Friday, September 12, 2008

tears

All day I kept thinking WHAT HAVE I DONE. For me marriage was a forever sentence. And I had rushed into this situation because S was sensitive enough to almost cry when he read a beautiful segment of a book. I knew I would be miserable if I never saw him again, but how did I know if it was LOVE. The real thing.

There was going to be a little reception after the wedding and all my fellow pts assumed the responsibility for the food and the invitations to the President of the Foundation with wife. Also the doctors and families. And then all the other employees. The Chapel was full when we said our 'I dos'. But much more had to happen before that. I had to go to plea for at least two gas stamps. And let me tell you plea is not strong enough for what that little person put me through. I guess he had early on decided I would get the stamps but he wanted to have some fun. I had to tell him why I wanted to get married, why we had to go to Atlanta for the wedding dinner, why I didn;t wait til the war was over to get married and on and on. Finally success.

After supper, when it was still over 97* I got into my bathing suit, lit a fire in our fireplace and then burned all my pictures of Clark Gable. I felt I would somehow be unfaithful to S if I kept them till after we were married. Then I went through all my other papers and burned all letters from M and from former male friends. It was so hot in that room when I finished, for I had to read all the letters and cry a little over each, and over each photo of Clark Gable. I could have passed out from a heat stroke. S laughed when he heard about my struggles with the past.

Marie Heginnian, a fellow pt was my maid of honor. The pt who gave FDR the muscle test took my mother's place in church, the president of the Foundation gave me away and S had asked W to be his best man. I was so nervous that everything that followed the wedding is a haze in my mind. The trip into Atlanta was too hot and the car was too crowded. The Lts were so excited about being officers that the wedding for them, was just a little side show. The dinner in the Hotel was forgettable and the wedding night was forgettable. Next morning S and I left for NYC for our honeymoon and that was MEMORABLE.

9 comments:

Bridge said...

I am just LOVING reading your story. I know how that feels - burning the old cards and pictures. In a way, it sets you free, but in a way, that freedom is so unfamiliar.

hello haha narf said...

what a terrific way to let go of the past...although burning everything while it was so hot made me giggle. sorry!

wonderful storytelling as always. thank you.

looking forward to reading more...

Cin said...

The wedding night was forgettable???

scargosun said...

Oh! While it is a shame that you burned all that, it was a lovely gesture to your new husband. I hope he appriciated it. :)

Pigdog and The Wordmonger said...

I also hope he appreciated it! I would have cried over burning Clark Gable's picture, too. Well, I don't know if I would have had the strength to do it.

I can't wait to hear about NYC!

Anonymous said...

Sven, you are a great storyteller who spent her youth in interesting times and places!

You may have to think about putting all of this into a book!

Jo in MN

TM Photography said...

"The wedding night was forgettable???"

LOL that was my reaction too! hehe

Cin said...

@ tm_photography Eh, well, I've been married a time or three and the wedding night IS usually forgettable as both are so tired and/or hung over from the night before. However, I was so hoping better for Svensto.

@ Svensto...details woman! DETAILS!!!

Cin said...

Oh WAIT! Sven did mention she might have a "certain visitor" on her wedding day when she went to the Gynecologist.