How Our Story Started

Hubby and I are celebrating our 32nd wedding anniversary. It seems impossible that we are that old already, but it's true. Would it help if I said we married at the legal age of .....ummm.....12? (Is that legal anywhere?? Oh well. One of us has gray hair, and I wish I could say it was Hubby!)


Anyway, way back in the last century, (1978), I was working as a cashier at the big grocery store in town. Remember when the cash registers had buttons on them, and the cashier had to punch the price in? Yeah, it was that far back.


I was home from college after failing miserably in getting my MRS degree. 


Now I  was working as a cashier. I was given my uniform. Yes, uniform. It was a dress, and, of all the myriad of colors available, the color orange was chosen by my employer. It was a vibrant orange, easy to see from miles around. It happened to be the same color as my orange VW Beetle Bug. We looked like a matched set. That was not something I had planned.


One summer day, one of the stock boys came to me and said, "There's a guy in here who wants to ask you out." As he scanned the parking lot, he said "I'll see if his truck is still here."


Truck? The guy doesn't drive a car? Why would someone need a truck? Truck? That's just great.


"Yeah, he's still here."


That immediately sent me into a panic. My line of defense was to leave my register. An accepted form of work was to scour the aisles for shoplifters. My sister also worked there, so we both decided it was time to do our duty and look for shoplifters and/or single guy that wanted to ask me out.


But, apparently, while I was at the back of the store, he was at the front. And so, our paths did not cross that day.


The next time he came in, I had no prior warning. I was at my cash register when this tall, cute, farmer-looking guy, with a young boy at his side came through my aisle. I was surprised when he asked me out. (Was this THE guy, or was it just a coincidence that another guy was asking me out? But, who was this little boy? His son? Was he divorced? Oh my, oh my, what to do?)


The next words that came out of my mouth were so profound, and so intelligent...."Ummmmmmm, I'm sorry. I have to study." (I had signed up to take classes at the local business college, still trying to get my MRS degree.)


And, so, he and the little boy left.


Then, on a busy Saturday, there he was again. Standing in my line. He didn't have the little boy with him, but, who was that woman standing and talking with him?  His wife????  What is going on here?????  


Soon, it was his turn. And, as I rang up his small purchase, he again, asked me for a date. My brillant mind quickly deduced that the woman was not his wife.


So, I said, "Yes, sure."  


I gave him my name and phone number, and he said he'd call. I asked him his name. Oh. Such a common name. I was hoping for something a little more exotic. Oh well. It's a nice name.


After he walked away, my sister, who was running the register next to me said, "Are you crazy? You don't know him!!"


I just said, "Oh, he looks harmless."




This is MY version of our story. I will publish Hubby's version tomorrow. It differs slightly in the number of times he actually asked me out. I say I'm right, he maintains that HE has the correct version.

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