Lady Bug Summer —
When Two Girls Did Every Bad Thing and Became Adults
Summer, 1977
Take two naïve girls from a town so small it barely makes the map. Add two plane tickets to Phoenix, a suspiciously-heavy package wrapped in brown paper, and the recently attempted hijacking of United Flight 696 — to Cuba. We were really not adequately prepared to cope.
I’d just turned seventeen, and Gillian would turn seventeen later that summer. We were both in that noxious-teenager stage where we couldn’t believe our deep misfortune to have been born into families who didn’t understand or appreciate us, or grasp that we were meant for significantly greater things. My friend spent all her time show-jumping horses and attending Pony Club outings. I spent all of my time plunging baskets into deep-fat fryers and creating masterful swirl-cones. As mid-summer approached, we were both craving something wildly different.
Gillian’s older sister, Beatrice, invited us to come for a visit, and we jumped at the chance. We announced to our families that we were going, and there was nothing they could do to stop us. They were no doubt relieved to see us stalk out the door, and probably half-hoped we’d never return.
I worked for Gillian’s brother, Will, with whom I was secretly in love, at the ice-cream and burger joint he…
