you know you want to hear a family story
today's my parents' anniversary. they've been married 38 years.
they were set up by my aunts.
my mom's brother and sister-in-law (rich&sandy) lived down the street from my dad's brother and sister-in-law (dick&pat). they lived in lexington, which is outside boston. my mom lived in brookline, which is next to boston proper, and taught seventh graders in arlington, which is next to lexington. my dad had come back from vietnam and was stationed at fort devens, which is about an hour away. the sisters-in-law knew each other from a neighborhood bridge game and conspired to set my parents up. (my mom will occasionally mention that she's known her sister-in-law longer than she's known her husband, because she'd sometimes fill in for my aunt sandy at bridge games and so met my aunt pat.)
when my parents told dick&pat they were engaged, my aunt and uncle congratulated each other.
the story my mom tells about her and my dad's first date is that they went rowing on the concord river, and my mom sat in front and rowed and my dad sat in back and drank all the wine. she went on a second date with him anyway.
at the time, my mom was also dating a guy in new york. she went to visit this guy for a weekend and was supposed to go out with my dad on saturday or sunday after she got home. my aunt sandy was going to pick her up at the airport. mom called to say maybe she'd stay in new york another day and blow off this date with my dad, and my mousy, passive aunt sandy, who wouldn't say boo to a goose, told my mom "you are getting on that plane and you are coming home and you are going out with ron rosenthal."
and my mom was so surprised that she did.
they got married the following april.
they were set up by my aunts.
my mom's brother and sister-in-law (rich&sandy) lived down the street from my dad's brother and sister-in-law (dick&pat). they lived in lexington, which is outside boston. my mom lived in brookline, which is next to boston proper, and taught seventh graders in arlington, which is next to lexington. my dad had come back from vietnam and was stationed at fort devens, which is about an hour away. the sisters-in-law knew each other from a neighborhood bridge game and conspired to set my parents up. (my mom will occasionally mention that she's known her sister-in-law longer than she's known her husband, because she'd sometimes fill in for my aunt sandy at bridge games and so met my aunt pat.)
when my parents told dick&pat they were engaged, my aunt and uncle congratulated each other.
the story my mom tells about her and my dad's first date is that they went rowing on the concord river, and my mom sat in front and rowed and my dad sat in back and drank all the wine. she went on a second date with him anyway.
at the time, my mom was also dating a guy in new york. she went to visit this guy for a weekend and was supposed to go out with my dad on saturday or sunday after she got home. my aunt sandy was going to pick her up at the airport. mom called to say maybe she'd stay in new york another day and blow off this date with my dad, and my mousy, passive aunt sandy, who wouldn't say boo to a goose, told my mom "you are getting on that plane and you are coming home and you are going out with ron rosenthal."
and my mom was so surprised that she did.
they got married the following april.