My Love Story

I am sharing this with you by request.....I wrote it and read it at my wife's over the hill birthday party on April 11, 2008.

MY LOVE STORY

It all started long before it happened..... William Blair, President of Allegheny Wesleyan College and his wife Phyllis were in a very near death automobile accident. I guess hitting a semi head on would make that possible. I was nowhere even close. I was working as a Fire-liner out in the Bitter Root Mountains of Montana and in the St. Joe National Forest of Idaho. I remember hearing the bad news one night while visiting with some friends in Missoula, Montana. At first they weren't sure the Blairs were going to make it, but as time has told they are both alive and well (maybe with a few more aches and pains that might not have had otherwise).
When I arrived back from my summer of adventure in the west, I remember walking into the cafeteria at school and hearing Pop Stiles the Dean of Students announce they needed someone to be a chauffeur for the President. The doctor had ordered that he not drive for quite some time. So for the next several months I drove Bill everywhere: back and forth to the campus, to town, to the doctor, to see his wife who was still in the hospital down near Pittsburgh and any other place he needed to go. He might not feel the same way after I have been in the family for 14 years, but at the time he thought I was a pretty nice guy. It seemed like that over time so many simple things enhanced our relationship. I worked on his vehicles replacing a bumper, doing body work, fixing A/C units, oil changes, starters, brakes and the list goes on.
I will never forget the day that Pop Stiles came into my dorm room and wondered what on earth I had in my room that weighed so much that it was causing the ceiling in the room down below to crack. To save space in my small room, I had set up a bunk bed, but had kept the lower mattress out. I took an old bed cover and used it for a curtain, so that whatever was under the top bunk was out of sight. It held an incredible amount of treasures: My 2 Craftsmen cabinets full of tools, hydraulic jacks, car jacks, and multitude of other junk. I guess the floor in that old house was never made to hold that much.

When Pop pulled the curtain back he said in a gruff voice "You had better get this junk out of here immediately". I had no clue where I could put it all. “Where” wasn't his problem, it was mine. My car trunk wouldn't hold everything and so I was up a creek with out a paddle.

I am not totally sure how it got brought up but somehow I whined to the President. When hearing I couldn't have a tool box in the dorm he snorted" that is absurd" you can bring your tool box up and keep it in my garage. WOW! In the president’s garage…. nicely painted floors, hot and cold water spigots, heat in the winter, air conditioning in the summer, and it had two bays. What more can you ask for? To put the cherry on top there was even a fridge down there with cold pop in it. He told me to bring my tool box up after prayer meeting that night.

This was going to be perfect! I had a job to do the next day and that would work out just fine. He didn't even care if I worked on some cars. Boy he sure didn't have a clue what this all involved. Quite some time later he told that me that he thought my tool box was just a little one like he had sitting on his bench. I should have easily caught on that he didn't quite realize what I had meant when I said I was bringing my toolbox. I backed the school pickup up to his garage and rang the door bell, he answered the door and told me I could bring it right in. The look on his face was priceless when I told him that it would be easier to do with the garage door up. That look on his face should have been a very strong clue that there had been a serious misunderstanding.

Being young and dumb I guess I thought he was shocked that I had so many tools, instead of being surprised at how much was going into his nice garage. Throughout the next couple of years having my tools in his garage benefited the both of us. I worked on his cars, worked on mine and I worked on quite a few other ones also.

Then there was the day I had Jim Pinkerton’s car up on jack stands. I had the gas tank down, and I was changing fuel pumps. The garage doors were wide open and the wind was blowing out of the east. Mrs. Blair opened the door going into the house and came out to where I was working.

She sniffed the air a few times and said "I smell gas. Do you?"

"Oh yeah! I am just changing a fuel pump"

I didn't realize that there presidential palace had become a gas chamber. The east wind had blown every vapor right into the garage, under their door, up the stairs and ...into every room. I know this is only scratching the surface of the things that they put up with. I suppose I could name many other ones like the night I took their granddaughter frog gigging and at midnight used her kitchen to prepare a feast. I realize now how much she put up with that night while I was cutting up frogs legs and frying them in her clean kitchen. I was making a mess of her house.

Then it was the gun issue. No fire-arms in the dorm. I was told to get my arsenal out of the dorm. Not a problem at all, just take it to the President. I explained to him about not being able to have guns in the dorm and he already knew about the rule and offered for me to bring my "gun" up and leave it on his gun rack. After the tool box misunderstanding I didn't want to say anything till I showed up at his door with all 15 of them. I think I did mention that I had my own "gun racks" The surprise was about the same.

"Whose are all these?"

"Oh these..there mine!"

So the wall in the garage was lined with guns... floor to the ceiling. Two rows of them and the funny thing, the barrels happened to be pointing right at the door way. I remember the first couple of times Mrs. Blair would step into the garage she would peek pass the door way see the barrels pointed her way and quickly step through the “line of fire". I assured her most of them were unloaded.

One day while driving Mrs. Blair to get her car at Uncle Joe’s Garage in Alliance, we had an interesting conversation about my love life. I had just fixed her A/C system in her little Pontiac. The high pressure line blew and I installed a hydraulic hose repair and it was getting recharged. As we road along I complained that I had picked through the basket and had not found what I wanted. I was coming to the end of my junior year in college with no prospective helpmate in sight.

The Blair’s had it all figured out for me, only I didn't know it. The little granddaughter that I had taken frog hunting had an older sister. That older sister had a name – Julia. The Blair’s were scheming away. The only problem was it started to backfire on them. They kept telling their Granddaughter all about this really nice guy that attended college (I wonder if they still feel the same way.) Julia was dating a fellow that the family wasn't so sure that about. So everything that he did was compared to me. "Well Byron did this or that", or whatever else they thought of. Thus I became the hated "Mr. Perfect". This was something I never knew till after we were engaged. In the attempt to try to help us out they were driving a wedge. I am totally unaware of the whole situation, and she is totally tired of hearing about me.

Then one day while helping the president at his house, I casually was bemoaning my status as Dean of Men, Supervisor of Grounds and Vehicle Maintenance, Class President, Student Council Vice President... and yet I didn't have a perspective a wife in sight! I mentioned about the girls who thought they were good-looking and he started talking about his granddaughter who didn't think she was.

"Do you have a picture?"

President Blair became a magician and one was produced in a flash. I commented that Julie didn't have anything to worry about for sure! He let me know she was going to be breaking up with her boyfriend, but to keep that under my hat. Who would I have told? Who even knew her? I certainly would safe guard my highly classified secret. I wanted to have the first crack at this beauty queen! It seemed that my whole life was wracked with poor timing. I had to have one.

Then it happened faster then the time I am taking to tell it, the Blairs wondered if I liked pizza? That question seemed like it would have an obvious answer for any young man in college. I was to stop over for some pizza for he and his wife would never be able to eat it all, and then he added…

"Oh by the way, you can meet our granddaughter she will be here visiting us."

My heart stopped. I lost my breath. Did I need a haircut? Did I need to do laundry? A myriad of questions came running into my mind.

I couldn't sleep that night...I couldn't eat either. I was wondering what she would be like. Maybe just another dead end street or perhaps the light at the end of my tunnel!!

That next evening I cleaned up after work and jumped on my motorcycle (girls love motorcycles!) and arrived early for my pizza and "fellowship". The main thought running through my mind was “Was she still dating?” I arrived and sat down on a chair by Mr. Blair around the patio table. I could feel the pulse in my neck jumping and all the while I was trying to act calm and nonchalant. I was starved that night as most young men are at the age of 21. Mrs. Blair came out with that little "$5.00" Little Caesar’s Pizza. I know I could have eaten the whole thing myself. Maybe I should have brought some extra food along that night.

Then the door opened and she stepped out….my heart stopped and for a moment I was looking for a phone to dial 911 so the paramedics could come and get it restarted! She never even looked my way and after she sat down we were introduced..."this is Byron....and this is our granddaughter Julie" She glanced my way and looked away real quick. She definitely did not act interested in a college senior when she is just a high school senior. Then again maybe she would.

We had not even finished a slice of pizza each and Mrs. Blair decided she had dishes to do. Now this was odd, we were eating out of a cardboard box and had Styrofoam plates and napkins and her house was always spic and span. As soon as you would set a cup down she would wash it and put it away even if you were planning on using it again in the next day or so. I remember the phone ringing and it sounded as if it was right by the window screen and soon “Bill a phone call for you.” Little did I realize that she had gone in and called Kathy (Julia’s mother) and let her know we were set at the table eating. She hung up and called back to talk to her dad.
There I was across the table from this gorgeous young lady that was as shy as a mouse. We made small talk about her college endeavors at Indiana University of Pennsylvania. I was impressed. She would have a whole year of college done by the time she graduated high school. After about an hour of very hard conversation with the girl that unbeknownst to me hated my gut, I decided I had better leave and get some other things done.
I had just bought a new car and had a lot of different things I wanted to do to it. I made plans to spend much of Saturday working on it. I had the transmission to flush, oil to change breaks to check, air and gas filters to replace and give it a good going over. I had bought the car off of Dan Glick who was heading to the Ukraine as a missionary. That next morning I was up in the Blair’s garage and worked all morning. I was hoping to get a glimpse of her so that I could talk to her again. It seemed like she would never make an appearance. I think I have the record for the Guinness Book of World Records of the longest transmission filter and fluid change. While under the car I did everything I could like over greased every tierod, ball joint and whatever else I could find that might need a little grease. I had finished putting all the bolts back in the transmission pan when the door to the garage opened and she wandered out.
I casually said “Hello” and “Hello” she replied…and then I got right down to business.
“How is the old Zach man doing?” Zach was the other guy she had been dating.
Her reply was music to my ear’s. “We are not exactly dating anymore.”
The ringing in my ears was due partly to the fact that I had tried getting out from under the car so fast I hit my head on something. I came out with a spot of grease on my forehead.
“You aren’t dating anymore?” I excitedly asked.
She looked at my fore head and motioned that something might be there. I used a rag and smeared it more… She continued to look perplexed. “No we broke up yesterday.” I am sure she was somewhat puzzled by my excitement. We spent the rest of the afternoon washing our cars and her grandparent’s car. We also hold the Guinness Book of World Records for the longest carwash.
That was how we met and over the 4th of July I asked for her hand in courtship and that ship put up all it sails and headed full steam ahead. October 9th just 3 months later I asked her to marry me and it has been a wonderful life since. So from the day I met her June 10th 1994 to the day we married June 10th 1995 was one year. I am so glad I had lots of guns and tool boxes in my dorm room!!!