I remember looking out of my bedroom window and telling my brother, “Looks like we got some new neighbors.” “They got any good looking girls?” he replied. “I see one girl and her Mom and Dad.” “We’ll check it out later.” as we then returned to what we were doing.
It was a few days later that Pam and Debbie, my sisters came walking into the living room and said, “We want ya’ll to meet our new friend, Arlene.” “Hi” was the response as they went off into the back room to talk. “She’s cute but a little young.” Emmett said. “I didn’t notice.” I lied.
As the weeks went by Arlene and my sisters became very close friends, too close. It seemed that Arlene spent as much time over at our house as her own. “You need to tell that girl to go home.” I told Mom. “She is not hurting anything over here, maybe you just like her.” said Mom. “No way!”
All my brothers and sisters kept telling me to talk to her, I wouldn’t. “She just needs to stay over at her house.” She wouldn’t.
About a year after Arlene’s family had moved in next door, my brother came over and said he had two extra tickets to a Sonny James Show downtown, did I know any one who could use them. “No.” I said. “How about the girl next door?”he said. “I don’t know about the girl next door, you’ll have to see if her boy friend will take her.” I said. “I was talking about you taking her and us going on a double date.” said my brother. “You must be crazy, she has a boy friend and any way I don’t like her.” “You must be crazy, she is cute and she likes you.” he said. “What do you mean, she likes me?” I said “Why do you think she keeps coming over here so much?” he said. “To see Pam and Debbie.” I said. “Boy you need to open your eyes, girls like that don’t come around but once in a life time.”
I was convinced, so off I went to ask Arlene to go to the show. She went and we had a good time. That was the first of many dates and finally I asked her to marry me and she agreed.
That was fifty years ago November 6 1970. Wow, how time has flown by. Arlene has been a very wonderful wife and a great mother to Alan and Ricky. Sure we have had our highs and lows, but through it all all Arlene has been there by my side.
The best advice ever given to me by my brother was to ask her out on that first date. I love Arlene and I hope we have many more great years ahead of us.
Eph. 5:25 Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it;
The top picture is our wedding day 1970.
The bottom picture is our 25th anniversary picture.
