Love Story

I can see by our wall clock that it's story time, folks. Grab a snack and get cozy.  Today I'm going to tell a love story. It involves all the things that a really good love story should have - friendship, independence, sneakiness, significant hurdles, emotional pain, sorrow, struggle, accomplishment, growth, joy, pride, and a lasting, almost unexplainable bond.
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One night, many many years ago, an independent-minded woman (we'll call her "Em") decided to call up a few friends to go to have a few drinks after work. Em, age 26, lived alone in a one bedroom apartment with a set-up that one could see later in the show "Laverne and Shirley". You had to walk "underneath" the street to get to her door and, from her window, all she could see were shoes strolling by. Em was the second-youngest child in her family, but she was the first to move out alone from her parents home, and probably the only member of her family who would occasionally call up friends to go out for drinks. Em's father passed away years before, and Em did her best to not worry her mother with her life "in the big city".  She shouldn't have worried, as Em's mother was very proud of her daughter's achievements and her strength.

Em and her friends went to a favorite bar and started their evening. Unbeknownst to Em, a young man noticed her as she sat down. This man (we'll call him "Dee") couldn't help but smile as he appreciated Em's laugh, her smile and how at ease she was. Dee, on the other hand, was not at ease at all. At 21, he was still nervous at bars and he was even more nervous because the group of friends he was waiting for seemed to have all made other plans. He walked to a corner of the bar and made a call to his closest friend, Paul. Dee explained his situation to Paul - he was alone in a bar and there was a group of women he'd noticed, but he needed a friend to be with him, to "even the numbers". Paul was hesitant and wasn't sure he wanted to go out, so Dee told a little white lie. He said he'd already talked to the women and they wanted to meet Paul. That was all it took ... Paul was on his way to meet Dee and these women.

Well as often happens, everyone got along very well. Em was charming and sweet, Dee was a good story-teller and attentive, and Paul was the life of the party, as usual. Things went so well, in fact, that soon afterwards Paul and Em were quite the couple. Yes it seems that Dee had mis-judged the situation and somehow he'd set up Paul with Em, instead of getting her attentions for himself.

After a few months, Paul was no longer the life of Em's party. However she continued her friendship Paul and, more importantly, with Dee. And soon after that, the friendship had become something more. Em and Dee found themselves to be a pair ... an odd pair, for sure, but a pair. Em worked to support herself, while Dee was comfortable living with his parents while getting his college education and working a part-time job. Em enjoyed travel, especially road trips on weekends and Dee was still spending any free time he had planning for his future goals. Em was good with numbers and enjoyed working in a business environment but Dee could never see himself working for a corporation in a "regular" job.

Just a year after that night at the bar, Dee and Em decided to get married. Dee's parents were against it, thinking that Em would only serve to distract Dee from his goals. They also weren't comfortable with Em's age, or the working-class family she came from. But, like any loving pair, Em and Dee could not be swayed. So one night, Dee once again called his closest friend, Paul. Dee explained that he and Em were eloping and that they needed a best man. And, once again, Paul agreed to lend a hand.

Em and Dee were married on February 28, 1963. They returned to their families and friends to share their happy news. Em's mother accepted them with open arms and asked only that Em and Dee please get married in a church, and they did so, but February 28th was always the anniversary they would celebrate. Dee's parents declined to attend, as they were still against the union, and it wouldn't be until a couple years later that they'd start to rebuild their relationship with their son ... and get to know their daughter-in-law. By that time, Em and Dee had a daughter and, in 1968, they'd have a second daughter.

And all these years later, Mom and Dad are still close to Paul and his family. (In fact, it was Paul who pretty much saved Dad's life during his heart attack a few years ago.)

Happy 49th wedding anniversary to Em, my mom, who is still very independent, level-headed, encouraging and strong ... and to Dee, my dad, who never did lose focus on his life goals or his friendships (and who still tells a white lie every now and again to get what he wants).