Got a love story you want to share? Yeah, I know, Valentine’s a “made up” holiday, but I suspect that it would have been “invented” regardless of who started it. Commercialization and cynicism aside, it fills a need.
While mine is lacking in the “thrilling section”, I am rather proud of it so I’ll start off.
Today, I've been married to the mean, redheaded Yankee nurse from Pennsylvania for 30 years.
We met in a USAF military hospital dining hall. In the USAF, medical officers were encouraged to use the dining halls. If she hadn’t been a nurse and if I hadn’t been assigned to the hospital squadron we’d probably never met.
Anyway, after a few casual dates we went out on a formal date to the only (as I recall) sit down restaurant in Valdosta, Georgia. I think it went well until I decided to eat my mash potatoes with my hands.
(Ed. “Well, there was some provocation, she was kinda snooty”.
“EXACTLY!! I’m glad you remember it the same as I do.”)
Following that we kind of cooled the relationship
(Ed. “Heh, ‘cooled’ what happen was she avoided you like a bad habit. She even hid in her closet one day when you went by her place and had her friend tell you she was out…or had died, something like that”
“I prefer to regard that period as “cool,” thank you very much”)
As a result of a coincidence, we got back together at the hospital Christmas party.
(Ed. “coincidence”? “You met her walking into the club and decided on the spot she was your date.” “Then, because you had a date after the party with a girl in Atlanta, you told her that your father was sick and then left and drove to Atlanta to break off the other relationship and then drove BACK to Valdosta all within the weekend since you had to be at work on Monday. You finally got back late Sunday night, went by her place told her your father was better, made a date for later that week then went to work!?!?!?!”
“I don’t remember it quite that way”
We dated for a while but since she was an officer and I was an enlisted swine we had to be furtive about it, going places we didn’t think we’d be seen.
The most memorable was a Carlos Montoya concert – THERE was a flamenco guitarist!!! He looked about 100 then – anyway, some snot of a junior officer was there and reported her to her commander. Lots of yelling and threats – to her, not me.
Finally, on Valentines Day 1971, I went by her place and gave her a valentines present (a locket, I think) anyway, she started crying and I didn’t know any other way to shut her up so I asked her to marry me
(Ed. “ I suspect she remembers a different version.”
“What does she know? She was always too sentimental.”
We got married 9 Feb 1974, a few days after I returned from a year in Korea. She still brags that she got me while I was still jet lagged. All I remember is that I was so nervous; another nurse friend gave me some tranquilizers tablet. It was a very tranquil occasion as I recall. I remember thinking “Ya know, it was on a day just like this that the Mcgillicuddy sisters killed their mother with an axe.”
Anyway, after 30 years of some tribulations but a hell of a lot more fun, love and laughs all over the globe we’re still going strong. We’re off on a two-week hiking trip in England in April as our 30th Anniversary present.
I’m sure I’ll fall down some remote mine shaft somewhere in Cornwall.
