Anniversary brings back memories

Only one more day until our 42nd anniversary. There was a time that I couldn’t imagine being married for 42 years. Never in my wildest dreams did I think I would be as old as I am. Yet, here we are.

We met at the Upper Krust sandwich shop in Dayton, Ohio. I had gone back to work after my daughter was born. My coworkers told me I needed to meet this fantastic waiter they had. He worked a different shift than I did so it was a few weeks before I met him.

He was attending college and working at the Upper Krust like most of the other employees. I was trying to supplement the family budget. We became casual friends. He made me laugh. He made me feel safe in a perilous world. He eventually left the Krust and I transferred to another location on the south side of town.

We lost touch for a while. He came by the Krust to visit every now and then and we would chat about nothing. Eventually I called him and said that I was free if he still wanted to go out.

We had our first date in January. We went to see a movie. Then he didn’t call me for a month, I thought that was the end of it. I was wrong. We were married that April.

There have been a lot of ups and downs in the last 42 years. We have been with each other through the deaths of our parents, assorted hospitalizations, job loss and any number of other things that seemed like tragedies at the time.

We agree on most things and when we don’t, we agree to disagree. Few things are worth arguing about. Our lives are far different now than they were 42 years ago. For that matter, the world itself is far different than it was way back when.

Whether you like the guy or not, our former president unknowingly has changed our country. Never again will we read a news story and take for granted that it is true. If nothing else, the previous administration has stolen our innocence.

Forty-two years ago photographs were taken with a camera. Telephones were mostly black and attached to the wall. Party lines were common. Public phone booths were situated so that Superman always had a place to change clothes. If you were lucky you might find coins in the coin return on the phone. If you wanted someone’s phone number while you were in a phone booth you could consult the attached phone book, ask the operator, or remember where you wrote the number down. There was no such thing as a contact list.

We were so young back then. We were both relatively skinny. Our hair was much darker and longer than it is now. Nothing hurt when we tried to stand up. It didn’t take us a few minutes to figure out why we were standing in front of the refrigerator.

We lived close to his parents and visited them often. The time it took to get to my mom’s house didn't seem as long as it does now. Friends would frequently stop by. Life was good.

The years have taken a toll on us. We have moved several times to be closer to our places of employment. We settled into our current house decades ago. When the time came we retired from our jobs.

We spend our time remodeling the house and piddling around the yard or on the computer. We do not go to movies.

After 42 years he still makes me laugh and he still makes me feel safe. I no longer know where he leaves off and I begin. The people at the Upper Krust were right. He is a fantastic guy even if he is not a waiter any more.