Tilly and Elmer FlashbackX (2) - Falling for a Kiss (Tilly and Elmer FlashbackX - Coming of Age in South Branch, #2)

If you've read any of the short stories in the Tilly and Elmer series, you may have wondered how much more adventuresome Tilly and Elmer must have been as teenagers. Now it can be revealed! In the Tilly and Elmer FlashbackX series, our favorite sexagenarians describe, in sometimes hilarious and sometimes scandalous detail, their slow motion coming of age in the Midwest in the early sixties. From their clumsy first date to the first time they go "all the way" (on the second try), you'll gasp at Elmer's inexperience, smile at Tilly's (real or faked?) innocence, and perhaps shed a tear of empathy at the blundering beauty of their first time.
Book 2, Falling for a Kiss, describes Tilly and Elmer's third date which, by tradition, meant their first kiss. Elmer knew it would be a pivotal moment in his life, but he didn't have a clue about how to manage it. When he picked Tilly up for the Halloween dance and found her dressed as a vampire, his task suddenly seemed even more difficult than he expected. And what happened after the kiss was even more surprising - to both Elmer, and the author!
"Thanks for taking me to the dance Elmer." said Tilly. "I had a good time."
"Yes."
"Weren't the costumes wonderful?" Tilly asked.
"Yes." said Elmer.
There was a pause in the conversation. Elmer looked down at his feet. His legs were beginning to shiver noticeably.
Tilly looked up at him expectantly. Elmer looked over her shoulder and watched a car's headlights move past her driveway out on the road.
"Um... Tilly?" he said.
"Yes, Elmer?"
"Um... Tilly. Uh."
"What is it Elmer?" she asked.
"The decorations were nice too." he said.
"Yes, they were." said Tilly. "The cornstalks were very appropriate. For a fall dance I mean."
She looked down at her feet and noticed Elmer's bare legs.
"Elmer, you're shivering. It's cold out here isn't it?"
"Not too cold." Elmer lied.
"I shouldn't keep you out here in the cold too long." Tilly said.
"That's OK." said Elmer, his teeth beginning to chatter.

Gene Clements is a retired architect and educator. He began the Tilly and Elmer series by writing the first couple of paragraphs of a story about a frisky older couple. His friends thought they were funny and wanted to know how the story was going to end. Now they know, for better or worse!
Gene grew up in a small town in the Midwest although he now lives in California. He thinks he's eighteen, but he's really the same age as Tilly and Elmer. These stories aren't necessarily autobiographical in any specific detail (and he wouldn't tell if they were) but the flavor of the stories will be familiar to many readers, especially if they've found their athleticism diminished but their friskiness intact or if they grew up at a time and place where sex was never mentioned, except to warn young people against it.