THE NIGHT I MET BONNIE

It was December 27th 1963 and I had just been discharged from the Air Force two months earlier and had a job waiting for me back in California. In October Pacific Bell told me they would like to hire me but it would have to be in January. Now back home for the holidays the last thing I wanted to do was go to my second cousins wedding with Mom and Dad. The plan was after work to call up Don, a high school friend, and go to a bar, have a few beers, and talk about our school days.

I was working over the holidays at a department store, in the men's ware department at that time. We were required to wear a coat and tie to work and as I punched out and went out the back door there was Dad waiting for me. "Mother said your going to the wedding reception with us". "But dad I told you I don't want to go". Dad just repeated what mother wanted and gave me that look, you know, if that's what mother wants that what mother gets. What could I do? I may have been twenty-two but I wasn't going to stand there and argue with my father while all the people from work were walking past me. I went to the reception.

At the reception there was my old friend from grade school Larry Bell with his wife Eunice. While talking to Larry, Eunice's cousin Bonnie comes over to talk to her. We are introduced and the sparks fly. I gave her a ride home that night and asked her for a date for new years night.

On that first date I asked her to marry me. She turned me down of course, but six months latter we were married.

Just think about it, if I had said NO to dad, in January I would have headed back to California for the job waiting for me and never would have met my wife.

You know one of the best things my parents ever did for me was make me go to that wedding!

Lorenz H. Starfeldt