First, a posthumous
thank you to those military people who are no longer with us.
A few years
ago my aunt and I were talking and she asked if she’d ever told me the story
about how she and my uncle met. No, I hadn’t heard the story, but I wanted to.
Going back to
the forties, my grandmother ran a USO in Monterey Park, California. One day my
then sixteen-year-old aunt wanted to go to the beach with her friends, but she
had to ask her mother’s permission. One of her friends drove her to the USO
where her mother was working.
She asked for
permission and her mother told her that no, she could not go with her friends.
She made an odd request of her daughter. She asked that she go into the other
room and listen to a young man who was playing the piano. Grudgingly, she
dragged herself to the room. (I can see a sixteen-year-old dragging her feet
because she wanted to go to the beach.)
There sat a
young soldier, playing boogie woogie with flare. Interestingly, he couldn’t
read a note, and yet he was pounding those keys with ease. Not knowing that he couldn't read music, my
aunt walked over and started turning the pages to music that sat on the piano. He kept his eyes on her hands while she flipped pages.
My aunt
watched him. He finally looked up into her big blue eyes. It was, as they say,
love at first sight. Some things are just meant to be, and this was one of
those times.
My aunt
glanced toward the doorway and there stood her mother, grinning from ear to
ear. My grandmother wasn’t the type of woman who enjoyed matchmaking, but there
was something about this young man that caught her attention. He was twenty and
my aunt was sixteen, which could have been a deal-breaker for my grandmother,
but she was fine with it.
My Aunt
Elizabeth and Uncle Scotty were married in 1944 and had 59 wonderful years
together before we lost him. They had two children, and I adore the entire
family.
We can always
use a little romance in our lives, right? I hope you’ve all found your
Elizabeth or your Scotty.
Remember all
of those who’ve gone before us. They had a hand in making us who we are.
Until next
time, go listen to some boogie woogie. You’ll find that you can’t sit quietly
and simply listen. Here’s a sample for both listening and watching: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fWDfxgngrNc
CLICK HERE to
visit Marja McGraw’s website
CLICK HERE
for a quick trip to Amazon.com
Prudy's Back! - A Sandi Webster Mystery involves both a woman who became a P.I. when her husband was killed in WWII and a crime from that same time period. Can Sandi solve it after all these years?
Great story, Marja, and I love the picture. It reminds me of my parents' wedding picture from a few years later.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Pat. I felt we needed to remember the good things from time of war, too. Thank you so much for commenting!
DeleteWhat a lovely story! It brought tears to my eyes.
ReplyDeleteMine, too, Pat. Thank you so much for commenting!
DeleteMy God, Marja, that could have been me! As i young sailor I went to USO's and played boogie-woogie on their pianos. Unlike your uncle, i could read music.
ReplyDeleteMusicians from ships used to meet in USOs. Heard some fine jam serssons.
The first time I ever heard boogie woogie was when my uncle played it. I kept asking for more to the point where he had to find something to distract me. And I've learned something new about you, Dac. I like it. : ) Thank you so much for commenting!
DeleteLove the photo. Great story. Love the dancing. Remember when you could dance that fast and not even get winded?
ReplyDeleteThank you, Evelyn. If I think really hard, I can remember dancing fast and not getting winded. Now they'd have to scrape me up off the floor. LOL Thank you so much for commenting!
DeleteWonderful story, Marja, and I LOVE the Boogie Woogie video. What a talented pianist and amazing dancers. Played it three times (so far).
ReplyDeleteThank you, Eileen. Sometimes we need a reminder that our military had good times, too. Thank you so much for commenting!
DeleteGreat story, Marja. Boogie-woogie probably helped, but I'm sure it wasn't just the music enticed your aunt. Glad they had a lot of good years together. Some of those wartime romances didn't end as well.
ReplyDeleteSometimes we need to remember the good endings, John. I can understand why rushed romances during war might go sideways, though. Thank you so much for commenting!
DeleteWhat a lovely post for Memorial Day, and I'm happy for your family that your aunt and uncle had so many wonderful years together. That boogie-woogie is fun!!
ReplyDeleteThank you, Amy. My aunt and uncle were a lot of fun for each other and for the rest of us. Sure wish I had the energy for the boogie woogie. Thank you so much for commenting!
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