Tuesday, February 22, 2011

One Dozen Red Roses


For other people, February 22 is George Washington's birthday.  For me, it is the day Tom sent me roses.  I was a college senior and determined to graduate.  Graduating was my goal, not getting married.  I wasn't even sure I wanted to get married.

I didn't know Tom  knew what dorm I lived in.  He and I had been dating on and off  for four years.  According to him, we were more often off than on.  I know I took his fraternity pin and returned it. Later I took an engagement ring from him...returned that, too.  At the time the roses arrived, we hadn't dated for over six months.

His story is that he decided to try ONE MORE TIME.  His best buddy told him buying the roses was the waste of good money.  The same money would buy all the beer the two of them could drink on an entire weekend.

I couldn't throw the roses away.  I knew he didn't have money to waste on roses.  Every day for a week I looked at the bouquet and at the end of the week, I sent him a thank you note. 

This November we will have been married fifty years. 

This morning the doorbell rang.  When I answered it, a florist was there with one dozen red roses from Tom.

4 comments:

  1. Such a sweet story. Hope you had a wonderful anniversary.

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  2. What a great story! I have always told John I chose him the day he gave me a necklace with an opal in it--my favorite stone, but supposedly unlucky to buy for yourself unless it is your birthstone! Luckily for me, he braved all that bad luck, and that was all it took!

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  3. What a guy! Good thing you sent that note:)

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