The Story of Elaine and Dean

Elaine Martin grew up in a very small farmers town in the late 70's . She lived on a road that was not traveled often, only by the ones that either lived on the road or that were finding their way to the State Park that was about 10 minutes from her home by car, an hour and a half by bicycle (as she did attempt to ride to the state park on her bicycle as an early teenager one hot summer day with one of her friends that lived up the street). That was the first and last time she had ever did that!!

Elaine, never had many friends growing up, she lived a very sheltered life as a child and once she started school, she had a very difficult time making friends. She never knew HOW to make friends, as she was never exposed to any other children her age. And for just starting Kindergarten at 4 years old, because when being tested for preschool it as revealed that she was smart enough to skip preschool and go right to Kindergarten, but no adult ever considered the thought that she was still not socially ready to be around bus drivers, teachers, kids her age and older that she had never met before and what psychological effects that could have on her growing up. Because you know, back then in the 70's, those type of things weren't ever thought of or considered.

Elaine was very tall and very thin for her age, long brown hair with blunt straight across heavy bangs, your typical 70's look. Most of her clothes were hand made by her mother, or defiantly not what the "cooler" children were wearing, you know the kids that were able to be around other children, had play dates, those kids mothers knew what type of clothes to buy when it came to back to school shopping.

Elaine struggled through the early years of Elementary school. Crying most day's begging to not ride the bus, as she was bullied horribly by the high school kids that also were on the bus. But Elaine made it to Middle School. Here things began to change, being a bit older now and starting to make a few friends, and being 12 years old in 8th grade at the height of 5'7" made her stand out in a crowd. More people began to take notice of her. She made some girlfriends, had one boyfriend, briefly, they dated for a week, he wanted to kiss her and she did not want to. So he broke up with her and then of course, you know how the prude rumor's start.

But what she never really realized that in every homeroom class she was ever in there was a boy that sat in front of her. Because their desks were arrange by the first letter of their last name. His started with an "A" and her last name started with a "M”, so he sat in front of Her and she behind him. This boy was named Dean Acres and he was this thin, big green eyed, wild hair boy that was full of mischief and light. Elaine never paid too much attention to him all through Elementary school and even in the beginning of Middle school. Still even in Middle school they still had assigned seating based on the beginning letter of their last name. Elaine would notice Dean when he would do something to make the teacher mad, but only to make the class laugh. Dean hung around with a group of boys that all shared the same personality... wild boys. They were all cute, wild and rebellious. Now by the time it was the 6-8th grade in Middle school we are talking the early 80's now. Girls wore tight Jordache Jean, high top sneakers and low cut shirts, the big hair era was just starting with your rock bands like Quiet Riot, Motley Crue, Metallica and these group of boys were into all of that music. And Elaine became intrigued and tried to fit into this crowd the best she could.

Managing school life was difficult, but home life for Elaine was a lot worse. Her mother and father were going through a divorce. She was never allowed to go to friends houses, her mother who was a stay at home mom, until her parents were divorced went back to work and Elaine and her sister Ann were basically raised by their grandparents who had a home on the lake. Elaine and Ann were 4 years apart, Elaine was the oldest, so her and Ann were never on the same bus ride together. Elaine than began to realize that the boy that sat in front of her in every homeroom, Dean, also road the the same bus as her. But he again was the wild one in the back of the bus who would drive the bus driver Mrs. Chase crazy, but for some reason she adored Dean, I am sure it had something to do with those big green eyes of his and his squirrely smile.

One afternoon when Elaine had gotten off the bus at her Grandmothers house she was inside and heard a 4 wheeler coming up the beach, she ran up the stairs into her Grandmothers room, as her Grandmother had a huge bay window that over looked the whole lake and Elaine saw this boy, flying through the sand to the beach behind her Grandmothers and then he actually drove up into the yard to the front of the house. Elaine went running down the stairs terrified and excited at the same time, because she knew this boy was here to see her. He knocked on the door and before her Grandmother answered the door she made Elaine stand out of sight so this boy would not see her but Elaine still peaked around the corner and seen that it was Dean at the door and he wanted Elaine to come out to play. Elaine's Grandmother was the overly protective type, like to a crazy extreme and told Dean Elaine was not home, even though Elaine knew he saw her peak her head around the corner to see him. He shrugged, jumped on his wheeler and took off down the road, back to his house, which from years of riding the bus together, Elaine knew he lived just the next road over.

Once Elaine got into High school, her life changed drastically, now she was a 13 year old Freshman that was 5'8" tall, dyed bleach blonde hair and had a body that wasn't built like a normal 13 year old in 1987/1988. She was bullied again but this time by the Senior Girls for her looks, getting in fights with girls that were mad that their boyfriends were just looking at Elaine. Most of the time to avoid any confrontations, Elaine would eat her lunch in the bathroom or just wander the halls hiding from hall monitors that were out looking for you to have a hall pass or otherwise they would throw you into detention for wandering the halls.

That boy Dean wasn't in her mind that much any more, one because of all the drama that was being caused for her at school and second, he quit school in his early Freshman year to work with his Uncle fulltime roofing. He would rather make money than have an education. Elaine lost touch with Dean for about 5 years. Then one night she accidently ran into him and a bunch of friends at an old Arcade (yes Arcades were still a thing where we all went to play video games but more likely to try and hook up with someone). Elaine's life had changed again at this point, she had become a mom at an early age and was married because of that. But Dean remembered her when he saw her standing outside her car, Elaine keeping one eye on the baby in the back seat and the other on Dean as he came over to say hello. It was a quick catch up, he was still as wild as she remembered. And as she sat in her car getting ready to leave, she watched Dean sit on the hood of that old yellow truck that had a wooden flat bed in the back, with that squirrely smile on his face. She never admitted it, but she thought about him sitting on that truck for days after seeing him.

Again, many years went by and Elaine's life changed drastically once again. She was no longer married to the man that she had the baby with and she was on her own at 21 years old. She was convinced one night to go out with a girlfriend and her boyfriend to the bar, they were hoping to get Elaine out to meet people, be social and maybe you know, hook up with someone. They ended up going to this run down bar, jamming tunes from Run DMC, Snoop Dog, a little heavy metal was thrown in here and there. Elaine stood looking at all the sad, drunk, horny people every where, thinking why the hell am I here, until when she looked out towards the dance floor and she saw him, it was Dean. He was standing there with a group of friends watching all the girls wiggle on the dance floor for attention. She couldn't believe her eyes after all these years, what a small world she thought. She went right up to him and it was like they never had never skipped a beat, even though all those years growing up they never had a lot of interaction, there was just all of a sudden this connection. They talked and hung out that night, and then the night after and the night after that. Elaine and Dean would talk on the phone for hours (mind you there were still land lines at this point). Elaine spent hours filling his ears of all the years of chaos and trauma she lived, she even introduced her son to Dean, who both took to each other like peanut butter and jelly.

Elaine and Dean ended up becoming a couple, started living with each other right away, living from apartment to apartment, working job to job, barley making any money to try and make ends meet. Until things just went right and Dean landed a good printing job and they were able to rent a house and there they ended up being pregnant and having a daughter. A complete family, a son and a daughter. They couldn't ask for anyting more.

Then after years of always being just girlfriend and boyfriend, such a weird term for two people that had been living together and had kids together for 9 years, Elaine and Dean decided to get married. And what a magical wedding it was. People still will talk about it from time to time to this day.

The marriage was wonderful and brutal at the same time. They worked hard to make sure that their children had the best lives possible, were successful in school, sports, and with friends. They were taught to be respectful and caring and how to have all kinds of fun by riding 4 wheelers and dirt bikes, snowmobiles, camping. Dean was an avid deer hunter and taught both kids how to hunt. And how to just love life to it's fullest.

Unfortunately, what was lacking was the attention that Dean and Elaine gave to each other. And over time their marriage broke down. Dean and Elaine tried to keep things together the best that they could as the kids grew up. And those two kids grew up to be amazing successful, loving, caring adults. They were Dean and Elaine's pride and joy and always will be.

But then the time came, the sad time when no matter what they did, the marriage was dissolving. They tried hard, sometimes one would try harder than the other, but it was too late, it had dissolved.

Elaine knew Dean her whole life, the universe kept dropping him into her life at unexpected times all the time. And there was a reason for that, for them to accomplish all that they had done when they were a family unit.

Even to this day, Dean and Elaine are still good friends. How can you not be when they sat with each other in homeroom all those years. Rode the bus together all those years. And now they have Grandchildren. Their legacy continues, even if they aren't together.

Elaine will never forget the squirrely smile, the big green eyes and the light that shined so bright when Dean would enter a room and the child like attitude that he still has now to this day as he approaches 50 years old.

Dean will always hold a place in Elaine's heart that can never be replaced....the universe has insisted on it.