The Shortest Engagement

The Shortest Engagement

It was a Thursday afternoon. Janet opened the front door of her parent’s house where she still lived after graduating high school. She couldn’t believe who she was looking at. Allen. 

They were childhood sweethearts who met when Allen flunked and had to repeat the third grade. Since they were born a year apart, his academic faux pas ignited their spark. They played together after school. During school, Janet sat to the left of Allen for nine years to make sure he graduated with her.

Once Allen could afford to buy a motorcycle, he had her name put on the back seat in silver studs. She never told him she despised riding the bike, but liked clutching him from behind and taking in the smell of his leather jacket.

It was prom time. Well Allen and his motorcycle buddies were simply too cool for something that corny. Janet pleaded with him to bring her to no avail.

Well Harold Schmidt asked me and I am going to say yes.

Harold Schmidt is a nerd.

You’re right, and he’s going to be my nerd on prom night.

So Janet and her mother shopped for a prom dress. Allen would go to pick her up for their Saturday afternoon ride. She’d be out shopping. Her father (a helpless and mean old drunk) would answer the door and say something like:

Man you really screwed that one up, buddy.

Prom night came and Harold picked up Janet. He brought a corsage and fumbled to pin it to her dress, thanks to his trembling hands. They hopped into the back of his dad’s Hillman Minx and off they went. Harold’s father glanced at the nervous couple in his rearview mirror and thought his son had done well securing a date with such a striking young lady.

Once at the prom, Harold got Janet some punch. Then they danced. Janet was beaming since Allen was far too cool to dance in public.

Once they sat at their table, the sound of a very loud motorcycle could be heard revving its engine just outside the gymnasium doors. Through them walked Allen. He grabbed Janet by the arm and said you’re coming with me.

Two weeks later, he was drafted into the Korean War. Janet stayed with her parents even though the pattern of the day was to plan a wedding after graduation. She got a secretarial job that she rushed home from every night to read Allen’s letters. Never missed a day.

One Thursday afternoon, Janet answered the door and couldn’t believe it was Allen in his uniform. She hadn’t seen him in two years. No time for the mushy stuff.

We’re getting married tonight. I have to go back Saturday. Hurry up.

Their wedding was organized in three hours. The church was under construction, so they were married across the street in a VFW hall. 

No time to buy a dress. Janet fit into her sister Arlene’s wedding dress with alterations. (Seems Arlene had a bun in the oven on her special day.) She was Janet’s Matron of Honor and Allen’s brother Doug was his Best Man.

By 8:30 PM on July 3, 1953 they were officially husband and wife. They drove up to New Hampshire and checked into a motel for a one night honeymoon which Janet recalled like this:

I didn’t have a clue what the hell was going on.

That Saturday, Allen flew back to Munich where he was stationed. Janet returned to her parent’s house and continued to work. 

Two years passed before Allen returned to the states He started college on the GI Bill. Janet got pregnant. She told me she went to the doctor convinced she was throwing up from something she caught at the beach. Yet again, she didn't have a clue what the hell was going on. (Years later, I found a copy of Portnoy's Complaint in her bottom dresser drawer, so she slowly absorbed the curriculum.

They had another child. Me. Much like Janet tutored Allen in the third grade, they supported each other through all the hurdles of marriage. One of them was a big one. Allen developed Alzheimer's. He became more and more dependent on Janet for just about everything. I'd take a train out of the city and spend a weekend day with them. They'd watch old movies. Janet would explain all of the details Allen couldn't follow.

Sixty years later they were still holding hands, Janet to the left of Allen just like she did in the third grade. Always determined to keep him wired into the plot and moving forward.

Eventually it became time for Allen to enter a mental health facility. Janet insisted on selling their house so she could move into an assisted living room in the same facility. She had to be with him.

It wasn't all drudgery. I'm pretty sure she enjoyed having breakfast, lunch and diner in the fancy room with the stone fireplace. Having her laundry washed and dried then folded and put away for her. She'd wheel over to see Allen every day, at least that's she told me. She was getting a little hooked on playing bridge with her new girlfriends, so who knew.

Allen waited for her in his wheelchair all day long near the Nursing Station. Once she arrived, she'd wheel to the left, hold his hand and they'd sit together, not saying a thing for hours on end.

What was left to say that they didn't already know? They met. They entered a partnership. They waited for each other. They built their life together, all stemming from a two hour engagement.

And then he left her. No he didn't die. He was still there, but his charm and character had left. Janet missed that the most. The motorcycle rides that she hated. The high school prom where Allen rescued her just like Debra Winger in An Officer and a Gentleman. The honeymoon night that was a complete blur. The waiting. The letters from Germany. Raising kids together on their terms. (As a product of their efforts, their techniques were far from the norm).

Their partnership which navigated a life holding hands the entire time. They took turns leading. They took turns making decisions, yet they never wasted one moment questioning each other.

We will get there together. We won't worry about how long it takes