Donkeyland, Minnesota (Part Eight - Ideas of a Young Man, and Girls)

(Part Eight)(Concerning: Chick Evens, Nancy Pit, andmarriages lasted the longest, those who married
Girls, 1964)outside vanished in a much shorter time. Perhaps there
In Two Piecesis something to that.
Chick Evens lived with his mother and Grandfather toThe Girls
the age of eighteen, the Grandfather being of RussianDavid Myers, would marry one of the neighborhood
stock, with a peculiar pallid complexion. The house ingirls (and it would last to the end of his days, a
which they lived stood on an embankment with hugeforty-year marriage), by the name of Nancy, and
trees beyond where the garage was, in Donkeyland.Roger would marry a girl from outside the
And Ernest Manning had a daughter Jill, and Jill had aneighborhood and bring her inside of it (that didn't last).
friend Nancy Pit. And it was the summer of 1964, andAnd Jill Manning would marry someone outside of the
they met that summer; Nancy was one year olderneighborhood, and good for her, she was getting a bad
than Chick, and her parents were from Hibbing,reputation in Donkeyland. Oh she didn't do anything any
Minnesota, she was of Irish stock, as was Evens, Irishof the guys wasn't doing, but she was doing it, and
and Russian.started doing it at a young age. And there was Pizza
At this point in time, Evens' life was like a tiny if notFace, and everyone was screwing her, so it seemed,
modest volcano that lies silent, but could abruptly shootand she was laughing at everyone, and she was as
out fire. No, he wasn't quite like that-he was more likeugly as the top of a pizza. Evens had never seen her,
loose cannon, rolling around freely on a ship in a storm,and had asked, "Why is everyone screwing her, and
subject to outbursts, one who walks among his fellowcalling her such an ugly name?" and Roger and Doug
men with that strange and uncanny state of affairs ontook Chick Evens to the corner of Cayuga Street,
his face, eyes staring and mind seemingly in a tuggingwaited for her to ride by, and when this young girl rode
mode.by on her bicycle, one of the two said to Evens, "Well,
He was similar to that, built with smooth and rollingwhat do you think?" and Evens replied, "I understand
muscles, only that this new visitation that descendednow..." he replied, but he couldn't understand why they
upon him Nancy Pit, was a mental and not a physicalwere screwing her, if that is what they thought of her.
thing and she seemed to quiet his insides. He wasBut in time, and through maturity, he'd learn, even an
beset by ideas they could be in love, the idea of love,ugly duckling, as long as she was female, had
not sure if it was really his idea, but it could come tosomething someone wanted; and the only other
near uncontrollable states. Words rolled and tumbledprerequisite was patience.
from his mind, but never came out of his mouth. AVicky Schultz, also got that same kind of reputation like
strange grin came upon his face when they layJill, but somehow got out of Dodge, before she was
together over upon Indians mound, in the high grass onscorned to death. Evens used to go over to her
an Indian blanket, the edges of her lips seemed tohouse, back in 1958 thru 1960, she was a few years
paralyze his face, she actually glistened in the moon'solder, and wasn't a bad looking girl, and they both took
light. She wanted to make love, but Evens feared he'da liking for one another. As did Kathleen Bird, Big
get her pregnant, and end up having to marry her. AndBopper's sister, during the High School years at
although that wasn't a bad idea, at his age there'd beWashington High. She was a nice looking girl, and had
no escape. The excited girl breathed into his face,spunk, and a nice shape, she might have been an inch
peered into his eyes, milled upon his chest with ataller than him, if not the same size as Evens, but
shaking body, pretty much demanding and compellingkisses was all that arose from that relationship, and a
attention, and she got all of that, but not consummatedlong term friendship.
love, in its complete form, and I would guess, herAnd Larry married Jennie St. John, and Mouse married
hormones were going wild.Jackie St. John, and Sam, Larry's younger brother-thin
In those days the neighborhood was full of girls andas a bean, mellow, married another Nancy, who lived
Evens was doing his share of dating once Nancy Piton Cayuga Street, across from their home. And Sid,
had gone back to her hometown. She would within awho had been dating Eva, had stopped and was
few years, marry and have children, and Evens woulddating some woman outside of the neighborhood
never see her again. It would be, eighteen months, andnamed Jody, a short Italian looking girl, with big hug
he'd meet Barb Ergot, and they'd date for a summerbreasts, too huge for that little body of hers, and during
season, and she'd join the neighborhood gang, andtheir separation, he went out one evening with two
they'd marry for fifteen months, and that would be theother guys to Hudson Wisconsin, driving back from to
end of that marriage. It would seem, looking back,St. Paul, all three drunk as skunks, got themselves killed.
those who married from the neighborhood, their