Shannon here: Today, Pamela Stewart shares how she and Bill met along with a romantic interview. Comment on any post dated Oct 18-22 by Oct 23, 8:00 PM, Central for a chance to win a copy of White Doves. Here’s Pamela:
How I Met my Husband AND When I Knew He Was The One.
It was a late Friday afternoon on a beautiful summer day in the little country town of McCory, Arkansas, May 28, 1959. I was in town with my dad (a rare occasion). I was sitting in his truck in front of the Fakes Mercantile store waiting for him to pick up a few things in the store. A bright red and white 55 Mercury came cruising down Edmonds Avenue. It was polished to a high shine and the bright sunlight glistened off the hard top convertible. Its Hollywood mufflers rumbled like thunder far off in the distance. This scene instantly had my attention even before I noticed three cute boys inside. “Who could that be?” I wondered. I had never seen that car or those boys in town before.
Back at home, I was in my room on the second floor of our “Gone With The Wind” plantation style house. I had taken a shower and put on cool summer shorts and a halter top, not planning to see anyone but the family for the remainder of the day. This was not typical attire for me for going out in public, but was permissible for hot summer days at home in a house with no air conditioning. My brother came bouncing up the stairs and called out, “Mellie, there’s someone out here who wants to talk to you. Back down the stairs he went and back to the football game he and my other four brothers were playing on the front lawn. Who is it? I yelled, with no response. “Oh well, guess I’d better go see.” I considered changing clothes and putting on something more “descent.” All those lessons on dressing modestly went quickly through my head, especially the ones Mable (the lady who taught me about God) had recently been teaching me about why I should not be a majorette in the school band. “It’s just too hot to care,” I thought, as I descended the stairs and threw open the screen door in the foyer.
My eyes widened and my mouth must have dropped open at the sight before me. There in the driveway, glistening in the bright summer sun was the red 55 Mercury, the same one I had seen in town. The mystery continued. “Who could this be,” I wondered again. As I walked across the yard and approached the car, I saw a very cute young man sitting in the driver’s seat. I had never seen this boy before. “Who is he, and what is he doing in our driveway?” I wondered. Then I noticed a familiar face in the backseat. It was a boy who had dated one of my best friends. It was a little bit of a relief to see a familiar face. After introductions we chatted for a few minutes. I opened the door of the car and slid into the back seat beside Jackie. Bill turned around in the driver’s seat, and we all talked for at least an hour. Finally Bill said, “Would you like to go to a movie?” I quickly assessed the possibilities. No offense, but two of these guys were not my style. “Who’s asking,” was my reply. “I am,” he said. “Well, I’m not doing anything else, I’ll go ask my mom. But what about your friends?” I said, looking around at the other two guys. We have time to go to town and look for them a date,” he replied.
Mom didn’t see any harm in the situation and gave her consent. I quickly changed, and as I went back outside Bill got out of the driver’s seat and held the door for me to enter. I slid across the bench seat to the middle between him and his friend. For the next hour we talked to several girlfriends in town. We found a date for Jackie, but decided to take Bud home in order to get to the movie on time. We drove the fifteen miles out to Bud’s house and dropped him off. Bill asked Jackie if he would like to drive his car back to town. Jackie agreed and we all changed seats, with Billy and I getting into the back seat.
On the way back to town, Billy was very bold for the shy young man he was. He put his arms around me and pulled me close to him. He gave me a sweet little kiss and then a more passionate one.
I knew he was the one when he put those strong arms around me and pulled me close. I had dated several boys, but he was the only one that made me feel secure and protected. You see, secure and protected were very important because I grew up with an absent father.
Romantic Interview:
Do you and your spouse have a favorite restaurant?
My favorite restaurant is a little Dairy Queen type restaurant in the little mountain town of Morrison, CO. There is an area out back by the creek where you can sit outside to eat. If the weather is hot, a sprinkler system showers mist on the guests to keep them cool. We order big home-made hamburgers and onion rings. If we are stressed over a big work load, we drive the ten miles from our work and relax at this favorite spot.
Where is the most romantic place you and your spouse have visited?
We have traveled the world – Africa, Russia, India, Europe, Central America, Canada, Israel, Mexico, Caribbean, Bahamas, Hawaii – and my favorite place is Paris. I was intrigued by the whole trip, the Eiffel Tower, the Arch of Triumph, floating down the Rhine River on the gondolas, shopping, dining in outdoor restaurants, and the neat little coffee shops.
What is the most romantic gift your spouse ever bought you?
Once he went to the pharmacy and bought empty capsules. He sat down with paper and pen and wrote out 52 things he wanted to do especially for me. He placed one in each capsule, placed them in a little box, and wrapped them up. The card said to take one each week for 52 weeks.
Come back Oct 22 for the most caring thing Bill ever did for Pamela and some great marital advice.
Awe…that is beautiful about the empty capsules. That probably meant even more to her because of her absent father. Her husband was willing to go somewhere or do something for her each week when he could have done otherwise.
The Stewarts definitely know how to keep the romance alive. They’re giving me book ideas.
That a nice story.