Celebrating Lewis and Pearl

"You know I hate these family gatherings. Those at the beach house are okay, and thanksgiving is okay, and Christmas is always great. Guess they are not so bad after all. But why have one on Valentine's Day? I wanted to spend it with Rosy."

"This Valentine's Day is extra special. Do you know why?"

"No but I guess you will tell me."

"It is your great-great grandfather, PaPaw Lewis and your great-great grandmother, MeMaw Pearl's wedding anniversary. It is their 70th. They actually met when they were about your age,"

I"Is Uncle Don and Aunt Mary gonna come with Will and Bobby?"

"Yes and it will be at the Golden Corral first as it is their favorite restaurant. We will be in the private dining room."

"All us kids will get full fast and then get bored while you old folks talk."

"Not so. We only have the room for an hour and then go to PaPaw Lewis' house. You know you always enjoy it there looking at all his collections."

"How soon are we goon go? Do I have time to at least call Rosy?"

"We have it from noon to one so we have to leave in about an hour. Make your call and change out of those filthy jeans."

Everyone in the family loved eating at Golden Corral, just not every day like PaPaw Lewis and MeMaw Pearl. They did have logical reasoning for why they liked it so; no cooking, no leftovers, no dishes to wash, no kitchen cleanup, and you got all the good-for-you foods and the not-so-good-for-you foods.

Why I am not sure, but our little family was the last to arrive and we actually lived the closest.

As our time was winding down, the Corral staff brought in a big cake for the special couple. They even joined in singing Happy Anniversary with us.

Then at the farm where Lewis and Pearl had lived for fifty or so years there were even more sweet treats.

The adults settled on the front porch with coffee, tea or water, except I saw Uncle Don sneak aside and drink something out of a flat looking bottle and put it back into his hip pocket before rejoining the rest.

MeMaw Pearl seemed to be getting the most attention from everyone. So Will grabbed me and Bobby and led us to the front room.

"PaPaw Lewis is gonna fall asleep. Let's get him to tell us one of his stories."

"Haven't we heard all his stories by now?"

"I'm sure there is one we haven't heard yet. Come on." Will seemed to have taken charge as our unofficial leader.

"How about a story, PaPaw Lewis?"

"Haven't you boys heard all my stories already

The three of us were silent.

"I know one," he said. "Everybody knows MeMaw Pearl's story of how we met and those early years. How about I give you my version?"

"Is it gonna be long?" Bobby inquired.

"Seventy-five years."

Me and Bobby moaned.

"But I will try to give you the shortened version, okay?"

We settled in to listen.

PaPaw Lewis began, "I had just turned thirteen. We were in junior high-that's what they called middle school back in our day-and I had never seen my Pearl before that day in the library. I read a lot and had three books at the counter to check out. While I was waiting this cute girl walked up next to me with a couple books of her own. So as the librarian stamped my last book, she asked me, 'is theree anything else you would like to check out?' and without thinking I blurted out 'yes, her' and pointed to the girl standing next to me."

We all kind of giggled at that.

"I seemed to get nowhere for quite a while. I did my best to get her to notice me but she kept putting me off. Tried to learn all I could about her to impress her if we ever got to talking. I discovered her grandmother lived on a farm just down the road from ours. Well, I had been saving my quarter a week allowance hoping to buy a bicycle."

"A quarter!" Bobby was shocked.

"A quarter was a lot to a kid in those days. So I went out on a limb by using some of my savings to buy this ring from the Five and Ten. For a week I would sit across the street from her grandma's reading and waiting for her to visit. Then that day came and I still remember how excited I was waiting for her to walk to the road to get her grandmother's mail. When she did I dashed across the road to meet her. 'Here', I said. "I bought you this. Will you wear it?' and she actually put it on her finger. I thought I was on a roll so I immediately asked her to go with me to the back-to-school dance that next week. She said she was sorry but she had already been asked. I was pretty bummed out but went to that dance anyway. How I don't remember but by the end of that dance she and I were going steady."

He paused to catch his breath and take a sip of his sweet tea.

"At first our dates were limited to school functions or her grandmother's house. Kind of hard to date with no way to get around unless a parent drove you.

"Then my dad bought himself a new car. It was a 1949 Nash.

Looked like an upside down bath tub on wheels. When I got my license he let me drive it on Friday nights for school ball games or dances. It was ugly but it sure beat walking or having a parent drive you around.

"So we both graduated high school, the first in both our families to do so. In passing we had mentioned getting married but nothing really serious until after graduation.

"Neither of us was from a well to do family so I suggested I join the army to give us a solid beginning. Korea was to be my first assignment so we decided to get married before I left. Your grandfather was born while I was in Korea. He was almost two before I could take some leave and come home to see him."

"Time out. I gotta go pee," pleaded Bobby and he made a dash for the bathroom.

I stood up and walked around to stretch my legs a bit.

Will seemed to be glued to every word PaPaw Lewis spoke.

"Lance, my boy. While you are up can you get me a cup of coffee? Straight black."

Before I get the coffee I got myself another couple of MeMaw's oatmeal molassas cookies. Then got the coffee and returned to my spot.

"Now where was I?"

"Just took time away from Korea to come home and meet your baby," Will reminded him.

"Well my four years was up in '55. While I had been home, Pearl and I decided that since the Army had been taking such good care of us that I should stay in and maybe go to OTS."

"What's OTS?" Billy asked.

"Officers Training School.....so I did and when I graduated they had started up another war in this Asian country called Viet Nam. For those killed or wounded it was hell but for a lot of us who made it through, it was a gold mine. Course I was an officer now so the pay with hazzard duty pay made it seem more than double that of my first four years. I also discovered how cheap goods were in Asia. Electronics were almost nothing and in big demand back home. So I would buy stuff, ship it home to Pearland she would sell it for three or four times what I paid.

"Then when your great-Aunt Alice was born, I took two weeks right away to come home to see our daughter.

"Things seemed to be going so well we decided I would do a second and maybe a third tour in Nam before trying for a stateside assignment. Ended up doing four tours before becoming company commander at Fort Gordon. That's how we ended up here."

"Wow! I think I"m gonna join the Army as soon as I can," Will declared.

Then MeMaw Pearl walked in the room with a platful of cookies.

"Thought you boys could use a break so here are some cookies and fresh milk."

We all eagerly jusped at her offer.

"Don't let this old fool make it sound like it was all peaches and cream. No matter where he was in Viet Nam he was under enemy fire. And I was raising two children, taking care of all our finances, trying to act the officer's wife and taking college classes in marketing. So once PaPaw retired from the Army we got us a big space at the local flea market. Lewis would hit the yard sales on Friday and Saturday mornings and buy stuff he thought we could resell. We thought in five years we could open our own antique shop. Things went so well we were able to do that in three. But we had enjoyed the flea market so much we found a building for sale that had two empty store fronts and did both; Golden Oldies for the antiques and The Treasure Chest for the flea market side."

"So that's how we ended up with those two stores. I've helped out in The Treasure Chest and it is really fun."

"Now I guess you boys know how us two old coots made it this far."

"And this helped too. Come here, woman, and get a valentine kiss."

Without thinking as usual, I reacted with. "Ooooh, gross!"

MeMaw Pearl looked at me and laughed. "You won't think so in a couple of years."

"In fact," PaPaw added, "from what I hear someone named Rosy may be expecting one later on today."

"I wonder if me and Rosy could last seventy plus years like you two."

"If you'e a lousy kisser you two won't make it through tonight," Will had to add and everyone except me laughed.