Mom and Dad’s Love Story
Part One: How It Was Written
Each of us, their children, have heard bits and pieces of this story over the years. We liked hearing the romance of Mom and Dad's first meeting at college. You have probably heard something similar, she dropped her books, and he gallantly recovered them, and their eyes met.’ And a true love was found. The truth of their first meeting and their first date is perhaps much more endearing, and typical of the two people who raised us. Starting in September 2012 I began asking Mom questions about their first meeting. A short way into our first conversation, I just knew I had to take notes. She had me laughing with their story.
They first met at a Tea Dance. Dad sat down next to Mom. She asked him if he could dance. He said yes. She waited for further conversation as he had sat down next to her when there were other empty chairs by other girls. He offered no further conversation. So, she asked him if he would like to dance. He said no. Now laughing I asked Mom if she thought he was arrogant or rude. Her exact words without any hesitation were, "Oh no! I thought he was cute.” She sounded like a teenage girl again and now I really couldn't stop laughing. Other questions followed, but it was that particular response that made me decide to write down Mom and Dad's Love Story: The Beginning.
I interviewed her over the course of several months and many phone calls. She really got into the flow of remembering the details and seemed to enjoy going down memory lane. Some of these details all of us kids heard discussed as Dad sat reclined in his easy chair in front of the fireplace in the breezeway, with Mom lounging on her couch. Intently watching his face over his stocking feet and across the downturned corner of the newspaper he held, he would glance over at his wife and she looked back daring him to refute her story. So here is their story, complete with quotes from mom that were just too good to not include.
My intention was to capture her words and feelings so I could tell their story without any embellishments. The facts relating to the USS Heron were taken from two internet articles. Otherwise, their story I had to decipher from my chicken scratches taken during our phone calls. I will always treasure my original chicken scratches of our conversations.
When I asked Mom what she liked best about Dad, she said, "He was so good looking,” (giggle) And then "Oh I guess I liked the fact that he had a quiet confident way.” When I mentioned that Dad always liked her legs best, she said, "I know he said that, but I think he liked the fact that I would just blurt things out. He sounded smart and didn’t have to say a word! “
During birth Mom’s hand was damaged. Not once did Mom mention her bad hand nor was it an issue with Dad. Not even when they finally had their first dance. "You know Scott, Don never mentioned my hand back then that I can remember but I am sure it came up. It just didn't matter.” Finally, during one of our last conversations while reviewing my notes, with her, she mentioned their first date. "On our first date, maybe as an apology for being so late, your dad stopped at the Florist near the Rainbow Room to buy me flowers. But he didn’t have enough money for flowers and dancing, so he bought me just one flower, a yellow rose. It was sweet.” She finished with an almost shy laugh. "I guess I wasn't so mad after that".
Don, the sailor from Oakwood Oklahoma, would continue that tradition on other first 'dates' He would bring Muriel just one flower, a yellow rose, to the birth of each of their six children.
Written with love by the 5th Yellow Rose