The Rivards were a tight-knit clan, even with countless aunts, uncles and cousins. My dad and his brothers used to party with their cousins - legend has it that the Rivard boys were a bit on the wild side. My dad, Gary, had a cousin who was dating a girl named Darlene. Darlene had a best friend named Marie Johnson. As all swooning young couples do, Dad's cousin and Darlene wanted to set Gary and Marie up on a blind date.
And so it happened...blind date with Gary, the party animal, and Marie, who happened to be extremely shy and quiet. They stayed out until all hours of the night since Marie was too shy to mention that she had a curfew, and Gary didn't think to ask if Marie's parents wanted her home before 4 AM!
You can imagine what happened next: my Grandpa Johnson was furious and forbade my mom to see my dad ever again. Well, at least for a year, as the story goes. But as my dad confided in me once, "I just couldn't forget her."
Not exactly sure how they resumed their relationship after that long separation, but they were married the summer after my mom graduated from high school.
This year, on August 23, 2013, our family will celebrate the wedding of my parents' first grandchild (who also happens to be my godson - yeah!). The following day, on August 24, my parents will celebrate 50 years of marriage!
I love my family!
I joined up with Mama Kat's Writer's Workshop this week. Thanks for your inspiration, Mama Kat!
I love these stories! Keith and I have a crazy story of meeting and falling in love and I hope my kids thinks it's story worth re-telling when they are older.
ReplyDeleteGREAT Post!