TWO SCORE AND SEVEN YEARS AGO: LOVE CONQUERS ALL

A series of essays....

SEPTEMBER 15, 1973

....as seen through my eyes!

By: Jacqueline E Hughes

I fell asleep quite late the night before with high expectations and a song from ‘My Fair Lady’ resounding in my head. Like the judge’s gavel smacking-down in the courtroom, the reverberations from wood-on-wood rang out to the tune of, ‘I’m getting married in the morning! Ding dong, the bells are gonna chime.’ This was the one and only shot I was giving myself at truly making these lyrics work; I believed in love, one partner for life, and the effort it would take to make a marriage as successful as possible.

Judging by my parent’s union, the physical and mental effort directed toward the production or accomplishment of a marriage was extensive. Like many of the ideas I claimed while growing-up, if I just leaned in the opposite direction a bit from them, I would be okay...better off. 

I loved them both for all of the right reasons, but could not understand, for the life of me, why living together could be so difficult at times. Theirs was a different generation steeped in ideas from another time, another place; unfortunately, a place where I did not want to be. 

ELAINE, MYSELF, ROBYN, JANIS AND SANDY
JUST BEFORE OUR WALK DOWN THE AISLE.

DAN WITH HIS FATHER, LEO HUGHES.

FAMILY AND FRIENDS TAKING
PART IN OUR SPECIAL DAY.

So, with church bells ringing inside my acute imagination, I drifted off, eventually, with love and hope swirling within the deep recesses of my heart. Never would I emulate the particular path my parents had taken, but knowing that their story helped to make them who they were, right or wrong, will always be an interesting read about the two people who loved, laughed, cried, and gave me life and the ability to make my own choices in this world.

With the anticipation of our honeymoon in Aruba one week after the ceremony (the timing being delayed by our work schedules), we spent our first night of married life at a Holiday Inn in Kalamazoo before heading to a romantic evening at a beautiful Bed & Breakfast in Saugatuck. 

Discovering that he had left his wallet at his parent’s house where he’d changed into his tuxedo, we spent our first night ripping open wedding envelopes in the hopes that we’d have enough cash to pay for the room in the morning. Chalk it up to releasing pent-up emotions after one of the busiest, most exciting days of our lives or to the deep exhaustion we were feeling at the moment, but we began laughing so hard that our silly little selves nearly cried us to sleep! Sitting side-by-side on one of the two queen-sized beds and watching the traffic on I-94 outside the window, I can recall that small room being strewn with opened envelopes and fives and tens recently released from glittery wedding cards that wished us the ‘very best’ in our life together as husband and wife.

BLUE DELFT TILES WE PURCHASED IN ARUBA

Walking around Saugatuck is always an interesting experience. By this time, Dan had driven back to his parent’s house to retrieve his wallet. On this second evening of married life, we tucked ourselves away into the bar at Coral Gables for a drink to continue our celebration. I had worked at the Gables in East Lansing while a student at Michigan State University and thought it appropriate to incorporate its vibe into our mini-honeymoon.

In mid-September the tables were mostly empty of social imbibers with the exception of several lingering vacationers a few tables over who talked about packing-up soon and heading home...wherever. The older gentleman was seated alone one table away. We were deep in our conversation about the wedding, in our own small universe, when he began speaking to us. “Did you two just get married? Wow, that’s real special. Good to see youth making a commitment these days.”

Thanking him generously for acknowledging us after our big day, the three of us chatted for a while longer. As he got up to leave, he mentioned something to the waiter after paying his tab and then walked over to us for one, final word. “Stay happy. Keep love alive. And, always remind yourselves of how you feel right at this very moment. I think you’ll do just fine!”

Sipping our drinks judiciously, Dan asked for our tab and was told that the older gentleman gifted us our drinks for the evening. “By the way, the gentleman said you are newlyweds. May I offer my congratulations?” 

WELCOME TO ARUBA!

A few short working days later, we were soaking-up the sun on the island of Aruba. Today, it is an autonomous country in the Kingdom of the Netherlands. To us, Aruba will alway be a Dutch island alive with the flair of Blue Delft ceramics, Divi Divi trees spreading out like broken umbrellas along the beach, and wild donkeys sashaying down the narrow streets and trails of this stunning but quaint Caribbean island that’s located several miles off the coast of Argentina. 

We drank Bon Bini cocktails while lounging around the hotel pool and rode horses along the white, sandy beaches. We ate Lobster Thermidor for the first time and when given milk at breakfast, were told they only served fresh goat’s milk at room temperature. I can remember every nuance of this fabulous week in paradise, together!

We fell in love all over again in Aruba, as if that were even possible. And now, forty-seven years later, love lives on and the memories are meant to be shared, forever, with family and friends alike. 

Happy Anniversary, Dan! Who knew what life had in store for us forty-seven years ago! I’d like to say that I wouldn’t change a thing, but there might be a few really rough patches we’d both like to tweak, if only for sanity’s sake. I couldn’t have asked for a better co-conspirator. I’m so grateful for finding my best friend along this journey through life!


Everyone...please stay healthy through these uncertain times. Wear a mask.

Copyright © 2020 by Jacqueline E Hughes

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