy from school I was telling you about. He’s Tami’s brother.”
“Hello,” she said, momentarily taking her eyes off the TV. “Are you staying for dinner?”
“Yes he is,” Melanie responded.
“Okay, well dinner will be ready in a little while. I hope you don’t mind we’re having hot dogs. It’s just a lot easier when the kids have friends over,” Melanie’s mother said to Jason.
“No, that’s great. Thanks,” he replied.
“We’ll be in my room, okay?” Melanie said.
“Okay. I’ll call you when it’s ready.”
She brought Jason to her room, leaving the door open, explaining, “To be honest with you, I’ve never had a boy over, at least not since I was maybe eight years old. So I better leave the door open so my parents don’t think there’s anything nefarious going on.”
She turned on her record player and said, “Okay, you’re probably going to think I’m really dopey, but this is one of my all-time favorite songs.” She put the Atlantic 45 on the turntable, which was “Honey, Honey” by ABBA.
“Oh wow, I haven’t heard that in a long time,” Jason said.
“Yeah, really! It was played on the radio for like about two weeks in late ’74 then it was like you never heard it again. And ABBA has had a lot of big hits. I’m glad I went out and bought this when I did.”
Her mom approached her room and said, “Melanie, if you’re going to play music, please keep the door closed,” and closed the door.
Melanie’s eyes perked up and she started laughing. “Okay, Mom,” she said.
The next “favorite song” she played was “Turn the Beat Around” by Vickie Sue Robinson. “And my name is Melanie Christina Robinson! I like to think we’re distant cousins,” she told him. She held up the 45 sleeve, which had a picture of the artist.
“See the resemblance? We both have brown eyes, anyway!” she laughed, adding, “She’s prettier than I am, that’s for sure.”
“I don’t know, I think you’re cute,” Jason said.
“Thanks,” Melanie responded. “But do you think I’m pretty?”
“Sure, yes,” Jason told her. “Very much so.”
“Oh thank you,” she said as she hugged him. “I’ll stop now before I get to beautiful. I don’t want to push my luck.” Jason wasn’t sure what to make of that.
As they played records, talked and looked at pictures in her room, Melanie’s dad came home, so her mom went to the kitchen to boil up the hot dogs while her dad read the Newsweek magazine that had just come in the mail as the network news droned on from the TV.
A while later, her mom knocked on Melanie’s door and said, “Dinner’s ready.”
“Okay, Mom,” Melanie responded. They got up and went to the kitchen. Her dad was seated at the table while Mark and his friend Steve were in the basement scrubbing the grease off their hands with Boraxo before coming to the table.
“Dad, this is Jason, the boy from school I was telling you about,” Melanie said. They greeted each other and shook hands before Jason and Melanie sat down.
Melanie’s mom commented, “It’s usually Wendy she has over for dinner.”
Her father added, “Just don’t ask if he can sleep over.”
Melanie laughed while blushing. “It’s okay, I won’t,” she responded.
Jason thought to himself, “Hmm, what if she did?” Melanie thought something similar.
The table was set up with hot dogs, buns, mustard, ketchup, relish, baked beans, potato salad and glasses of grape Kool-Aid with ice.
“Well, I made this myself,” Melanie said as she held up her glass. “I made it this morning before school and added the ice to the pitcher and kept it in the refrigerator until now so it is good and cold and it tastes better than the tap water taste it has when you first make it.”
“Did you add a shot of vodka,” Mark asked.
“NO!” Melanie shot back.
The family talked about what they did that day as they usually did around the dinner table, as Jason listened while munching down.
“You seem rather quiet,” Melanie’s mother commented to Jason.
“Well,” Jason responded with a shrug, “I’m like Mister Ed. I never speak unless I have something to say. While people yackety-yak a streak and waste your time of day.” Everyone at the table busted out laughing.
Melanie put her arm around his and leaned into him, commenting, “Slowly but surely I’m getting him to open up more.”
After dinner the family watched “The $100,000 Name That Tune” on TV in the living room followed by “Welcome Back, Kotter” as Melanie and Jason sat together cross-legged on the orange shag carpeting. After Kotter, Melanie told Jason, “Okay, I really hate to say this but I got to get to my homework. I’ll walk you outside.”
On the step outside the front door, Melanie thanked him for coming, hugged and kissed him and said, “Bye, Jason. I’ll see you in school tomorrow.” While waving to him as he left, she said, “Love ya!”
Melanie went back inside with a smile, humming to herself as she washed up and went to her room to do her homework. Meanwhile, as he walked home, Jason, who wasn’t used to this kind of attention from a girl, wondered what he was getting himself into.
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