65 First Date And then?

The freshman year at Walla Walla fairly flew by and it seemed like spring had suddenly arrived with all of its madness. With the longer spring days and the scent of blossoms came an overwhelming desire to do something about it. The change in the air was also apparent to Wally who decided to take his Chevy out for a spin. Two guys cruising the strip, (if College Place had a strip) was OK, but why not invite some girls to liven things up.

It was with some trepidation that I asked Sandy to come along and Wally asked his girl friend Carol. How the time flies when you’re having fun. Before I knew it, we had dropped the girls off and the Chevy was back in Grandma Shell’s garage and we were walking back to the dorm.

Wally ended that year deciding not to carry on at Walla Walla the next year. It was a good thing, because he would have been stuck with a big fine as he got caught when he packed up to go home, the boy’s dean put two and two together and squeezed the truth out of him because he never left to get his car the last weekend of school. It worked out well for Wally however as he went on to renew a relationship with his hometown sweetheart Geri, and they got married about a year later.

I on the other hand realizing that I had discovered something that was worth pursuing, I remember working like crazy to get my work done so I could be with Sandy. It might be sitting across from her studying in the library, taking walks in Kiwanis Park, or anywhere for that matter, just as long as we could be together, and it was also a thrill just to hold hands.

That summer would have been a real drag except for one bright spot when my cousin decided to take a carload down to Seattle for the Hydroplane Races on Lake Union. Once there he lent me his car and I drove the thirty miles to Puyallup. Here Sandy was staying in a little trailer beside her grandmother, Bina’s. This mean that I didn’t have a place to sleep so I slept on a swinging love seat that Bina had by her front door. This was just the beginning that the little swinging love seat played in our relationship, as I slept on it enumerable times thereafter. Who knows what might have happened without it, as I hate sleeping on cold hard ground.

The summer ended but not too soon and I was back at school but with a different point of view. Studies now were slightly less important and were now viewed more with annoyance them before. One blessing that came from the relationship however was my grades in mathematics improved; I now had a math teacher, as Sandy was sharp at math.

It was again in the spring of the year with the longer spring days and the scent of blossoms in the air, when an overwhelming desire came upon me and I asked Sandy the big question and she said yes. I remember it was evening in Kiwanis Park when I got caught up in the mood of the moment and popped the question.

School was out in a few weeks and I still remember as we parted for the summer after spending a glorious day along the Columbia River at Sacagawea Park, how sad I felt. It was now back to work at the college for me, while Sandy again spent the rest of her summer in Puyallup at her grandmother, Bina’s.

Things turned out better then I had hoped. The Boys Dean, John Upchurch had liked my work so much during the school year that he had promoted me to the lofty position of head janitor in Sittner Hall. This meant that I had a summer job; not a great job but at least it was a job. Remember though, I was in Walla Walla and Sandy was in Puyallup a four-hour drive. But it all came together; I was fortunate to find an acquaintance that had family in Puyallup so I caught a ride with him in his old Buick every second weekend. It was a drag to have to travel the four hours there and back, but I sang in my heart all the way, as I had the little swinging love seat to sleep on and the loving arms of a beautiful girl to hold me while I was there.

Summers have a way of flying by and before I knew it I had just about ran out of time as I was trying to fix up an old ’51 Ford convertible that I had paid Graham Kline $145 for. He ran a hard bargain but I needed a car and he had what I needed. Besides it was a convertible and looked really cool. After I painted it all up and re-dyed the top, (I couldn’t afford to fix the broken parking light or take the wrinkles out of the left door) it fit my budget and my pride overlooked its shortcomings.

I still remember the elation I had as I waved goodbye and jumped into my newly refurbished car and took off for Toppenish, my Honey and a life long commitment. A wedding is a wedding, but the statement it makes to you, your family and friends makes it by far the most important commitment of your life.

The wedding is mostly a blur, the reception leaves me with faint memories, but not enough to mention, it is the morning following that merits some mention. I need not comment on the first night of being together but it was when we got up the following morning that I have to speak on. Who should come barging in but all of the family, both sides, thinking they had really pulled a fast one. Our mistake was in not finding our own accommodations. The nice little idyllic cabin in the Cascades was a family friend’s and everyone new we were staying there.

After bidding everyone farewell it was on to Canada for a one week honeymoon and then back to the real world of college, only this time as a married man.