It was a Friday night about fifty-two years ago. November 18, 1966, to be exact. I was a junior at Winona State College, and had ridden back to the Worthington area with my friend, Marilyn. Myself and five others had hitched a ride with her since she had wheels and we didn’t. We didn’t come “home” from college very often, as it was expensive and a long trip in those days. Interstate 90 did not exist yet, so we traveled much slower on old highway 16 across the “bottom” of the state from the east coming west.
My parents had actually moved from the little town of Bigelow where I grew up, into Iowa where my dad had taken a new job. So when I came “home”, maybe once every six weeks or so, I actually spent the weekend with my college room mate, Cheri. But this particular night they had dropped me off at my boyfriend’s home, at his parents’ farm near Brewster. Dan milked cows and farmed with his family, so I was dressed in pretty casual clothes to be out in the milking parlor with him. It was all a learning experience for me! His dad only made me leave and go up to the house once when I let the bull into the milking stall by mistake. Oops!
After the chores were done, Dan told me we were going to Worthington with his parents and go out to eat. I told him no, I couldn’t, because I did not have any other clothes with me. They had all been taken home with my friend, Cheri, to her house. I hadn’t planned on doing anything where I had to dress up! After a couple minutes of arguing about that problem, I lost, and off we went to Fred’s Café, better known then as Fred’s Plaza 66, on the corner of Oxford Street and Highway 59. It was a bustling little place, and they served up some great burgers and fries or beef commercials and great pies and desserts. Great grub, as Dan’s dad would say.
We had just finished eating when they informed me that next on the agenda was grocery shopping. That went fine, and our “double date” was moving right along! After packing the groceries into the back of the station wagon, we started on a drive to the other side of town. Dan and I were passengers in the back seat, and we were enjoying the sights of our drive around Lake Okabena. Suddenly his dad pulled into a little nook in the road and stopped the car. We were talking and enjoying the night, but it was a little strange to be “parked” with his parents!
As we began driving again, I asked to please stop at a gas station so I could use the restroom. His dad pulled up right in front of the outside bathroom at the Holiday Gas Station off of 10th Avenue. I hopped out, only to grab onto the door handle of the bathroom and have it come off the door into my hand. Now what? Good grief…I didn’t have much time to think about it as it was becoming more of an emergency by the minute!
I proceeded to go inside the station and ask for help. The attendant came out, put the handle back in place, and opened the door for me. Thank goodness! So embarrassing, but it all passed rather quickly and we were back on the road. I’m not sure where we went after that, but eventually Dan’s dad decided to head back to the same Holiday Station for some gas. Both he and Dan’s mom got out of the car and went inside. The same attendant came out and started to fill up the car with gas.
It was at this time that Dan told me to take his class ring off my finger! Huh? I did as he asked, and suddenly he was asking me to marry him while slipping a diamond on my hand. I screamed just for a moment, and at the same time the gas attendant dropped the hose and nozzle. Poor guy, by this time he probably just wanted us to leave and never return!
I remember that evening, of course, for many reasons, but it was also one day after my youngest brother was born, one week after my grandpa died, and two days before my twentieth birthday. I’ve heard many times that “all is well that ends well”….and now that we are only about one week from our 50th wedding anniversary, in hind sight I guess we can say we made it! I love you, Danny, and I wish you a wonderful anniversary as we celebrate with our kids, grandkids, and extended family. May the passion continue!!
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