One of the perks
in attending the Mass at the St. George Albanian Cathedral on East Broadway was
attending the coffee hour after the service. It was a chance to socialize with
your fellow parishioners. It was there that my cousin George and I were asked
by two lovely young girls if we would escort them to their High School Prom at
Somerville High. We were flattered to be asked and said yes. I should tell you
that chronologically speaking my Cousin George was one year older than I.
Although still a teenager he was much older in terms of knowledge in the ways
of the world. He lived in the fast lane where I lived a sheltered life, a
hermit like existence. He was already driving and doing things I wouldn’t do
until years later. I was excited enough in just attending the prom, but that
wasn’t enough for George. “We have to go some place special after the prom” So
what did he choose…..the Latin Quarter in downtown Boston. The Club once owned by
Lou Walters, Barbara Walters father.
Are you
kidding! How could we possibly get in? The day of the prom he picked me up and
we drove to the Latin Quarter to seek out a waiter that would be working that
night. He slipped him $10(a lot of money in the 1950’s) and said we would be
arriving later that evening. Would he be so kind as to escort us to a table
close to the stage. Now most of the kids going to the prom were wearing
traditional tuxedos. That wasn’t good enough for George. We had to be
different. We wore light blue matching outfits. So off to the prom we went
escorting our dates through the crowd that lined the entrance to the High School
Gymnasium. The girls dressed in their lovely gowns and us in our blue tuxedos.
It was a fantastic evening but the best was yet to come.
“We have a
special treat for you girls” George announced. “It is a surprise” At the Latin
Quarter he slipped the valet a couple of bucks to park his car and on cue the
waiter appeared to announce “we have your table waiting for you sir” We were
seated right at the elevated stage. We had dinner and sipped “ginger ale
cocktails” as we saw Gypsy Rose Lee perform her famous strip tease act. We
couldn’t have impressed the girls more.
It is funny I barely remember my own prom but
the Somerville High School Prom is indelibly etched in my brain
