The Night Tommy and I got Engaged...

It was October 31, 1969. Tommy and I had been dating since the beginning of summer. We broke up in high school and did not speak to each other for two years. When we finally did reconnect, we knew we were supposed to be together. I think he asked me to marry him during his third trip home. We had an understanding but had not set the date. 

He was in the Marine Corps and I was going to college. He was stationed at NAS Atlanta which was attached to Dobbins Air Force Base. To get from there to Clinton, Ky. took at least 8 hours. He made the trip every weekend that he could. We talked to each other almost every night and of course we wrote letters that I still reread from time to time. Those letters are priceless to me. It is funny and touching to see the world through 20 year old eyes again. As the old saying goes, "We didn't know, what we didn't know". ..and that was probably a good thing.

Tommy picked me up around 5 p.m. We were going to Kathy and Jim McClure's apartment. She was my best friend. They had gotten married in September, I think.

Tommy, who is never at a loss for words, was quiet that evening.  I knew he and my mother had talked on Friday before I got home. Mama was doing a lot of smiling and Daddy was as grumpy as always where Tommy was concerned.

 We went shopping and bought a music album for Kathy and Jim. That was our first and last disagreement of the night. He wanted to buy a country album and I wanted to get a rock album. He won, since he was paying, however I was sure Kathy wouldn't like it. I was right. She didn't but James did.

 On our way to Kathy's, Tommy pulled over and reached in the backseat and bought out a ring box. I was shocked. I thought he was giving me his class ring. When he opened the box there were my wedding rings. He slipped it on my finger and just like that we were engaged. I remember he apologized to me because the proposal didn't go like he wanted. He wanted a nice romantic setting and I wanted to go see Kathy. She knew about the ring so Tommy had to give me the ring before we went to their house. That was why he was so quiet. He couldn't get the timing right and he wanted it to be perfect. I thought it was perfect.

After we left Kathy and James' place, we decided to get a mixed drink to celebrate our engagement. Both of us got 'screwdrivers', made a crazy toast and we rode around for awhile. We threw the bottles and 1 cap away. The other cap rolled under the seat. Daddy found it the next morning. 

Engaged, 20 years old and soon to be married, I suddenly found myself 'grounded'. I couldn't believe it!!!  I could not take my car on dates anymore. We made do, Tommy has a big family and I think we borrowed a car from just about everyone.

Daddy never did warm up to Tommy. Never liked him at all. That's alright I loved Tommy enough for ten people. We did get the car back the week we got married and Daddy signed the title over to Tommy since he was 21. We drove that car to Georgia on Dec.26, 1969 after we were married. We drove it in July 1970 to Yuma, Arizona and everywhere we wanted for the next four years.

We tease each other a lot. Friendship is the glue that has held us together when things got rough. We often tease about whether it was a 'trick or treat' Halloween in 1969...treat always wins:)