Tuesday, August 10, 2010

"Dream A Little Dream Of Me"


First love
Originally uploaded by mousebears
As you may have guessed from the recent silence in these parts, I'm suffering from severe summer slump. What could I have to say that wouldn't make you all yawn hugely, turn your computers off and take to your beds? Nothing, nada, zilch and so----silencio!

But an old friend with whom I e-mail back and forth, often just one-liners, recently inquired in passing "So how did you and J [the OC] meet?" And since it wasn't a blog post, and I didn't feel I had to edit and tweak and polish and rewrite until I had a headache, I shot an answer right back at her, and she was so highly amused and chuckling still today, that I thought "Here's a lazy-man's blog post, ready made, no headache required!" Not that blogging gives me a headache. Quite the opposite. But as I mentioned, summer slump and all that, steaming heat that saps one's energy, thundershowers every day--not conducive to scintillating posts.

"J and I met at Kennedy Airport where we were both working for the summer. He was at Lufthansa, and I was at Aer Lingus. His sister, O, was at Aer Lingus too, and she and I became friends. Her father would pick her up after work and sometimes drop me off at my digs. He was always blathering on about his brilliant son [yawn!] and eventually asked me [when J returned from AFROTC summer camp] if I'd mind if he came to one of our after work parties with me, to get him back in circulation. J had then, and still has, hermit tendencies, so his father deemed it necessary to meddle in his social life. The last flight for Ireland didn't leave until 9 or 10 at night, so the parties always started late. I agreed. J. of course, didn't know that he was being set up. When his father told him, he just blew it off, figuring the old man had badgered me enough that I just said "yes" for a peaceful life. Meanwhile, the other summer hires [all college students like ourselves] were disappearing from Irish Airlines like rats from a sinking ship. The guy driving the last car asked if I needed a lift to the party. J had been supposed to pick me up, according to his pater. I asked the guy to hang on [if he'd left, I'd have been stranded---trusting Irish lass that I was---with no way of getting home to my digs, let alone get to the party!] Hold on a sec!" I said and called J's house. He was sitting, unconcerned, in his boxers shorts, [I was furnished with these details many moons later!] watching a game on TV. I told him I'd been given to understand that he was going to pick me up, but [on my high horse] if he didn't want to, I'd understand, but would rather not be stranded, in the dark, at the deserted airport for the night.

" I'll be there in ten minutes!" And he hung up.

He was wearing AF issue eyeglasses [AKA birth control glasses] and snot-green trousers when he squealed up to the curb..........But I had never before seen such beautiful brown eyes. The rest, as they say, is history!

Years later, I learned that his father thought I'd be an amusing dalliance, a young innocent for his son to practice on [his father having been, in his day, quite the ladies' man himself.] The nerve! He was very annoyed when his brilliant son did not succeed in deflowering me [the nuns had done their job well] and was, as a result, so enamored [not quite the word I used in the e-mail to my friend, but this is a family friendly blog and I'd like to keep it that way] that he wanted to marry me! The old man fought us tooth and nail , saying we were too young to be talking of getting married, which only made J all the more determined. So, to this day, I don't know whether he married me to spite his father or because he was blinded by lust....


While I'm in reminiscing mood I should add that, in the middle of winter, when J was back at university in the frozen north, and I was back at college in Dublin, his father got on a plane at JFK, landed at Shannon, found his way to my parents' doorstep, rat-a-tat-tatted and brought them to the door, puzzled as to who might be visiting when the rest of the civilized world was getting ready for bed. They found a tall, aristocratic-looking man standing on their doorstep in the dark. He introduced himself in his broken English, and after they'd picked their chins up off the hallway floor, they invited him in. He had come to check on my pedigree. To ascertain if I was worthy.

Whether or not I was is a story for another day!

You really should know better than to ask such leading questions!"

So while we're on the subject---I'm sure mine isn't the only entertaining story of "How we met." Let's hear 'em!


Note: The Mamas and The Papas hit song "Dream A Little Dream Of Me" was the soundtrack to that summer, hence the seemingly irrelevant title!

19 comments:

Patty said...

my story is saw my ex first day of high school, told my best friend i was going to marry and did 4 years later. i was all of 14 years old! when i first saw him. married for 22 years and this year will be divorced 22 years.

persiflage said...

What an interesting and lively story, and what a gift for the telling thereof. You will have to let us know more of the father-in-law!

Relatively Retiring said...

There's a lot to be said for interfering parents!

Stomper Girl said...

I really enjoyed your story Molly! Mine's here: http://stompergirl.blogspot.com/2009/06/fifteen-years.html

Thimbleanna said...

What a fun story Molly! I think I may have snorted a little when I read the line about the birth control glasses -- you're too funny!

My story is long and boring but it does start with something a little funny -- the first date was to a sadie-hawkins dance, so I asked him out. When I did, he said, "But what if your sister asks me?" The nerd. I decided to let him sit and stew (knowing she had ZERO interest in him) but took him to the dance at the last minute anyway. Men. And their egos. ;-)

Anonymous said...

Hmmm, your romance story seems to orbit round airports and intercontinental air flights. Very interesting and entertaining story.

For me, after much traveling, I fell for the girl next door (well, down the street). Her first impression of me was that I was a snob and she made no first impression on me (but then I am always slow on the up take).

Jess said...

I LOVE that song - I sang it to both my kids before bedtime for years.

What a great story you have!

Pauline said...

Mols, you're too funny. Snot-green trousers? (Snort)

I met my ex in an airport when we were both in college and headed to our respective homes for the holidays. He was on standby and offered to buy me a coke if he didn't get on the next plane. He was called, however, so when we both got back to college a month later he called to see if I was still thirsty...

Unknown said...

what a fun story molly! thanks for sharing that with us.
i met mr. katiedid when i was out dancing one night.
it was love at first sight (he fell in love with my short skirt!).
that's a riot that your future FIL showed up at the front door.
and if it's any consolation, it's been hot and humid here as well.
argh!

secret agent woman said...

Nice. I enjoy meeting stories. I met my (now ex) husband in grad school when we were teaching assistants for the same class.

Friko said...

the father in law mellowed in the end, I take it?

SmitoniusAndSonata said...

"You'll love him , he's such a nice man ", said a mutual friend . Oh Lord , I thought , he's going to be a terminally boring geek . He wasn't , I was smitten and here we are nearly forty years later .

Warty Mammal said...

The thing which impresses me is that you've retained your sanity and a commendable degree of civility with such a father-in-law. He sounds like ... a challenge.

heartinsanfrancisco said...

What a charming and delightful account - except for the father-in-law part. I thoroughly enjoyed this love story!

I met Flip at a gig he played with a friend of mine. It was mutual love at first sight, and we married a couple of months later. I had been both divorced and widowed and never intended to marry again, but when he asked (on one knee) I couldn't think of a reason not to because we were perfect for each other.

The Geezers said...

Great story. I can't imagine a father checking you out in this way, though God knows I do scrutinize the boys my daughter dates in pretty severe fashion.

My bride and I met in kindergarten, if you can imagine that. Even then, her bright red hair galvanized some element of my own Irish background (although my clan was all dark complected), and her feisty, opinionated manner was appealing right from the start. "This one would be challenging," I thought to myself as a five-year-old looking at this skinny lass with the bright red hair and freckles.

As it turned out, "challenging" was a very mild term to use. Thirty one years of marriage and counting.

Meggie said...

Love all "How we met" stories, yours being no exception.

QueenBebop said...

i really enjoyed your story.i been
looking for some stories about people
around my age.check out my page.i like to write on wizdom. god bless

QueenBebop said...

Hi Molly Thank you for the comment you really made my day.i just started
writing on the blog this week.i will be reading your. i will talk to you in the future.GOD BLESS YOU AND YOUR FAMILY

Birdydownunder said...

bin hibernation weather down under... but its cold and wet.
oh Molly I had to chase the Scot to get him to marry me. ;)
I don't think his parents approved of me (I was a sassenach) .... but thats another story. lol