My big brother, Bill, was going to take me to the movies. He wasn't happy about it, because he was going with his friend, Lee Floyd. "Aw, Mom", he whined, "why does she have to tag along?" He sounded pretty angry to me. But I didn't care. I was going to get to go to the Saturday afternoon show at the Plaza! I thought it must be the most beautiful theater in the world. We lived in El Paso, Texas and the Plaza was like a big Spanish hacienda, and it was a wonderful place to be. Besides, it only cost a dime in those days!

It was kind of a long walk to downtown, but that was okay, except I always wished I could walk with the boys. Bill said I had to walk behind them because I was a girl. Big brothers are like that...he said I was a pest and called me PeeWee, even though I was going to be six years old pretty soon.

It was hot outside, but when we went inside, in the long hall to the place where the seats were it was cool, with stars in the ceiling like we were outside at night, and there was a fountain with water running into a pond with gold and red fish swimming in it. The hall was very long and the floor was cold, but when we got to the part near the doors there was carpet, thick and soft, and we could hear the music from the big organ in the front, under the stage.

Bill put me in the seat next to him and gave me a stick of black licorice and told me to be quiet. We got to watch a cowboy movie and a newsreel and a cartoon and Flash Gordon. That was the scary one. When the clay men started to come out of the walls I began to cry, but Bill let me hang onto his arm and hide my face in it. Maybe he thought little sisters weren't so bad after all.

Of course, the place was dark, and nobody could see him being nice to me...