St. Valentine’s Day
Fifty Six years ago I was in tall cotton. Had a good job making $1.10 an hour, living and eating at home and courting a beautiful young chick that would one day become my bride. Then came a letter, “Greetings, your friends and neighbors………..” Uncle Sam said he needed my help and would I please come. I really had other things in mind. Going off to fight a war in a place I had never heard of, didn’t exactly fit my plans. In fact it did not fit at all. It didn’t take long for Uncle Sam to change my mind. He even sent a Greyhound Bus to pick me up and take me to Ft. Sill, Oklahoma. There he tested me over and over till he found what he was looking for. He then issued me a pretty uniform and poor fitting boots. In one fell swoop me and my duffel bag were stuffed on a troop train headed for Ft. Bliss, Texas.
The only thing I could think of was that poor, pretty young thing back home pining her heart away. I had made plans to have a dozen red roses and a box of chocolates delivered to her home. But that seemed little consolation to her for my absence on the 14th of February. The troop train stopped in Ft. Worth for some reason and I sneaked off the train, found Western Union and sent a mushy telegram to my lonely girl. I don’t know if it was the roses, chocolates, or the mushy telegram, but that girl became my bride 56 years ago and is still putting up with me.
You are probably asking yourself why some old man is telling you this story. Hey, son, look up at the masthead. What is the date? Uhhu! February the Fourteenth, St. Valentines day. You just have time to hurry to the store and find some flowers and chocolates but I don’t know where you will find Western Union. May I suggest the Dollar Store? They have candies and cards but no Western Union. I bet Fantasia Flowers are open late today for us a little slow on the uptake. I know I saw heart shaped boxes of chocolates on the shelf at Parker’s . And I bet the other groceries have bright red stuff with ribbons that smell good. One place I have been intending to visit is the Bead Store. I bet they have pretties for sweet young things.
Now you have been encouraged to get with it before it is to late to warm that girls heart. I am going to add, “Get a move on boy, or you will be too late.” And if you are wondering what I wrote on the mushy telegram, I ain’t telling.
February 14th, 2007 at 7:47 pm
Awww, that’s wonderful. I hope you and your lovely wife enjoy your valentine’s day together. My husband will be just like you, I know it.
February 15th, 2007 at 10:27 am
Thank you and it’s hard to tell on that butterfly. One day we have temps in the seventies and then next we’re freezing (literally). So, it has taken the monarchs longer than usual to emerge from their chrysales. I’m not sure if that guy was newly emerged or almost at cycle end.
They shouldn’t really even be here. Their mom got distracted by our warm climate and gardens.