TBO.com - TBO is Tampa Bay Online

A Daring Young Lady

ADVERTISEMENT

By NANCY ARMSTRONG

Special to the Tribune

Published: June 1, 2008

SEMINOLE - It was 1938 when Auntie Ruth bought us tickets to the circus and I discovered my young heart's desire. Auntie Ruth was my mother's best friend and took us many special places. The country was in the midst of the Depression, but she had her own car. Her husband finished college before the hard times began and had a good job as an engineer.

We lived in Kansas City, Mo., and I was 8. The Depression was difficult for my parents, but as a small child, I hadn't known any other time. To me, life was wonderful. Our lives were built around family, church and the community.

The circus was one of the first spectacular events to be held at the new Municipal Auditorium in Kansas City. My brother Bob and I couldn't wait to see the animals and performers. For Mother and Auntie Ruth, the magnificent auditorium was the main attraction.

We were wearing our best clothes on circus day. Auntie Ruth drove, of course, and when we arrived at the auditorium, she and Mother jumped out of the car. They walked so fast that Bob and I had to run to keep up.

An usher in uniform took our tickets and informed us our seats were at the top of the ramp. We stood still for a long minute and just took in the grandeur. Walls and floors were shiny marble. The ceiling was so high I felt like an ant.

Up, up, up we went to the top floor. Our seats were in Row A, the front row of the high balcony. We held onto the railing as we inched our way to our seats. They overlooked the middle of the Center Ring, the very best seats in the house!

A trumpet sounded, and the auditorium became silent. A tall man in a black tuxedo stood in the center of the ring - "the ringmaster," whispered Mother.

He introduced a young woman wearing a long white dress. Her necklace and bracelet sparkled like diamonds as she moved. Everyone stood as she sang the "Star-Spangled Banner."

The trumpet blew again, and the ringmaster shouted, "LET THE SHOW BEGIN." The band played, and performers marched around the auditorium or rode into the center ring on prancing horses. Lions and tigers and their trainers were in the left ring. Huge elephants filled the right ring. Clowns were everywhere! I turned my head side to side so fast I felt dizzy. I didn't want to miss a thing.

Later, the lights dimmed, and a single drum started to beat. Spotlights from every direction pointed to a tall, slender young lady on a high platform. She wore white tights and a netted dress, like a ballerina. She looked right at me and waved.

The drum beat faster and louder as she flew off the platform, standing on her trapeze. She swung higher and higher and danced in the air to the sound of the "Tennessee Waltz."

I decided right then to join the circus when I was old enough. I was going to be "the daring young lady on the flying trapeze."

That evening at the dinner table, Mother and Bob said I could be the one to tell Daddy about the circus. I was too excited to eat and told him every detail about the ringmaster, the clowns and the animals.

Then I took a deep breath and told Daddy about the lady acrobat. "When she finished, she grabbed a rope and slid all the way down to the floor ... the band played on, and the clowns and everyone came running to the center ring waving their arms and bowing. It was so exciting!"

When I finally stopped talking, Daddy said, "Would you like to have a trapeze?" He would hang a bar from a limb of our old oak tree. I couldn't believe my ears. This was the best gift I had ever received.

Every day, I hurried home from school to swing high into the air on my trapeze. It felt like I was floating in space - until the day I tried a new trick.

That was the day I gripped the bar at waist level and pushed my head and shoulders forward as hard as I could. The goal was to go down and spin back up.

I went down all right but not up. I couldn't get back up. As I helplessly hung upside down, my hands slipped and I fell.

After slamming to the ground, I was afraid to move. Then I touched my mouth, which hurt, and felt blood. I ran into the house screaming.

Mother took me to Dr. Harry's, where a nurse gave me a tetanus shot and Dr. Harry sewed up my lip with five stitches.

When we returned home, Mother fixed a glass of cold lemonade and gave me a straw to sip it. She went to the drugstore and came back with a new box of colored pencils and drawing paper.

"You can draw circus costumes while your face is healing," she said. I thought that was a wonderful idea. I could join the circus as a costume designer!

Daddy left the trapeze up, and I was able to swing every day when I got better. I no longer tried stunts, but my trapeze became the perfect place to imagine the costumes I would design.

Many years later, the scar of my lip is still visible, a sign of my childhood dreams. I never did join the circus but designed many of my own clothes. And I still love to go to the circus.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Nancy Armstrong, 77, grew up in Kansas City, Mo. She moved to Florida in 1983, where she and her high school sweetheart, Tom, rekindled their romance after 34 years. They celebrated their 24th wedding anniversary in December. Every Christmas, the couple play Santa and Mrs. Claus at the Tree Lighting Ceremony and Santa Parade in Redington Shores.

Do You Have A Story To Tell?

I Remember It Well is a feature of the Prime Time page. Send entries via e-mail to shemmingway@tampatrib.com or in typewritten form to Susan Hemmingway, The Tampa Tribune, P.O. Box 191, Tampa FL 33601. Submissions cannot be returned. Be sure to include a contact phone number.

Share this:

Loading Comments...

Email Print

ADVERTISEMENT