Memories of Love

She Said

Because the color this month is red, red, red and there
are Valentines galore, I thought I would take a trip down
memory lane about the number of years we've known each
other since that road led to the altar on Christmas Eve.

We met when I was 16 and you were 17. We were both in
a new school in Greensboro and each of us had a significant
other. We graduated the next year and went our separate
ways until 13 years later, when we ran into each other
in a restaurant with our respective spouses and children.

You and I decided to take on the task of organizing a
reunion. We called everyone we knew to begin the process.

From that day on, the reunions took place every five
years and our two families would sometimes get together
in-between. For me, 1995, and for you, 1998, found
both of us single once again. We had our first date a
year after that and you got a real deal: two for the
price of one.

My two older children were in college but I had a
nine-year-old still with me. We tried long-distance
dating for over a year and then I decided to move to
Danville ...no obligations, I told you. Several
months later, you proposed.

Now, with my youngest son graduating from UVA on May 22
and getting married a week later, I'm feeling pangs of
an empty nest syndrome. My oldest son is getting married
October 8 and it seems like a mass exodus in my family.  

But wait...we have Sophie...so you still get to buy one,
get one free. She's no trouble at all...except last week
when she was fired by the groomer. They said she was
too active and after more than five years of grooming
her, they told me not to bring her back. I've been frantically
looking for the right person to take her on and last night
you told me that you found someone on facebook who volunteered
to tackle her. What if they do a background check? We're sunk!




He Said

The good thing is you didn't have to do a background check
on me because you grew up with me. One of the best things
about marrying your best friend is that there are no surprises.
In spite of knowing me so well, you still married me.
I think you summed up our life together pretty well. 
However, you left out the most important part of all: the
way we met, the words that were said, and the closeness we
felt as friends over the last 46 years.

You also forgot to mention, because you aren't vain, the
fact that you were voted the most beautiful girl in our
high school, that you thought I was in a gang, and
that you knew I had a reputation as being the class clown.
All of these facts meant that although we were in school
together, I had no shot at taking you out on a date. Yes,
we did have significant others at the time; however, if
we had been single, I still don't believe you would have
gone out with me. I only weighed 116 in school, was
not considered handsome, was not popular, did not run
in the right groups, smoked, was not on any sports team,
and was constantly being called to the office for some
infraction.

In high school I didn't even know the word infraction
much less how to spell it; but whatever it was, I kept
doing it. Thanks for being my guiding light. You also
forgot to mention that you tutored me my last year of
school to help me pass my English exam so I could graduate
with the rest of our class. You forgot to mention how
helpful you were to all the other classmates and how popular
you were in school. When we are congratulated for our
marriage, our classmates have replied: "way to go Larry for
marrying the most beautiful girl in high school" or
"condolences for Dena for marrying the biggest cut-up in school'.
Either way I consider myself to be the luckiest man on
the universe, and yes, I accept the fact that you come with
baggage.

I just never expected it to have four legs, bark constantly,
and be a creature that steals time with you from me. I guess
I should have done a background check on your obsession with
dogs. No matter though, I still would have married you.

I love you and Happy Valentine's Day.

Great Traditions or Nostalgic Memories

She Said He Said Evince Magazine January 2011 Issue

She Said

Isn't technology wonderful?....when it works! I was
thinking about how much these “newfangled notions”
have changed our lives. Instead of typing and retyping
research papers, computers have taken the stress
out of deadlines when all we have to do is delete
and start again. The only day I missed in high school
was to type my term paper, over and over again.
Back then we used a typewriter and we couldn't use
correct tape if we made a mistake; we had to start
all over. The margins had to be exact or once again,
we had to start over. It's a wonder any of us
ever graduated. What about cell phones? Our
grandchildren will never know what it's like
not to have one. We don't even need to wear a
watch because cell phones display time. Of course,
our grandchildren may not be able to tell time
looking at the face of a clock either. I'll admit
that I feel much safer in the car because of my
phone. I remember when I didn't have a microwave
and all cooking had to be done on the stove which
took a lot longer. I also remember not having a
dishwasher and my hands looked like prunes by the
time I finished washing dishes. It didn't matter
that I was allergic to the detergent; I had to
wash dishes anyway. My children have never lived
in a house with a clothes line in the back yard.
I hung so many clothes on the line that when I got
married, I opted for a clothes dryer rather
than a stove! The quality of music has certainly
come a long way when you think about records vs CD's.
Who wants to listen to scratches and other
background noise instead of clear, melodious music?
One of the greatest inventions for me is the timer.
I like walking into my house at night and the
lights are on or during Christmas, the yard lights
and the house lights all come on simultaneously.
Heaven forbid any having to get up off of the couch
to change a TV channel thanks to the remote. Yes,
technology has certainly made our lives easier and,
my dear, I'm sure you've bought stock in all of
the companies who have made it possible just so
you won't waste any energy moving about unnecessarily.
I'll bet you'll call a screeching halt to any
progressive movements which would condense three
meals a day into swallowing a pill.
Wait a minute...I really like that idea.
Think about all of the time we could save
if we didn't have to shop for groceries,
cook, clean up the kitchen, etc. See you
later...I'm going to research my idea of
pills vs meals.

He Said

I agree with a lot of the ideas of modernization
that you are speaking about. I do think our lives have
been made much easier with all of the new inventions
in our lifetime. I do like the cd's and the cell
phones and face book and electric lights. The one
thing we and our children do give up though is all
the good old traditions that made our lives entertaining.
Kids today go to their computers and computer
games instead of riding their bike or playing kick
the can. We use to talk for hours on the land line
phone and sometimes go to sleep talking to our friends
on the phone, and all for one small price. With the
cell phones we tell time, take pictures, video every
event. Things seem to be too easy. On top of all of
this you want me to give up my joy of food for a pill.
There goes Thanksgiving, Christmas dinners,
birthday cake, Easter lunch, and family picnics.
Who wants to go to the park, spread out a blanket
and take a pill? Life is changing, that's for sure.
I miss my typewriter, I miss my family and children
gathered on the front porch drinking lemonade and
eating a piece of pie, while chatting with the neighbors.
But with these modern times, I hardly know my
neighbors, we never have spontaneous get-togethers,
and as you are proposing, when we do meet up with them,
it will be at the pill buffet. Don't get me wrong I do
not want to go back to the old days, but I would
like to keep some traditions alive just for old time
sake. I never want to give up the taste of banana
pudding or lemon pie. I suppose we will have to
start new traditions like playing Wii or Guitar Hero,
but I am not going to like it. Fifty years from
now, if you are right, people will be talking about
food as a tradition, and what color pill do they
take today. I just thank God I was born in the
good old days. Call me traditional or nostalgic,
but remember to call me for breakfast, lunch,
or dinner while I can still taste the food.