Fate

I do believe in "Fate", ....and I think it was fate and a strong, Christian woman...that woman being Irvin's Mother...to start at the beginning; Irvin and I grew up in Jacinto City..going to different schools, living on each side of Market St. Rd...Irvin's Mother was my Sunday School teacher..she could make a Sunday School lesson very interesting, and hold everyone's attention...now at that time, there were girls classes and boys classes..we would all gather for prayer and a short "Sermon" ...I was a teen when I went into her class, ..we became friends, although I didn't meet her family at that time..I sit with my friends in Church, sometimes with my Mother and Father...I went on to take a job at the Houston Natural Gas at 18...Irvin went into the Marines about that time..and still not knowing each other..one time comes to my mind that I still laugh about..I go back a little with this, I was about 16, and it had snowed, which in Houston was rare..It was a very big snow, at least to people that didn't see snow, but maybe every 10 years or so..well, anyway..It was a weekend, and my Mother and I just had to go for a walk in that "white stuff"..we got on our rubber boots, blue jeans, coats, etc..looked like a couple of Eskimo"s..our dog, went along with us...well, Mother , when we passed by Irvin's house, suggested , we stop and visit Mrs. Hendrix(Mother and her had met by then), and Mrs Hendrix drank coffee, as Mother did, so I am sure Mother was ready for a hot cup of coffee by then...well, the coffee pot was on the stove, and smelled so good, even tho at that time, I didn't drink "the stuff", only cokes...she invited us in , and poured the coffee, we sit in her Living room, not knowing that Irvin was in the other part of the house...we had a chat about things that were happening in the Church, the snow, etc...then we went on our way, taking the street by the church, which was across the rail road track, whiich made it so quick for us to just walk across the track and be on the church parking lot in  a few minutes from our house..now years later, Mam-Ma (as her Grandchildren called her, and most of the time, I called her that after our kids were born) told me that Irvin had to be at work, and he climbed out of the window..this was long before he went into the Marines...I often think , that it wasn't meant for us to meet until we did...well, to get back to the subject..Irvin and I are the same age, he being 3 months older than I...His Mother , came by my house one evening, just as I was getting home from work..I worked in Houston, and rode the Grayhound bus to and from work...She asked me if I would write to Irvin, at that time, he was  stationed in Korea, and had been there quite a while..I told her yes, would be happy to..I loved to write letters, and with the Korean war going on, the newpapers always had servicemen addresses listed in a section of the paper for people to write to them, send cards , and in general , keep up their spirits..I was writing to a couple of them , but when Irvin and I started writing to each other, I finally stopped writing to the others....I so looked forward to those letters from him,..now it took "forever" for letters to come each way..and I know thatmine had to be boring to him, as I was mostly just working, going home, (same ole, same ole), but I am sure by my letters, he felt like he knew the women I worked with, all the ups and downs of my day..we both felt like we knew each other very well by the time, he came home...we wrote to each other for about 9 months before he came back...He was discharged in March of 1954...Now, I worked across the street from the Grayhound Bus  Station..very handy for me..anyway, he was to be at that station , the day he came home, to catch the bus out to Jacinto City..his Mother had told me that..the office I worked in faced the bus station, and I really didn't do a lot of work that day...there were 6 women working in the office, I worked in..my boss was one of them..there were only one other girl, my age, the other women were older, ..but, we all became very good friends over the 5 years I worked with them..., well, all during the day (Friday, March 13th) there were one of us at the window that we could see the busses being loaded..no one saw a Marine get on any of the busses..but he did, I guess when we were working, and not there looking...well, it was finally 5:00pm, and I could go home..I usually got home about 6:00 by the time the bus left the station..Mother always had supper ready for us, and they would settle in the living room to either read the newspaper, with their coffee, or watch the little black and white tv, and at that time of day, the news was on...well, I helped Mother clean the kitchen, wash and dry dishes(no such thing as a dishwaser in those days..then went on to take my bath, polish my nails, etc.., all the while just WAITING for that phone to ring...around 8 or so, it did, and I was SO nervous, the first time to hear his voice,,just what we talked about , I still try to remember, but I was that nervous , all I remember is him asking me out for Saturday night to a movie, downtown ..I spent saturday, washing my hair, picking out just the "right" dress to wear...it was cold , ..I wore a purple velvet dress that I had , had made  with black high heels(at that time, we wore heels almost everywhere , and flats around the house, picnics, etc...Irvin ring our doorbell right on the dot , that he said he would pick me up..He was so handsome in his uniform..you have heard of "Love at first sight", well, it was just that , and I think it was true for both of us...you can't tell me that the way we met was not "FATE"