Friday, May 24, 2013

MI8-9963

Tonight is graduation night at my alma mater. We don't know many kids there now, so we didn't go to the ceremony, but this night has always been a special one.
My girlfriend dumped me the week of my graduation in May of 1968. At the last minute, I called a girl I'd met, who happened to be a friend of my ex-girlfriend. Awkward? I know, I was dancing with the devil.
I was surprised that she said yes, but she did. We started dating, and I found that we had a great deal in common. She loved to cook, and I loved to eat. She had a great voice and I played guitar. She was hot in that pale orange micro dress. I still  can't believe her parents, who were up standing church-going folk, let her walk out of the house with her hands hanging below the hem of her dress, but they did.
So that's how it began. There were times it got rocky, like when I got drafted into the Army and we decided to "take a break."
Her older sister Nell, nailed it when she said, "You're going to marry that boys someday."
When I got out of the Army, I knocked around a bit, but I still had her phone number tattoo'd on my brain. MI8-9963, which later evolved into 648-9963.
She was living in an apartment in Birmingham at the time, but Jilda's dad Sharky, who always saw my worth, gave me her number.
That was late in 1973. We started dating again, and it felt right. In May of 1974, we were married. This year on Cinco de Mayo, we celebrated our 39th anniversary.
I can't thank my ex-girlfriend (who is still a good friend to both of us) dumped me the week of graduation.
Note: When Jilda's mom died several years ago, we were able to keep her old telephone number. So now my business number is MI8-9963.

9 comments:

  1. This made my heart smile Rick, thank you. May you and Jilda have another 39 years that are even better than the first.

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  2. Anonymous10:50 PM

    I hope your anniversary was WONDERFUL!!

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  3. Sweet post, Rick. Congratulations.

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  4. Great love story... always warms my heart and makes me smile when men tell how much they love their wives...

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  5. Awe Rick, this is a beautiful story of love :)

    Congratulations on 39 years and more to come ;)

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  6. Sometimes getting dumped works out beautifully.

    Love,
    Janie

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  7. What a wonderful romantic story!

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  8. "...hot in that pale orange micro dress..." Oh yes.

    What a sweet love story! Sweeter still that you still know the phone number. Susan

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  9. What a beautiful post!!!
    I bet it all seems just like yesterday. That's how I feel.
    Congrats!!!

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