FOR VALENTINES DAY

NOW BEFORE I GET TOO DEEP IN THIS I WANT MY SIBLINGS TO KNOW I KNEW MOM AND DAD BEFORE THEY DID.  MY MEMORY IS MINE…SO NO LETTERS OR PHONE CALLS…DEAL….

   IF THERE WAS EVER A LOVE STORY IT WAS MOM AND DAD.  I THINK DAD WAS THE TRUE FRENCH ROMANTIC.  WHEN HE COULD NOT AFFORD TO BUY MOM A CARD, THINGS WERE TIGHT OFTEN, HE WOULD MAKE ONE FOR WHAT EVER OCCASION THAT WAS COMING UP.

   ONE TIME I CAME HOME FROM OVERSEAS AND MY WIFE AND I ARRIVE A FEW DAYS BEFORE VALENTINES DAY DAD SAID,  “COME GO WITH ME.” HE SET OUT TO BETTY GAY’S A WOMAN'S' DRESS STORE TO BUY SOMETHING FOR MOM.  I FOUND OUT HOW HE FITTED MOM SO WELL WHEN HE BOUGHT HER CLOTHING. THERE WAS A LADY THAT WORKED AT BETTY GAYS THAT WAS THE SAME EXACT SIZE AS MOM. ANY WAY HE SELECTED SOMETHING AND WAS HAVING IT WRAPPED AND SAID, “ARE YOU GOING TO GET YOUR WIFE SOMETHING?” I SAID NO WE JUST SPENT A LOT ON THIS TRIP AND WERE IN CALIFORNIA.”

DAD SAID “YOU BETTER.” AND I DID.  ON THE DAY WE BROUGHT OUT OUR GIFTS AND CARDS.  WHEN MY WIFE GUSHED, DAD ELBOWED ME AND SAID…”SEE!” IT WAS A VALUABLE LESSON LEARNED AND THEN LIVE OUT, FROM THEN ON I NEVER MISSED AN OCCASION.

IT SEEMED LIKE MOM WAS ALWAYS IN THE KITCHEN.  ONE EVENING SHE WAS PEALING POTATOES AND DAD WALKED IN THAT SNAPPED HER WITH A TEA TOWEL AND STEP TOO CLOSE AND WITH THE KNIFE IN HER HAND SCRATCHED HIM AND HE BLED AND CARRIED ON LIKE SHE HAD KILLED HIM AND WE THOUGHT SHE HAD….THE “CUT WAS LESS THAT A QUARTER OF AN INCH…HE CARRIED ON UNTIL IT GOT FUNNY.

   I AM NOT SAYING THEY WERE PERFECT, YES THEY DID ARGUE, MOM SAID IF YOU DIDN’T ARGUE YOU COULDN'T MAKE UP.  THEY MADE UP A LOT.  I CAME HOME ONE TIME FROM WORK AND FOUND THEM  “MAKING OUT" IN THE BIG RED CHAIR IN THE LIVING ROOM.  I REMEMBER ONE OF THE GIRLS TELLING THEM TO GO TO THEIR ROOM. I NEVER DOUBTED THE LOVE THEY HAD FOR ONE ANOTHER.