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Show 348 I dated many kinds of boys the year I was f i f t e e n . At first, Saul t r i e d to contain me. "You a r e n ' t old enough to go to d r i v e - i n movies, Jeannie. Mama, you should make sure the p a r t i e s she goes to are chaperoned." To support his concern for me, he remodeled my bedroom, using the wood-cutting s k i l l s he had i n i t i a t e d in the white-house days making bows and fishing poles, rubber-guns and toy swords, and now brought to a r t i s a n s h i p through his sculpting classes at the University where he studied a r t . The room promised to be beautiful: a wide redwood shelf ridged two walls of the room, forming a sort of canopy with plants f a l l i ng from i t over my bed. The f u r n i t u r e had also been covered with raw redwood. My mother bought new drapes and I temporarily felt like the spoiled baby of the white house years. One evening while Saul 'was working on my room, I started getting ready for a date. "I'm a l i t t l e disappointed in you, Jeannie," he said. "I was hoping you'd be here to help me t h i s evening." I smiled sweetly. "I'd love to help, but I ' v e had t h is date a l l week. I c a n ' t break i t now." A fewininutes l a t e r , I heard Saul muttering to my mother in the kitchen, " . . . r i d i c u l o u s how often she goes o u t . . . n ot even sixteen y e t ." My mother responded, "I was dating when I was twelve and thriteen, Saul. What can I say to her?" "Mom , you. were d i f f e r e n t , " Saul's voice rose. "You double-dated with Aunt Helga-.. And times were d i f f e r e n t , boys were different. I t ' s a dangerous world, these days." I could imagine my mother shaking her head as she |