↑Jr/Sr Prom pic, 1970... hint, I was NOT in either class↑
I've always been a fairly attractive fella, or so I'm told. It seems tho, that I've tended to attract people of both sexes that I would not normally seek out, who were not necessarily attractive to me.
In the above photo, I was in the 8th grade, and had a high school senior ask ME out to the prom.
She picked me up and dropped me back home by 10 pm.
Go figure.
I always had an outgoing personality, I was fun loving and adventurous, and generally had quite a following, friends who wanted to do what I did.
Daddy said I had a responsibility because of this, to not do things that would lead others astray.
I joined the Air Force in Oct 1975 (not long after the above photo was taken.)
In point of fact, I was a virgin at age 20.until just after basic training
When I got out of the military, after trying to live in Tucson and nearly getting married
I returned to my hometown and the house I grew up in.
The partying continued.
I met the young lady I'm guessing around 1984. Her parents had a two level home with a swimming pool, on the edge of the family Farm Property.
They had a lot of property, he was a big time farmer.
As the two kids, a son and daughter, (both almost the same age; about 15 yrs younger than me) matured and grew up, there was a lot of partying (drinking mostly, but some drugs) at their house when their parents were not home.
The young lady especially "took a shine" to me, and we went a lot of places together, even once she (now older and on her own) asked me to come spend the weekend at her apartment in Savannah Ga.
We went many places, and slept in the same bed.
She would dress in silky lingerie (she clearly wanted to do more than sleep)
But I never did anything with her.
In point of fact, I was a virgin at age 20.
So a year or so later, she contacted me, clearly upset and emotional.
She confided that she was pregnant, at one of the "parties" at her parents house, she got drunk and went to her room downstairs and crashed.
The party continued unabated upstairs.
She said she "came to" realizing someone was on top of her, but of course they were alone downstairs with a party raging upstairs, so no one heard her crying out.
She never told me who it was, but I have my suspicions( because she called me, I wondered if it were not a Nephew of mine, slightly younger and much less scrupulous as me)
Cut to the chase, she had arranged to have an abortion at a clinic in Savannah; would I take her there, wait for her and bring her home?
Now Abortion was not something that had ever been "on my radar", even after Roe-v-Wade, it was not something I knew about going on, nor did we talk about it.
I did not know what to do, emotionally I didn't want her to do it, but it was her body her decision and NOT MY BABY, not only that I was in no position to take on any responsibility, as a husband, father or provider.
But I agreed.
We drove to Savannah one day, she went in, I waited outside until they came to tell me she was ready.
I went in, helped her gather her stuff then out to my car.
We drove back to Claxton, very little talking, I honestly do not remember where we went, did I drop her back at her parents house? Did we go to a friends?
I was trying to be supportive, but at the same time I was shell shocked, moving in a fog.
To this day, the young lady and I have never spoken of this, TO ANYONE. (at least I Haven't)
She is married now and has grown children.
She even rented a white Tux for me to play at the wedding, poolside at her parents house, although this photo was at MY house.
So what is the upshot here? It is my personal feeling, that
A. a woman can take many steps to avoid getting pregnant in the first place,
B. if she chooses to not indulge in the various forms of contraception, then it becomes hers AND the Father's decision what to do, IF he is even "in the picture"
C. I thought it was always legal to get an abortion in the case of rape or incest, I guess I was wrong.
D. above all else, it is her body, her bottom line decision, one she will have to live with for the rest of her life.
I would chose either abstinence or contraception.
I mean, I did without sex for the first 20 yrs of my life,
other than self indulgence.
And it has now been 12 yrs since I've been with anyone. I'm still sane, or so they say
DISCLAIMER!These are my personal feelings on a very touchy and personal subject.
I in no way mean to demean anyone nor denigrate
them for decisions they may or may not have made.
Everything I have stated here is the truth.
"My Abortion Story"
Not what you might think
by
Jerry E Smith
©06/29/2022
All images are original and my property
