FIRST DATE

I FOUND A STORY ABOUT MEETING MY ONE TRUE LOVE AND SINCE IT HAS SOME THINGS I HAD FORGOTEN I'LL TAKE FROM THIS OLD TABLET TODAY.

BLIND DATES
IT WAS ABOUT THE END OF NOVEMBER 1944 WHEN MY FRIEND HELEN ASK ME TO GO ON ANOTHER BLIND DATE. I HAD TOLD HER NO MORE AFTER THE MARINE SHE'D SET ME UP WITH. HELEN BEGGED AND COAXED AND FINALLY SAID FOR ME TO THINK ABOUT IT. SO I PROMISED I WOULD BUT WAS SURE I WOULDN'T GO.
FOR SOME REASON I TALKED TO MY MOTHER ABOUT GOING. IT STILL WASN'T RESOLVED [BUT SHE TALKED WITH FRIENDS IN ST. ANTHONY TO LEARN WHO HE WAS]. I THEN ASK A FEW OTHER FOLKS IF THEY KNEW VERELAN JENSEN. WANDA HILL LEISBURG TOLD ME I SHOULD GO AS HE IS REALLY CUTE. SHE REMEMBERED HIM FROM PRE W.W. TWOISH DAYSA ND HE WASN'T YET IN TOWN.
THE DAY ARRIVED WHEN HE GOT BACK TO TOWN FROM HIS SOUTH PACIFIC WAR YEARS. I TALKED TO HELEN'S MOTHER BEFORE GOING HOME FROM WORK AND SHE SAID SHE'D HAVE HELEN CALL BEFORE THEY CAME OUT. WELL THE PHONE DIDN'T RING UNTIL JUST BEFORE A CAR DROVE UP INTO THE YARD. HAZEL KOBS, HELEN'S MOTHER SAID SHE TRIED TO CALL BUT YOUR LINE WAS BUSY. [SINCE WE HAD A PARTY COUNTRY LINE DID SHE ARE DIDN'T SHE??] THEN SHE SAID YOU'D BETTER GO ARE YOU'LL BE SORRY HE'S SUCH A CUTE GUY. AFTER I HUNG UP THE PHONE A KNOCK CAME ON THE FRONT DOOR. THERE STOOD HELEN AND ONE OF THE NICEST LOOKING GUY'S I'D SEEN IN A LONG TIME.
"GUESS WHAT??" I WENT!!!. THEN I WENT SOME PLACE EVERY DAY FROM ABOUT THE SECOND OF DEC TILL ABOUT THE SAME DATE IN JAN. 1945. WHEN HE CLIMBED ON THAT UNION PACIFIC BUS AND LEFT ME STANDING ON THE SIDE WALK IN FRONT OF THE OLD HOTEL IN ST. ANTHONY I FELT MY HEART STRINGS GO WITH HIM.
HE WENT TO SANTA BARBARA FOR HIS R. AND R. . I HAD A FEW LETTERS FROM HIM AND WENT TO THE DANCES IN ST. ANTHONY TO SEE DEWARD AND VELDA TO LEARN IF THEY HAD HEARD FROM HIM. MOSTLY HE DIDN'T WRITE ANYONE.
HOW EVER ABOUT THE TIME HE LEFT SANTA BARBARA FOR FORT LEWIS, WASH. I HAD A VIVID DREAM ABOUT HIM AS HE RODE NORTH ON THAT TRAIN HE ALSO HAD A DREAM ABOUT ME BEING ON THE TRAIN WITH HIM.
THE STORY GOES ON AND THE DAYS BECAME WEEKS THEN MONTHS. HELEN SAID ONE DAY AS WE WERE EATING LUNCH TOGETHER "I'M GOING OUT TO SEE HAROLD AND I'M SCARED TO GO ALONE TAKE TIME OFF AND GO WITH ME"> I ASK HER "WHAT WOULD I DO?" SHE SAID "SEE VERELAN". WHEN I TOLD HER I HADN'T HEARD FROM HIM FOR A LONG TIME SHE SAID WRITE YOUR BROTHER AND IF IT DOESN'T WORK OUT FOR YOU AND VERELAN YOU CAN GO VISIT YOUR BROTHER. I WROTE BAKER AND HE TALKED TO HIS GIRL FRIEND JEANNIE AND IT WAS ARRANGED I'D STAY WITH HER SHOULD I NEED TO DO SO. VERELAN HAD BEEN NOTIFIED OF MY IMPENDING ARRIVAL.
HE CAME WITH HAROLD AND DIP GARDNER TO MEET US. DIP'S WIFE CRYSTAL HAD ALSO DECIEDED TO GO WITH US. ALL THREE GUYS WAS SURE THEY WOULD BE GOING BACK OVER IF THE WAR DIDN'T END SOON.
WHEN VERELAN MET ME HE BROUGHT A BEAUTIFUL BOUQUET OF FLOWERS HE'D PICKED FROM THE HOSPITAL FLOWER BEDS. WHEN THEY GOT US TO THE OLD HOTEL WHERE OUR ROOMS WOULD BE VERELAN GAVE ME THE BOUQUET AND PROPOSED MARRIAGE. I THINK I SAID "YES!!!" THIS MANY YEARS LATTER WHO KNOWS WHAT I SAID?
SHORTLY AFTER GETTING ME SETTLED HE SOON LEFT TACOMA TO GO TO FORT LEWIS TO SPEND THE DAY WORKING.ONLY TO FIND OUR EVENING PLANS HAD BEEN RUINED. A FELLOW LEFT THAT A.M FOR HOME AND LEFT A MESSY BUNK. EVERYONE IN THE BARRACKS WAS RESTRICTED TO CAMP FOR THE WEEK END. THE OTHER TWO COUPLES CHANGED THEIR PLANS AND WE ALL WENT TO THE NON COMS CLUB AND SPENT THE EVENING VISITING AND DANCING. WE CAUGHT THE LAST BUS BACK TO TACOMA THAT NIGHT.
SUNDAY WAS SPENT VISITING WITH THE OTHER COUPLES PLUS SEVERAL FELLOWS THAT CAME TO VISIT. WE ALL HAD A GOOD TIME TALKING AND LAUGHING
OVER THE CRAZY THINGS THE GUYS ALL TOLD ABOUT THEM SELVES AND OTHERS WE ALL KNEW FROM HOME IN THEIR GROWING UP YEARS..
THE NEXT DAY BEING MONDAY MAY FOURTEENTH I HAD PHONE A CALL FROM VERELAN TELLING ME WE COULD GET MARRIED THAT EVENING. BY THE TIME THE RED TAPE WAS CUT AND WE GOT A WAIVER AND OUR LISCENSE AND BACK TO JUDGE CARDS APT. IT WAS ALMOST THE FIFTEENTH. MRS. CARD HAD TOLD US TO COME THERE FOR OUR WEDDING. SHE KNEW MY MOTHER WOULDN'T WANT ME TO MARRY IN THE COURT HOUSE. WITH HELEN AND HAROLD AND DIP AND CRYSTAL AS OUR WITNESS'S WE REPEATED OUR VOWS AT ELEVEN P.M. I GUESS OUR HONEY MOON WAS SPENT LATER AS WE TRAVELED HOME AFTER VERELAN'S DISCHARGE FROM THE ARMY IN SEPT.
AFTER WE WERE MARRIED I USED MY RETURN PORTION OF THE TICKET TO GO HOME AND QUITE MY JOB AT THE BANK. WHILE THERE MOM GAVE ME A BRIDAL SHOWER AT HOME AFTER I PAINTED TWO ARE THREE ROOMS FOR HER. I GOT A FEW HELPFUL THINGS NOT ANY GREAT AND BIG GIFTS BUT USEFUL ONES. IT WAS WAR TIME.
UPON MY RETURN TO TACOMA VERELAN HAD FOUND A CHEAPER PLACE FOR US TO LIVE AND WE MOVED IN. IT WAS A SLEEPING ROOM WITH A COMMUNAL BATH ROOM. WE ATE IN CAFE'S BUT ONE MOSTLY AS IT WAS CLOSE TO WALK. WE MET SEVERAL OTHER COUPLES AND HAD FRIENDSHIPS TILL THEY MOVED ON OR WE DID. WE ALL WANTED A PLACE WHERE WE COULD COOK.
I WORKED FOR A MONTH ARE SO IN A BABY FURNITURE MANUFACTURING SHOP. I WAS TOLD BY THE BOSS I'D HAVE TO JOIN THE UNION. I DIN'T WANT THAT AS I
FELT WE COULDN'T AFFORD THE FEES. I LEFT THERE AND WENT TO WORK AT FORT LEWIS IN THE LAUNDRY. WHILE WORKING AND VISITING WITH CO-WORKERS I WAS TOLD ABOUT A SMALL TRAILER HOUSE WE COULD RENT. WE COULD COOK AND EVEN BETTER I WAS CLOSER TO WORK AND VERELAN DIDN'T HAVE TO LEAVE AS EARLY TO REPORT IN AT MADIGAN GENERAL HOSPITAL AT FORT LEWIS.

THAT IS THE END OF THAT PART OF MY STORY. MORE ANOTHER TIME.