Tuesday, September 06, 2005
And That’s How it Began
“So where are we putting these pictures?” My little sister held up a picture of my parents when they were young.
“Just put them with the ones from when they were still dating.”
“Here?” She asked adding it to the already building collage.
“Yeah that works.” I looked at the growing collage and adjusted a picture on the end. “I can’t believe they’ve been married for 25 years already.”
“Yeah, they still look so young.” She said applying glue to the back of a picture.
“Well they got married young.”
“Why how old were they when they got married?” She asked picking up my parents’ wedding picture to get a closer look at their faces.
“21 and they got engaged when they were 18… Wow they were my age. That’s scary. I’m not even remotely at that point yet. Can you imagine me engaged?”
Definitely not,” she said snorting through laughter. “But times have changed since back then. I mean Mom didn’t even consider going away to college and dad didn’t even finish.”
“That’s not true. Mom was going to go away, and then she decided not to for dad.” I corrected her. “Didn’t you ever hear the story of how they got together? Mom changed a lot of her plans for dad.”
“Really? I don’t think I would ever change my plans for a guy,” My sister said matter of factly.
“Well you might sing a different tune if you were in love. You’re too young to know what it’s like when you’re in love. Your entire life can be turned upside down.”
“Oh cause you’re such an expert on love.”
“I didn’t say I was an expert, but I’ve heard their story, and that’s enough for me to know that love is out there and I want that kind of love one day. And it couldn’t have been all bad if they’re still together 25 years later….”
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“Come on it’s just a carnival. Your boyfriend is out at sea; he can’t possibly expect you to sit in every night that he is away. Just friends, Scout’s Honor,” he said holding up his three fingers.
“Were you ever even a boy scout?” she asked with a laugh.
“Well no, but I still mean it just the same,” he said blushing.
“Oh alright, but just as friends,” she said shaking her head.
“Great, I’ll pick you up at 7.” He said and scampered away with the broom before their manager came back around. She stood at the counter and pondered over what she had just agreed to. Her boyfriend, Jim, and she had been together for over a year. He was a Kings Point merchant marine and he was away at sea for six months now. She knew that he would in fact be angry and would not understand that it was just a carnival if he knew she was going out tonight, yet there was something about the eager stock boy with the floppy brown hair.
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“Ooh I never knew mom had another boyfriend when she met dad.” My sister said mischievously. “That adds a whole added layer to the love story.”
“Yes it does, and if you can shut up I can continue telling the story.”
“Geez I was just saying, you don’t have to be so mean about it.”
I rolled my eyes and sighed. Little sisters could be so annoying.
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“Janet, that kid is here to pick you up!”
“Okay daddy, I’ll be right down!” She took one last glance in the mirror. Perfect, she looked good but not too good. Just right for a girl going out with a boy as friends while her boyfriend was away. The doorbell rang.
“Good evening, Mr. Vollmer, my name is Bob Peters, is Janet ready?”
“She has a boyfriend you know. A nice, respectable military man.”
“Yes sir, I am aware of that, and I’m not trying to move in while he is away. I’m just friends with your daughter.”
“Times are changing, boys and girls going out as friends, respectable boys having their girls escorted out unsupervised behind their backs. What’s the world coming to?”
“Dad, stop! We’re just going to a carnival. Alright, good night.” She rushed down the stairs and pushed past him out the door to where Bob still stood on the front stoop. He smiled at her as they walked down the steps together and over to where his rusty blue car was parked by the curb.
“We’re meeting some of my friends there is that okay?”
“Yea sure.”
They walked into the carnival and met up with some of Bob’s friends. They decided to walk over to the Ferris wheel together and along the way she saw some huge stuffed animals.
“Aw look at those, they’re so cute!”
“Here I’ll try to win you one.”
Bob stepped up to the carnival game and paid the attendant. Then he took the basket ball and aimed for the hoop and made it on the first shot. She stood next to him jumping up and down in excitement. He took the huge stuffed animal and held it out to her. As she stood there and looked at his big blue eyes and cute dimples she felt a stirring deep inside. He was completely different from Jim; he was young, and silly, yet adorable and sweet. Jim was always so serious and methodical. He would never take her to someplace like a carnival.
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“So was that it? Did she just dump the other guy and go for dad?” my sister asked engrossed in the story now. She was curled up on the floor with her head resting on her hands.
“Well it wasn’t that simple. She had been dating Jim for awhile and he was a good guy, plus grandma and grandpa loved him.”
“So what did she do?”
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It was the senior prom and Jim was finally home from sea. He was due to pick her up any second. As she stood in front of her mirror and looked at herself, a strange feeling came over her. She hadn’t seen her boyfriend in over eight months; she should be excited to see him. But she wasn’t.
As she fixed her dress she thought about the last time she had seen him. She had been desperately in love with him. She had been practically planning the wedding back then. Now she had this unsettled feeling of uncertainty when she thought of him. He had been the more distant, non-committal one back then. More recently, however, his letters had become more serious and focused on the future. She, however, had been spending more time with Bob. They still were “just friends” but they saw each other almost every day at work and had built a wonderful connection. She was a little confused.
“Janet, Jim is here!” Her mother stood at the bottom of the stairs with the camera, and there was Jim, looking incredibly handsome in his uniform, clutching a bouquet of flowers. The prom was perfect from a superficial standpoint. Jim was the perfect date, he socialized with her friends, he paid plenty of attention to her, he danced to every slow song with her and afterwards he asked her to take a walk in the courtyard outside the prom.
It was a warm night with a clear sky. The stars shone brightly down around them. She stood by one of the benches with her back to him when he came up behind her and put one hand on her waist while he leaned over and kissed her neck.
“I’ve missed you so much.”
“Well, I missed you too,” she said turning around to face him. She stood there and looked into his warm, brown eyes.
“Can you sit down a second? I got something for you.” She spread her skirt out carefully and sat down on the bench. Then Jim got down on one knee in front of her and opened up a small velvet box.
“Janet, I’ve spent the last eight months thinking only about how soon I could get back to you. Will you please come out to Ohio with me and meet my family and agree to become my wife?” She stared at him in shock, and tried to focus on what he was saying. Ohio? Wife? What should she say?
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“Wow! A proposal from another man? What did she say?” my sister asked in shock. She obviously was impressed with this new knowledge of my mother’s life.
“Well what do you think she said silly? Obviously she didn’t say yes if we’re here.”
“But how did she know? What made up her mind?” my sister demanded more details.
“She always described it as just a feeling inside. She knew that it wasn’t right. Jim just didn’t give her butterflies. And she couldn’t see herself leaving New York.”
“So when did her and dad finally get together?”
“Let me finish will you? You’re so impatient, it ruins the story.”
“Well you’re taking too long to get to the good part.”
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Seven months later she was standing on the corner of Central Park South (59th Street) near Central Park. It was a chilly, but clear evening. There was the smell of chestnuts roasting, and the festive air of Christmas in the city. There were wreaths hanging everywhere and lights in the trees. The sound of carolers in the park drifted out to the streets. She stood there, bundled up in a big coat, and smiled to herself, and then she felt a hand on her shoulder. She turned around and there was Bob standing there, smiling.
“Okay, I got the driver to give us a ride around the park. Come on, get in.” He took her hand and walked her over to a beautiful white carriage. He helped her climb in and then climbed in under the blanket next to her. As the driver pulled away from the curb it began to snow gently. They slowly drove down the street towards the entrance of Central Park. As they began to round the corner by the skating rink, Bob started searching for something under the blanket. Suddenly, he pulled out two plastic champagne glasses and a small bottle of champagne.
“How did these get under here?” He asked unconvincingly with a twinkle in his eye. She started to laugh.
“You are too much. I can’t believe you staged this all.”
“Well I wanted this to be a memorable occasion.” He popped the cork and sent it flying out into the park. He poured them two glasses and began to give a toast.
“Wait there’s something else under here.” He reached under the blanket again, and this time pulled out a small jewelry box. He held it out to her and opened the lid. She gasped and put her hand to her mouth.
“Oh Bob.” He took her hand and looked her in the eyes.
“Janet, will you marry me?”
“Oh yes, yes I will!” She always describes it as a perfect moment, topped with a perfect kiss in a carriage ride around Central park, with a plaid blanket over their legs and snow cascading down on them. She says it was a moment perfectly thought out in a loving way that would be treasured forever and often retold.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
“And it has been,” My sister said.
“Yup, it’s that perfect romantic story that you never believe happens in real life.”
“I can’t believe dad really did that. It’s just so corny,” my sister said laughing.
“Yea, but he got the girl. And from the looks of it they lived as close to happily ever after as you can in modern day times,” I said picking up some more pictures.
“I guess so,” my sister said thoughtfully.
“So where are we putting these pictures?” My little sister held up a picture of my parents when they were young.
“Just put them with the ones from when they were still dating.”
“Here?” She asked adding it to the already building collage.
“Yeah that works.” I looked at the growing collage and adjusted a picture on the end. “I can’t believe they’ve been married for 25 years already.”
“Yeah, they still look so young.” She said applying glue to the back of a picture.
“Well they got married young.”
“Why how old were they when they got married?” She asked picking up my parents’ wedding picture to get a closer look at their faces.
“21 and they got engaged when they were 18… Wow they were my age. That’s scary. I’m not even remotely at that point yet. Can you imagine me engaged?”
Definitely not,” she said snorting through laughter. “But times have changed since back then. I mean Mom didn’t even consider going away to college and dad didn’t even finish.”
“That’s not true. Mom was going to go away, and then she decided not to for dad.” I corrected her. “Didn’t you ever hear the story of how they got together? Mom changed a lot of her plans for dad.”
“Really? I don’t think I would ever change my plans for a guy,” My sister said matter of factly.
“Well you might sing a different tune if you were in love. You’re too young to know what it’s like when you’re in love. Your entire life can be turned upside down.”
“Oh cause you’re such an expert on love.”
“I didn’t say I was an expert, but I’ve heard their story, and that’s enough for me to know that love is out there and I want that kind of love one day. And it couldn’t have been all bad if they’re still together 25 years later….”
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
“Come on it’s just a carnival. Your boyfriend is out at sea; he can’t possibly expect you to sit in every night that he is away. Just friends, Scout’s Honor,” he said holding up his three fingers.
“Were you ever even a boy scout?” she asked with a laugh.
“Well no, but I still mean it just the same,” he said blushing.
“Oh alright, but just as friends,” she said shaking her head.
“Great, I’ll pick you up at 7.” He said and scampered away with the broom before their manager came back around. She stood at the counter and pondered over what she had just agreed to. Her boyfriend, Jim, and she had been together for over a year. He was a Kings Point merchant marine and he was away at sea for six months now. She knew that he would in fact be angry and would not understand that it was just a carnival if he knew she was going out tonight, yet there was something about the eager stock boy with the floppy brown hair.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
“Ooh I never knew mom had another boyfriend when she met dad.” My sister said mischievously. “That adds a whole added layer to the love story.”
“Yes it does, and if you can shut up I can continue telling the story.”
“Geez I was just saying, you don’t have to be so mean about it.”
I rolled my eyes and sighed. Little sisters could be so annoying.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
“Janet, that kid is here to pick you up!”
“Okay daddy, I’ll be right down!” She took one last glance in the mirror. Perfect, she looked good but not too good. Just right for a girl going out with a boy as friends while her boyfriend was away. The doorbell rang.
“Good evening, Mr. Vollmer, my name is Bob Peters, is Janet ready?”
“She has a boyfriend you know. A nice, respectable military man.”
“Yes sir, I am aware of that, and I’m not trying to move in while he is away. I’m just friends with your daughter.”
“Times are changing, boys and girls going out as friends, respectable boys having their girls escorted out unsupervised behind their backs. What’s the world coming to?”
“Dad, stop! We’re just going to a carnival. Alright, good night.” She rushed down the stairs and pushed past him out the door to where Bob still stood on the front stoop. He smiled at her as they walked down the steps together and over to where his rusty blue car was parked by the curb.
“We’re meeting some of my friends there is that okay?”
“Yea sure.”
They walked into the carnival and met up with some of Bob’s friends. They decided to walk over to the Ferris wheel together and along the way she saw some huge stuffed animals.
“Aw look at those, they’re so cute!”
“Here I’ll try to win you one.”
Bob stepped up to the carnival game and paid the attendant. Then he took the basket ball and aimed for the hoop and made it on the first shot. She stood next to him jumping up and down in excitement. He took the huge stuffed animal and held it out to her. As she stood there and looked at his big blue eyes and cute dimples she felt a stirring deep inside. He was completely different from Jim; he was young, and silly, yet adorable and sweet. Jim was always so serious and methodical. He would never take her to someplace like a carnival.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
“So was that it? Did she just dump the other guy and go for dad?” my sister asked engrossed in the story now. She was curled up on the floor with her head resting on her hands.
“Well it wasn’t that simple. She had been dating Jim for awhile and he was a good guy, plus grandma and grandpa loved him.”
“So what did she do?”
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
It was the senior prom and Jim was finally home from sea. He was due to pick her up any second. As she stood in front of her mirror and looked at herself, a strange feeling came over her. She hadn’t seen her boyfriend in over eight months; she should be excited to see him. But she wasn’t.
As she fixed her dress she thought about the last time she had seen him. She had been desperately in love with him. She had been practically planning the wedding back then. Now she had this unsettled feeling of uncertainty when she thought of him. He had been the more distant, non-committal one back then. More recently, however, his letters had become more serious and focused on the future. She, however, had been spending more time with Bob. They still were “just friends” but they saw each other almost every day at work and had built a wonderful connection. She was a little confused.
“Janet, Jim is here!” Her mother stood at the bottom of the stairs with the camera, and there was Jim, looking incredibly handsome in his uniform, clutching a bouquet of flowers. The prom was perfect from a superficial standpoint. Jim was the perfect date, he socialized with her friends, he paid plenty of attention to her, he danced to every slow song with her and afterwards he asked her to take a walk in the courtyard outside the prom.
It was a warm night with a clear sky. The stars shone brightly down around them. She stood by one of the benches with her back to him when he came up behind her and put one hand on her waist while he leaned over and kissed her neck.
“I’ve missed you so much.”
“Well, I missed you too,” she said turning around to face him. She stood there and looked into his warm, brown eyes.
“Can you sit down a second? I got something for you.” She spread her skirt out carefully and sat down on the bench. Then Jim got down on one knee in front of her and opened up a small velvet box.
“Janet, I’ve spent the last eight months thinking only about how soon I could get back to you. Will you please come out to Ohio with me and meet my family and agree to become my wife?” She stared at him in shock, and tried to focus on what he was saying. Ohio? Wife? What should she say?
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
“Wow! A proposal from another man? What did she say?” my sister asked in shock. She obviously was impressed with this new knowledge of my mother’s life.
“Well what do you think she said silly? Obviously she didn’t say yes if we’re here.”
“But how did she know? What made up her mind?” my sister demanded more details.
“She always described it as just a feeling inside. She knew that it wasn’t right. Jim just didn’t give her butterflies. And she couldn’t see herself leaving New York.”
“So when did her and dad finally get together?”
“Let me finish will you? You’re so impatient, it ruins the story.”
“Well you’re taking too long to get to the good part.”
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Seven months later she was standing on the corner of Central Park South (59th Street) near Central Park. It was a chilly, but clear evening. There was the smell of chestnuts roasting, and the festive air of Christmas in the city. There were wreaths hanging everywhere and lights in the trees. The sound of carolers in the park drifted out to the streets. She stood there, bundled up in a big coat, and smiled to herself, and then she felt a hand on her shoulder. She turned around and there was Bob standing there, smiling.
“Okay, I got the driver to give us a ride around the park. Come on, get in.” He took her hand and walked her over to a beautiful white carriage. He helped her climb in and then climbed in under the blanket next to her. As the driver pulled away from the curb it began to snow gently. They slowly drove down the street towards the entrance of Central Park. As they began to round the corner by the skating rink, Bob started searching for something under the blanket. Suddenly, he pulled out two plastic champagne glasses and a small bottle of champagne.
“How did these get under here?” He asked unconvincingly with a twinkle in his eye. She started to laugh.
“You are too much. I can’t believe you staged this all.”
“Well I wanted this to be a memorable occasion.” He popped the cork and sent it flying out into the park. He poured them two glasses and began to give a toast.
“Wait there’s something else under here.” He reached under the blanket again, and this time pulled out a small jewelry box. He held it out to her and opened the lid. She gasped and put her hand to her mouth.
“Oh Bob.” He took her hand and looked her in the eyes.
“Janet, will you marry me?”
“Oh yes, yes I will!” She always describes it as a perfect moment, topped with a perfect kiss in a carriage ride around Central park, with a plaid blanket over their legs and snow cascading down on them. She says it was a moment perfectly thought out in a loving way that would be treasured forever and often retold.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
“And it has been,” My sister said.
“Yup, it’s that perfect romantic story that you never believe happens in real life.”
“I can’t believe dad really did that. It’s just so corny,” my sister said laughing.
“Yea, but he got the girl. And from the looks of it they lived as close to happily ever after as you can in modern day times,” I said picking up some more pictures.
“I guess so,” my sister said thoughtfully.
