Wednesday, April 28, 2004
...AND SO THEY WERE MARRIED...
March is a month of sudden changes in weather. A very fickle month. I was worn out from vacillating over my own dilemma. Morning came and when I got up I mechanically put myself together for my wedding day. I had my packing done and was ready to go by 8:00 am. I just didn’t see how I could call it off at this late date. I thought of all the shower gifts to be returned and what people would say. In small towns news travels fast. I put it all off as bride’s jitters and decided I must go through with it.
George arrived on time with a spotless car and groomed to the nines. We put my luggage in the car and headed out of town. I’d already said my good-byes to my land-lady and Leola. We had decided to be married in Arkansas as Missouri had a 3-day wait period with blood test required. We drove south until we came to Hardy, AR. where we stopped to buy a license. It was in an old rock building just a side-walk away from the highway and when we inquired within an old gentleman said he could marry us as well as sell us the license.
We couldn’t afford a church wedding but I had my mind made up that I wanted to be married by a minister just the same. We were told there was a pastor over at Cave City and he told us how to get there. He directed us to the parsonage where he said the preacher married people at moment’s notice. Sure enough when we stopped at the house next to the church the preacher came to the door and agreed to marry us. I wanted to know if we could go next door to the church and he said we could.
Once inside the little empty church he opened his Bible and began reading scripture and we repeated the wedding vows normally spoken at weddings. The wind stirred outside the small building but other than that there was no sound except our pen writing our names on the marriage license. I asked if we shouldn’t have a witness and he said that he considered God to be the witness so none was needed. When we finished signing the document the old gentleman gave us quite a little talk on what makes a good marriage. I know in his wisdom he knew marriages had rough times for most people and ours would surely come.
Once we finished at the church we decided to drive to Batesville for lunch as it was the nearest town of any size. Our destination was Little Rock were we planned to stay two days. We were married on Friday and would have to come home Sunday in order to work on Monday. It was dinner time when we reached Little Rock. The roads were mostly gravel as well as hilly and curvy. We drove around until we saw a motel that looked nice and George went in to get us a room. It’s name was Magnolia Motel. I had never been further South and true to it’s name there were blooming magnolia’s around the motel. I felt I had gone a long ways from Cabool.
Once we unloaded our luggage we found a restaurant to have dinner and then drove around the area to see Little Rock. George asked what I would like to do with the evening and I gave a typical 17-year old answer. I wanted to go to the movies. I’m sure he was disappointed but I was still in the “dating” mode I guess. What does one do when they go anywhere? Go to a movie, of course.
Jumping forward to the next morning I decided I wanted to go home. George was an ex-serviceman and still had his option to borrow money to buy a house. One of the lumber yard owners in Cabool built a small 4-room house on part of his own city property. When thinking about where we would live we decided to try a loan so we could buy the house. It went through about a week before we were married and we had furniture bought and delivered in the next few days. We had set all the boxes of wedding gifts in the living room on the floor and I wanted to get home and make everything pretty.
So go home we did. We got home late afternoon and it was exciting to open the door and realize this was a place to call our own. I was busy putting everything in drawers and closets……and worked quite late that night and all the next day. When Monday came we both went to work and took the normal razzing newly weds go through. There was much to be done, still. I didn’t have a clothes line or a washer and dryer. I knew I would have to wash our clothes at the laundry mat and I was prepared for that but I did need the clothes line.
George’s dad was retired and offered to help. The two of them went to the lumber yard and got wire and 4 X 4’s, dug holes to put them in and strung the wire. I went to the laundry mat and washed all of the linens that were received at the showers. Sheets in those days were white and later pastels came in style. I hung all the clothes on the lines. The towels, table clothes, sheets and spread were beautiful blowing slightly in the breeze. They weren’t dry enough to take in before dark so I opted to let them hang all night and bring them in the next morning.
During the night we had a terrible Spring storm. It threw lightening like daggers and cannon-like thunder till dawn. The heavy rain blew against the house. When I was awake enough in the morning to look towards my clothes on the lines I saw the most unbelievable sight…….my beautiful linens were on the ground, the posts washed out of their places and the wires and pins were tangled in a horrible upheaval. As for the clothes, they were red !! RED !! There was no grass under the lines and the pelting rain had driven them into the red clay mud. At first I was in shock, disbelief and denial. Then I became angry. Really angry!! Tomorrow we shall look at the first volley fired in our new marriage………I shall sleep on this lest I become angry all over again. With a fresh day I will surely be able to get through this without unnecessary “mud slinging” (pardon the pun)…….
Until tomorrow,
Essentially Esther
George arrived on time with a spotless car and groomed to the nines. We put my luggage in the car and headed out of town. I’d already said my good-byes to my land-lady and Leola. We had decided to be married in Arkansas as Missouri had a 3-day wait period with blood test required. We drove south until we came to Hardy, AR. where we stopped to buy a license. It was in an old rock building just a side-walk away from the highway and when we inquired within an old gentleman said he could marry us as well as sell us the license.
We couldn’t afford a church wedding but I had my mind made up that I wanted to be married by a minister just the same. We were told there was a pastor over at Cave City and he told us how to get there. He directed us to the parsonage where he said the preacher married people at moment’s notice. Sure enough when we stopped at the house next to the church the preacher came to the door and agreed to marry us. I wanted to know if we could go next door to the church and he said we could.
Once inside the little empty church he opened his Bible and began reading scripture and we repeated the wedding vows normally spoken at weddings. The wind stirred outside the small building but other than that there was no sound except our pen writing our names on the marriage license. I asked if we shouldn’t have a witness and he said that he considered God to be the witness so none was needed. When we finished signing the document the old gentleman gave us quite a little talk on what makes a good marriage. I know in his wisdom he knew marriages had rough times for most people and ours would surely come.
Once we finished at the church we decided to drive to Batesville for lunch as it was the nearest town of any size. Our destination was Little Rock were we planned to stay two days. We were married on Friday and would have to come home Sunday in order to work on Monday. It was dinner time when we reached Little Rock. The roads were mostly gravel as well as hilly and curvy. We drove around until we saw a motel that looked nice and George went in to get us a room. It’s name was Magnolia Motel. I had never been further South and true to it’s name there were blooming magnolia’s around the motel. I felt I had gone a long ways from Cabool.
Once we unloaded our luggage we found a restaurant to have dinner and then drove around the area to see Little Rock. George asked what I would like to do with the evening and I gave a typical 17-year old answer. I wanted to go to the movies. I’m sure he was disappointed but I was still in the “dating” mode I guess. What does one do when they go anywhere? Go to a movie, of course.
Jumping forward to the next morning I decided I wanted to go home. George was an ex-serviceman and still had his option to borrow money to buy a house. One of the lumber yard owners in Cabool built a small 4-room house on part of his own city property. When thinking about where we would live we decided to try a loan so we could buy the house. It went through about a week before we were married and we had furniture bought and delivered in the next few days. We had set all the boxes of wedding gifts in the living room on the floor and I wanted to get home and make everything pretty.
So go home we did. We got home late afternoon and it was exciting to open the door and realize this was a place to call our own. I was busy putting everything in drawers and closets……and worked quite late that night and all the next day. When Monday came we both went to work and took the normal razzing newly weds go through. There was much to be done, still. I didn’t have a clothes line or a washer and dryer. I knew I would have to wash our clothes at the laundry mat and I was prepared for that but I did need the clothes line.
George’s dad was retired and offered to help. The two of them went to the lumber yard and got wire and 4 X 4’s, dug holes to put them in and strung the wire. I went to the laundry mat and washed all of the linens that were received at the showers. Sheets in those days were white and later pastels came in style. I hung all the clothes on the lines. The towels, table clothes, sheets and spread were beautiful blowing slightly in the breeze. They weren’t dry enough to take in before dark so I opted to let them hang all night and bring them in the next morning.
During the night we had a terrible Spring storm. It threw lightening like daggers and cannon-like thunder till dawn. The heavy rain blew against the house. When I was awake enough in the morning to look towards my clothes on the lines I saw the most unbelievable sight…….my beautiful linens were on the ground, the posts washed out of their places and the wires and pins were tangled in a horrible upheaval. As for the clothes, they were red !! RED !! There was no grass under the lines and the pelting rain had driven them into the red clay mud. At first I was in shock, disbelief and denial. Then I became angry. Really angry!! Tomorrow we shall look at the first volley fired in our new marriage………I shall sleep on this lest I become angry all over again. With a fresh day I will surely be able to get through this without unnecessary “mud slinging” (pardon the pun)…….
Until tomorrow,
Essentially Esther
