The year was 1965. Mary Lee and I had just been pronounced "man and wife" by her uncle, Monsignor Don Hartnett, at Ste. Genevieve DuBois church in Ladue. My parents were there, her parents were there, and my dad's sisters from the Old Country were there, somewhat uncomfortable in a house of worship that had a large statue of Jesus hanging up front. They made it through the ceremony without fainting. So did I.
After a strictly first-class reception at Old Warson Country Club, Mary Lee and I climbed into my 1965 Olds Jetstar Convertible. Top up. Didn't want to mess up her hair. Or mine. We waited with friends at a hotel near the airport, then caught a plane for Las Vegas. Our honeymoon was storybook: 3 nights in Vegas at The Riviera, 2 nights at Disneyland (my choice), and a week and a half in Mexico (Mexico City and Taxco). What a grand beginning for our life adventure.
And now, here we are, still having fun, still in love, still seeking adventure, though maybe a little more cautiously. This includes trips to Chicago where Gregg lives, or New York to see Holly.
I was lucky to find Mary Lee, even luckier when she said she'd marry me - even though she later confessed it was just to get out of her house. Our road has had some interesting twists and turns, which has just gone to make our lives more interesting and our marriage more solid. And she's still beautiful.
Happy anniversary to the woman I love, Mary Lee.
Sidenote: Last year a young man called from Kansas City. He had bought a '65 Olds and found the owner's manual in the glove compartment with my name on it. He tracked me down, and brought the car to St. Louis. The same car Mary Lee and I had left in so many years before. Some things are meant to run for a long time.
