Buford’s death had been a terrible blow for Wayne to
absorb. Indeed, it had been so unexpected that he still felt numb and
disoriented after returning home from the funeral. He needed a distraction –
something to get his mind off of what had happened.
2 “Terry and I are going over to Neil Spalding’s
house,” he told his mother. He left out the fact that Neil’s parents weren’t
home, and that there was going to be a party there that evening. “Be careful,
son,” she responded. “And don’t stay out too late.”
3 As they entered their friend’s house, Wayne noticed
a pretty girl sitting on the sofa. “Hey Hendrix!” she shouted across the room.
“Come here a minute,” she said as she motioned with her hand for him to sit
down beside her on the couch.
4 “Have we met before?” he asked as he sat down beside
her. “I’ve seen you around school,” she said.
5 “I’m Linda, Linda Westlake,” she told him. “Wayne,”
he smiled. “Yeah, I kinda already knew that,” she laughed. “Anyway, I was sorry
to hear about your dad,” she continued. “Thanks,” he said with a shrug.
6 “Do you know Neil?” he quickly asked in an attempt
to change the subject. “Yeah, turns out we know a lot of the same people from
school,” she replied. “I told my girls that I wanted to meet you, but I never
had the chance until tonight.”
7 He was immediately captivated by her gregarious and
straightforward manner. She was easy to talk to, and they sat on that couch and
talked for the rest of the evening. Linda was a great storyteller, and she told
more than one joke that night that made him blush.
8 By the end of the evening, Wayne was completely
enchanted by her charms. In fact, from that night forward, she was his steady
girlfriend.
9 The following summer she told him that she thought
she was pregnant. “What am I going to do?” she cried. He pulled her close to
him and embraced her. “Don’t worry, we’ll figure something out,” he told her.
10 Nevertheless, despite his attempts to comfort and
reassure his girlfriend, Wayne was also scared to death. “How am I going to
tell my dad and mother?” he asked his buddy. Terry shrugged. “You’re in a tough
spot, but you gotta tell them,” he advised.
11 Clayton shook his head and looked up at the
ceiling. Doodle cried and told him how disappointed she was with him. “This is
just about as bad as I imagined it would be,” Wayne thought to himself.
12 “I can quit school and get a job,” Wayne told them.
“You are not going to quit school!” his mother declared. “You and Linda will
have to get married, of course,” she continued. “And you’ll both have to stay
here until you can get on your feet.” “Jesus Christ!” Clayton exclaimed.
13 In the meantime, the world had not stopped turning
because two teenagers from Ohio were in trouble. 1960 was an election year, and
the whole country was riveted by the contest to see who would replace Dwight
Eisenhower as President of the United States.
14 Like Linda, Vice-President Richard Nixon was a
descendant of Henry Howland, Richard Lippincott and Gayen Miller. He was,
however, running against the handsome and charismatic senator from
Massachusetts, John Kennedy.
15 Moreover, Kennedy seemed to have the smarts and the
energy necessary to lead the country into a new era. He commented on
everything, and he seemed to be everywhere at once.
16 In fact, toward the end of September, he even
showed up in Elyria, Ohio. Kennedy rode down Middle Avenue in an open
convertible. He sat up on the rear deck of the car so that he could wave at the
crowds lining the way as the vehicle moved slowly down the street. The city was
honored to receive the attention.
17 The Principal of the High School had even permitted
his students and teachers to go out and see the motorcade as it passed in front
of the building. And Wayne Hendrix was among the students who were there that
day. He was standing apart from the crowd a little in somewhat of an open
space. As the car approached, Senator Kennedy spotted Wayne and waved.
18 “He looked straight at me,” he told his mother
later that day. “I don’t know what kind of a president he’d make, but he knows
how to make an impression,” he finished.
19 Although the election was still over a month away,
enough people voted for Kennedy in November to make him the next President of
the United States. A few weeks later, Wayne and Linda were married just over
the state line in Pennsylvania.
20 Afterwards, they moved into Wayne’s parent’s home
in North Ridgeville. Linda had to drop out of school, but Wayne continued to
attend classes at Elyria High School.
21 John Kennedy took the oath of office on January 20,
and Lonnie Clayton was born six days later. “I named him after both of my
dads,” Wayne explained. “I have a grandson!” Doodle exclaimed. Clayton looked
down at the chubby little baby and smiled.
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