That afternoon, after Bert had asked me to the formal dance, was an exciting haze of preparations, enthusiasm, and anticipation. Bert had asked me out! ME! I felt so grown up and adult. Like I was going on my first real date, if you don't count hand holding in a movie and kissing after you and some girls meet some boys at the theater or the mall.

Anyway, that was all I was used to. And though I'd gone to dance class, I'd never been to a formal dance except the one at the end of the class, and that doesn't really count.

Needless to say, I couldn't take a nap even if I'd wanted to, and I didn't.

After showering and setting my hair, etc. Sarah and I picked out a low- cut, formal white dress for me to wear. It came down just over my knees. I also wore a pink bra, white high heels, white nylons held up with a red garters, pink panties, and a pink slip. BOY! Did I feel grown up. I looked in Sarah's full-length mirror and I thought I looked simply delicious! So big and sophisticated and yet sweet and innocent at the same time.

Sarah had already left with her date (she was also going to the dance) before Bert called down the hall to see if I was ready. BOY WAS I!

As I walked down the hall Bert gave a low whistle. "You look great!" he said. "Doesn't she, Dad? Doesn't she look marvelous?"

Uncle Bert set his paper down and said, "Yeah, she looks fine. Fine, indeed. Very pretty. So grown up, little niece. You look real nice."

I blushed at all the attention from these two as Bert pinned some flowers on my dress. We walked out and got into his 1954 Chevy. Well, really it was both his and his Dad's car. They had found it in someone's barn and spent over two years reconditioning it. Now it was in mint condition. Two-door, white over yellow. Bert had waxed it in the afternoon and it shone brightly in the late afternoon sun.

We drove over to Steve's house and picked him up. I sat between him and Bert as we went to pick up Steve's date, Julia. Steve was a perfect gentleman on the way over, but he did peck me lightly on my right cheek when he got in. The rest of the way over to Julia's house, he talked about how much he liked my dress and how grown up I looked. You know, nice talk. Real sweet.

Steve went in to get his date and I almost dropped a load when I saw who "Julia" was. SHE WAS THE REDHEAD! The beautiful redhead I'd seen in my dreams and in moments of fantasy. Julia. Now I had a name. I wish I was Julia. I wish I knew more about her. I wish I looked more like her. I wish my breasts were as developed as Julia's were.

I had to get out of the car for Steve and Julia to get in the back seat.

"Suzi, this is Julia. Julia Roberts. Julia, this is Suzi. I think you've already met once before," and Steve gave a sly little wink and grin, but he didn't dwell on it. Like I said, he was sweet.

Julia seemed to be very gracious and friendly. She smiled at me and said, "So very pleased to meet you, Suzi."

I mumbled some pleasantries in return. God! All I could do was stare at her. She was SO beautiful. She wore all pink except for black net stockings, but not the cheap kind with the big spaces. She was stunning. Her long white legs were clearly visible through the black mesh. The pink dress which didn't quite reach her knees accented her beautiful light red hair, and its low cut front allowed me to see just the beginning of her breasts, the white tops of those young, soft mounds. Her smile had a way of melting me on the spot. It was broad and sincere, and her even white teeth seemed to sparkle in the evening sun. God! She was beautiful.

As she bent to get into the car, I couldn't help but to try to look down her dress. I could see more of her beautiful tits, almost down to the pink nipples, I thought.

But then I realized that Bert, still behind the wheel, was watching me trying to peek. He looked at me and almost laughed out loud. But just winked, turned back in his seat, and restarted the car. I was deeply embarrassed. Now it was me, and not the guys, with all the dirty thoughts. I blushed and got in the car after Steve.

The dance was a dream. It was held at the local country club, and everyone was SO grown up and polite and friendly, even to me, an outsider. My dance card was all filled up after the first few dances with Bert, and I thoroughly enjoyed myself. The band was young and many had long hair, but they played well and played a lot of slow dances. The clubhouse ballroom had a mirrored globe which spread fragments of starry lights all over the room. It was VERY ROMANTIC! Bert and I had a number of dances together, and on the slow dances he would hold me close and tenderly. I was in love. I was had. I only hoped he felt the same about me. Steve was utterly a gentleman also, and I knew I was also VERY FOND of him.

The whole night I also kept my eye on Julia Roberts. We sat together at the table and she seemed to take a very friendly interest in me. I only wish my interest was just friendly. I seemed to be the only one with bad thoughts, and I tried to wipe them from my mind.

I would try to watch her dancing sometimes. I always wanted to know where she was. And sometimes, she would see me and smile back. I'd almost melt, and whoever I was dancing with would look at me strangely because I had pushed myself against him in those few moments. Then I'd catch myself, pull back, and try to put Julia out of my mind. But it wasn't easy. My eyes kept drifting back.

Once, at the table when we were both there between dances and Steve and Bert had gone for drinks, I saw her bend over her dance card and I raised up in my chair a bit to try to see more of her breasts. I just couldn't help myself, it seemed. AND GOD! I think I saw the top of her right nipple at the bottom of the cool, alabaster mound cupped in her dress. She happened to look up right then and I lowered myself quickly and turned away. I blushed. I was deeply embarrassed, but when I looked back at her, she just gave me a warm, friendly smile, that seemed pretty innocent even though it lasted a bit longer than I would have expected.

The last dance was heaven! It was slow and went on forever, and Bert held me in his arms closely, but not sexily-just VERY, VERY, VERY romantic. And I was so proud to be there with him, and I felt like he was MY MAN, and I was all grown up and at a real prom at high school or something. God, I was happy.

And every time I turned around, Julia seemed to be there, her eyes half closed as she slow danced with Steve and smiled at me. It was like magic. We seemed to be right near each other for the whole time.

Here were three people I really cared about, accepting me and letting me be with them and making me feel SO accepted and grown up. It was great! I wished the dance would never ever ever end.

But of course, it did. And after applauding the band, and collecting our things, Bert and I walked hand-in-hand into the magic of a Maine summer evening with stars in the sky and lightning bugs and a warm breeze and the smell of pine washing over us. My, it was grand! I was with the man I loved in a land I was falling in love with at just the right time in my life. If he would have asked me to marry him right then and there I would have said "I do" a thousand times.

As we walked to the car, Bert stopped and hugged me closely but like a lover should, nothing indecent. "You up for going with me to see the ol' Four-Leaf?"

"What?" I'd forgotten about what he had said about a club.

"Our club. You wanta see?"

"Yes, Bert, anything you say." I didn't want the night to ever end.