March 15

25 years ago yesterday a timid preacher wannabe couldn’t get up the courage to ask out a certain young lady. Easter break had just started, and like good Christians, my roommate, his fiancée and I attended Sunday night service at Highland in Abilene. About a thousand people were present. When my roommate to whom I will forever be grateful saw my not-yet-known-to-be future wife (NYKTBFW), he said we wouldn’t leave that sanctuary until I’d asked her out. After worship, with only 7 of us still lingering in that sacred hall, my roommate finally gave in. He asked her out for me.

He also loaned me 5 bucks. We all went to Long John Silver’s and ate a healthful meal of deep fried fish and deep fried shrimp and deep fried hushpuppies and cabbage disguised as coleslaw. Roommate and fiancée suggested I accompany NYKTBFW to her place in her car. They’d pick me up there. While waiting on her front porch ten minutes later, they drove buy honking. Deserted, I got invited in. We silently watched the end of Dr. Zivalgo with her roommate. I then walked home.

Every March 15 Wife fries fish, home-makes hushpuppies, grates cabbage for coleslaw, and we remember our first March 15 together.