A successful marriage requires falling in love many times, always with the same person.
~Mignon McLaughlin~
Once upon a time, a girl was asked by her cousin if she'd consider going on a blind date. Now, this girl had never been on a blind date before and had heard all the stories of how awful they were. The girl's cousin and her boyfriend both assured her that this boy was different. They had all gone to high school together and he was a real good guy they promised. He was even a Marine, they told her. The girl was skeptical but after much prodding and cajoling, she finally agreed.
The night of the big date arrived and while the girl was getting ready, her mother came into her room and told her they were all here. "What does he look like?" the girl asked her mother. "He looks like a Marine" was the answer. Not sure what that meant, the girl finished getting dressed and then went into the living room where she had to agree with her mother - he DID look like a Marine.
Now the girl was extremely shy so the date was pretty uneventful. After it was over, the boy walked her to the door, said goodnight and left without even a goodnight kiss on the cheek. The girl was sure she had royally blown that encounter and really didn't care because she felt a bit awkward around the boy.
The boy didn't call or attempt to get in touch with the girl for several weeks and then one day, the girl's cousin called the girl and told her that the boy wanted to take her to the annual Marine Corps Ball. The girl didn't know what to say. She had been dating a couple of other boys off and on - no commitments - just casual dates. She finally decided that it might be fun to go to a Ball but she still hadn't seen the boy since their disastrous date.
During those weeks of no contact, the girl's cousin had married her boyfriend and they moved a couple of blocks from the girl. The girl used to visit the cousin and on one of those visits, the cousin snuck into the kitchen and called the boy to tell him the girl was there. The boy came right over. The girl was surprised and a bit embarrassed.
The boy asked her if she had gotten his message and the girl said she had. After a short pause, the boy said "Well?" "Well what?" asked the girl. "Are you going to answer the question?" "What question?" the girl replied. "You haven't asked me anything." The boy laughed, said okay and then very politely asked the girl if she would accompany him to the Marine Corps Ball. The girl said yes.
Now, the girl was still dating the other two fellas - there still were no commitments or promises made so the girl felt free to play the field. One evening when the girl had a date with one of the other fellas, the boy paid her a surprise visit and was confused when he walked up the walk with another fella and the girl's father came out, chuckled, lowered his head and walked by the two suitors without saying a word.
The girl was getting ready when her mother came into her room and told her that her date was here. So is the boy, the mother added and then asked 'what are you going to do?' The girl told her that she was going on the date because she had agreed to go and the boy would just have to get over it. "After all," the girl said, "no one has made any commitments here". The mother agreed.
When the girl came out, the boy had figured out what was going on and bowed out gracefully. The girl went on her date but kept thinking about how awkward that must have been for the boy.
The night of the Marine Corps Ball arrived and when the boy picked the girl up, he was in full dress blues. The girl lost all sense about herself and kept staring at the boy all night with "that look" as it was described to her much later. The boy and the girl had their first dance to the theme from "Love Story" and that pretty much clinched things for the girl.
The day after the Ball, the girl called the other two fellas and told them she couldn't see them anymore. There still were no commitments but the girl was no longer interested in the other two suitors. A few weeks later, the boy proposed and the girl said yes. A year later, the boy and girl were married.
That was 39 years ago today and you've probably guessed that my husband and I are the boy and girl. It's been a rocky road with some really deep pot holes along the way but we've weathered the storm and have come out all the stronger.
It's not hard to stay married for a long time - just don't split up. The hard part is making it work and staying together when you would rather just give up and leave. We considered divorce ourselves at one point but for some reason, we just talked about it and never pursued it. We're both glad we didn't.
A few weeks ago, we were telling our sons about us back then and I told them all for the first time what was going through my mind as the preacher was asking if I promised to 'love and honor' this man forever. Every fiber of my being was screaming at me to "RUN! GET OUT NOW BEFORE IT'S TOO LATE!" Instead, my mouth was saying "I DO". After admitting this, my husband squeezed my hand and said "I'm glad you didn't". You know what? I'm glad I didn't too.
