KS - proposal

I was in a strait betwixt two, on the horns of a dilemma, between a rock and a hard place and in a perplexing predicament. No two ways about it, I needed a wife, but was Miss C the one or should I look for another? I knew that I thought I was in love with her but did I really know what love was and was what I felt enough to hold us together for a lifetime?

I perceive now that the main reason for the indecision was a basic distrust of others, particularly those of the feminine gender. This distrust was mostly of my own making and from bad and/or stupid experiences and decisions while in the military – aided and abetted by a natural shyness on my part. You might say that back then I had been looking for love in all the wrong places – why does that sound so familiar?

But on Thursday night March the 7th 1963, all things changed – this from an old letter. That was the night I called up Miss C – long distance – and asked her to share the rest of her life with me. Not the most romantic of settings for a proposal, but I had had so much trouble making up my mind that I had to let her know before something happened to change the situation. She said yes, then I talked to her Dad and he gave consent; her mother cried – in happiness – I think.

Being neither out-going nor very self-confident at the time, my jitters started the instant I hung up the phone. The date of June 2nd had been agreed on and panic set in with Miss C also, but hers was due to the dilemma of so much to do before that day. The call was made from the Potters and it was after much heart-to-heart talk with Mrs. Potter that the call took place.

Our plans were to move to Lexington and set up housekeeping there, but there was one big problem with that. My job was still in temporary status and officially supposed to end just about the time I would be coming home to be married. They seemed to like me, as well as the way I worked, but being government work, all the allocations for permanent jobs came from higher up and filtered down through channels. They kept assuring me that the allocation would come down, but needless to say it was of a major concern to me.

From other letters, we were going out witnessing in Lexington every week with the Pioneers for Christ club on Saturdays and Sundays. Church was a large part of my life even back then and I went most every time the door was open. The church youth group would even go to other churches within an hours drive to revivals or youth meetings. It was probably a good thing I was staying busy with them because it seemed to keep me out of trouble – mostly.

TBC - ec