Blind Love

   Blind Love

     Love is such a strange phenomenon. Love can be so many things, this little 4 letter word. Dreadful and exhilarating, scary, hopeless, easy, hard, complicated and amazing are just some of the words to describe a love that you have experienced. Is it even possible to include the descriptor of forever in this thing called love?

     The county fair was in July and as usual, it was a sticky and steamy evening. The air was heavy with the smell of cotton candy and the FFA livestock that was being used for the petting zoo. In 1960, the county fair was the place to go to be social and you could even throw-up on the merry-go-round without being judged. Larry was driving out to the country to meet his buddy Encil for one last hurrah before the end of summer. Larry was a good looking guy, 20 and single, tall and funny, “Larry needs a woman”, Encil said to himself as he spotted Larry traipsing towards him while munching on a hot dog. Encil greeted him with a firm handshake while sliding a napkin into Larry’s hand. Larry started to wipe the mustard from his mouth but before he could, Encil stopped him and said, “That is my cousin Nadine’s phone number, call her, she has big boobs.” Larry carefully slid the napkin into his slacks pocket while he smiled thinking that his summer wasn’t even close to being over yet. 

     Nadine swung open the screen door with a shy smile and though it was a blind date, Larry was seeing quite clearly how magnificent his luck had just become. She was a cute little thing, 4’11” of absolute adorable in her summer dress, looking perfect in the passenger side seat of his 57 Chevy. They drove around town and eventually stopped for an ice cream. He had no idea what she was saying as they talked and licked their ice creams because he was mesmerized at how perfect she looked with that little dab of ice cream on the tip of her nose. When Larry finally came down from his ice cream/Nadine high, he heard Nadine say that her parents had a farm in the country that they went to on the weekends. Larry loved the country, Kentucky with its beautiful farm lands, horses and bluegrass and his best friend, Nadine's cousin Encil lived there too! He went to the country to visit Encil all the time and now factoring Nadine into the equation of these fun filled weekends of riding horses and chasing cows, the future was unfolding right in front of him, his future was Nadine.

     Three months almost to the day of meeting, Larry and Nadine found themselves gracing the altar of a Baptist church, out in the country, saying their “I do’s” with their lifetime of promises. Their adventure was just beginning, their legacy soon evolving, and their love story catching the breath of everyone who crossed their loving path. So, the story begins…

     Larry was a born salesman, when he was a young boy, he would sell outdated magazines and newspapers to his neighbors so he could have a little pocket change. Beginning his life with Nadine, she only being seventeen and Larry just twenty years old, he needed to dig deep to find that crafty little salesman buried deep inside him to provide for his beautiful bride. Time was of the essence of course because only a month had past of being Mr. & Mrs. before Nadine was sporting that sheepish little grin, that same grin she had when she first laid eyes on Larry, Nadine was pregnant with their first child. Julie was born in August of 61’, the first child of three that would bless their lives. 

     Larry had an older sister, Barbara, she looked out for her baby brother but little did she know, he looked out for her. They had a wonderful relationship and luckily, Barbara adored Nadine, who wouldn’t? Barbara’s husband Grady tended to take Larry under his wing as well,  being a successful t.v. salesman and all, he decided to bring Larry onboard and teach him the ropes. These were the days of door to door sales and this particular day would be the foundation that shaped the type of salesman that Larry would become. You need to paint a picture for the customer, a need, a want, a “I can’t live without this product” realization. So this particular day, Grady and Larry would be following up on a customer that Grady had left a television with. He had gone there a few days ago, dropped the set off and said to the man, “People in the area are saying the transmission is fuzzy, would you mind taking this television, watch it and see how it performs and I will check back in a few days?” Of course the guy would agree. Three days later, Larry and Grady knock on the door, right after dinnertime, just as the man is beginning to relax in his comfortable chair to watch the evening news. The man answers the door in dismay, certainly they wouldn’t be taking the television back at this hour. Grady asks, “how was the reception on the t.v.?” The man stated that the picture was perfect, no problems at all. Grady and Larry begin to unplug and roll away the t.v. and the man asks, “how much does something like this cost?”  Grady smiles at Larry, grabs his pen from his left ear, pulls out a sales contract and the rest is history. 

     Family was everything to Larry, he was proving to be an amazing husband and father. Though sales had become his passion, he needed to sell something that really mattered and would make a difference to someone's life. Life Insurance sales answered that call, providing families with protection and financial comfort even after the breadwinner of the family had passed on. Nadine was the perfect salesman's wife for Larry. She would pop in the office on occasion and bring treats, accompany Larry on business trips and host dinners at the house for associates and clients. He was always so proud to have her by his side, she made him look better than if he stood alone. It’s these little sentiments, their positive thoughts of each other, that was building the bond and the admiration of their relationship.

     Larry knew he had it good. He would never be this successful in his career without Nadine’s support. They wouldn’t have been able to go on the vacations they went on or own the boats they skied behind, without her making it easy for him to just concentrate on his career while she held down the homestead. The difference with Larry and Nadine versus other couples that do this, Larry recognizes her contributions and includes her in the celebrations, they are a team.

     Decades of abundance has filled the lives of Larry and Nadine. Abundance of laughter, tears, trips to Hawaii, Spain, Italy. Road trips to the beach in Florida, with family and friends in a conversion van, not wanting to stop along the way so Nadine making peanut butter and bologna sandwiches for everyone. The abundance of children and grandchildren, nieces and nephews, music and dancing, holidays of eggnog and burnt turkey legs, overflowing laundry baskets and not enough frames to put the abundance of happy family photos taken over the years. A simple telephone number written on a county fair concession stand napkin that would end up ruling the hearts of two hopeless romantics.

     “NADINE”, Larry hollers from the other room, not knowing where Nadine has gone. Since losing his eyesight,  he can only listen to her footsteps to know when she’s near, and he loves when she’s near. He does worry when she doesn’t answer back, she has Parkinson's, but she always answers back,  she’s just  piddling around in the kitchen or moving furniture around, which can get confusing to a blind man, which makes her laugh, which adds to the layers of their love. 

     Love can be tricky, especially if you’re shaking with Parkinsons trying to help a blind man use the urinal and it can get scary, getting old, getting sick and losing your vitality. Nadine will sometimes feel the weight of the world and the worries of tomorrow once the lights are out and the night is quiet. When this sad feeling comes about, Nadine will gingerly lay her head on Larry’s chest and hold his hand and listen to his heart. Nadine smiles in the dark, the same sheepish smile that she had from the start, Larry can’t see her smile but somehow he knows and squeezes her hand.