How I Met The Mister

That bolt of lightening -is it love at first sight or just a bad choice to stay out in the weather?

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So, I was minding my own business, walking up the front steps of my house on a Friday night after work. I was rather nicely dressed, if I must say so, and I wasn't having a bad hair day. I remember exactly what I was wearing: A light wool sleeveless dress - aqua - with a wide belt. The skirt was kind of bell shaped Ala Jacquie Kennedy, and and the top was a large (very stylish) diagonal plaid with green - sort of but not a lime green. there was a little yellow and pink in it too. And a jacket -no collar - and bracelet length sleeves that matched the skirt of the dress. I was wearing green leather shoes to match the green in the top of the dress. It was a shade of green that was very "in" that year and I had several dresses that I could wear those shoes with. Got all of that? Can you see me lithely walking up the steps? Height of fashion? Size 8? Hair perfect? properly accessorized? Really good posture? In between boyfriends? Good.

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So anyway I am walking up the stairs and out of the side of my eye I see a car pulling in the driveway. An ORD convertible ( the F was missing). Burgundy with beige leather interior. With a man in it. So I paused, thinking if he was a Fuller Brush man or yet another waterless cookware man referred to me by one of my girlfriends, I would send him on his way. So, he gets out of the car, wearing a black shirt and a pair of (it was 1969, okay???) of bell bottoms - black, cream and burgundy stripes - no, not horizontal - up and down stripes. Very cool. Very 60's. He walks up to the steps, which I am still standing on, and he says. "What are you doing here?" And I replied, "I live here, what are you doing here?"

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Turns out, he and my brother had known each other while they were in the service. They were stationed in Japan at an Army hospital unit that cared for soldiers who had been wounded in Vietnam. Once the soldiers were stable and able to travel, they were sent from there to an Army hospital in the US.

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The Mister was a cook and brother Joe liked to eat, and since they were both from Michigan they began to hang around together. By this fateful day in 1969 they both had been back home for about 2 years. Another army buddy was in town and called Joe and the Mister about getting together and going to a Detroit Tigers baseball game. Which they decided to do. Which is why the Mister was on my front steps.

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As luck would have it, Joe was not quite ready - he's one of those guy's who's hair has to be p-e-r-f-e-c-t and who's shirt has to be tucked in just so. It was left to me to chat with the Mister for a while. It was a dirty job, but somebody had to do it. Actually there were about 8 other people in the house, so my sticking around to talk to this man who was not wearing a wedding ring and looking about as cool as they come, was strictly voluntary. I was "in between" boyfriends at the time, and getting a bit long in the tooth - I was 23. So, I was certainly not above reeling in an available man. Especially one who was sitting unattended right in my own living room.

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So, that folks, is how we met.

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During the baseball game the Mister suggested, "someone needs to change her last name" to which Joe replied, "Fine, as long as it's not you".

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Luckily the Mister has a natural aversion to following instructions. He called me 2 days later and invited me out for " a bite to eat". That "bite to eat" turned out to be a seven course Italian dinner at the St. Reggis Hotel in Detroit. The waiters refilled our glasses of Asti Spumanti every time we took a sip, the dinner was fabulous and the conversation was pleasant and comfortable and fun, and the rest is history. We were married 6 months later.

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Five minutes earlier or later and I may never have known he existed.