A MELDING

BY NOW YOU KNOW THAT I WAS ENGAGED JUST BEFORE I GRADUATED FROM HIGH SCHOOL. I HAD NO FAMILY CLOSE BY TO SHARE GRADUATION WITH, I WAS ON MY OWN, AND MARTIN AND A DEAR FRIEND NAMED GEORGIA,(SHE WAS A TELEPHONE LADE I RODE THE BUS WITH EACH DAY TO WORK) WERE THE ONLY ONES THAT CAME TO WATCH ME GRADUATE. BUT BEFORE THIS DAY, I HAD HEARD FROM MY FATHER WHO ASKED ME TO COME HOME WHERE HE LIVED IN TENNESEE WITH MY STEP MOM JOIDA AND HER KIDS. MY TWO BROTHERS LIVED THERE TOO, AND MY OLDEST BROTHER GEORGE HAD INJURED HIMSELF IN AN ACCIDENT. HE HAD BEEN THE PERSON KEEPING THE LITTLE KIDS WHILE JOIDA AND DAD WORKED BUT NOW WAS UNABLE TO. TO SAY I WANTED TO GO WOULD BE A LIE. ACTUALLY, I DECIDED NOT TO GO, AS I HAD NOT BEEN WITH THEM FOR OVER A YEAR, AND WHY WOULD I START NOW? BUT, FINALLY I DECIDED TO GO FOR AS SHORT A TIME AS POSSIBLE. TELLING MARTIN WAS ANOTHER THING HOWEVER, AND HE TOOK IT VERY BADLY THAT I WOULD LEAVE HIM. I TOLD HIM I WOULD COME BACK AS SOON AS I COULD, BUT HE INSISTED THAT HE KNEW THAT SOMETHING WOULD HAPPEN TO WHERE I WOULD NOT COME BACK. HE TOLD ME HE WAS GOING WITH ME. I TOLD HIM HE COULD NOT JUST DROP HIS LIFE LIKE THAT AND HE TOLD ME I WAS HIS LIFE. SO, HE QUIT HIS JOB, BOUGHT A BETTER CAR AND WE PACKED OUR THINGS TO TAKE THE TRIP TO TENNESEE. FIRST OF ALL, I HAD TO GRADUATE, SO I DID AND THE NEXT DAY, OFF WE WENT TO TENNESEE. NOW, I HAD THIS MIND SET THAT I WOULD REMAIN CHASTE UNTIL I WAS MARRIED. I MADE SURE THAT MARTIN KNEW IT TOO, AND I DID NOT DOUBT HIS WORD THAT HE WOULD RESPECT MY DECISION. IT NEVER OCCURRED TO ME THAT WE SHOULD NOT TRAVEL ALONE TOGETHER, I TRUSTED HIM THAT MUCH. AFTER A TWO DAY TRIP, WE ARRIVED IN MADISONVILLE TENNESEE. MY DAD AND JOIDA WERE SURPRISED TO SEE THAT MARTIN HAD COME WITH ME, AND NOW HAD 8 MOUTHS TO FEED. SHE HAD 4 KIDS, MY DAD HAD 3 OF US AND THEN THERE WAS MARTIN. WE ALL LIVED IN A MOBILE HOME WAY OUT IN THE COUNTRY. TO MAKE A LONG STORY SHORT, MARTIN FOUND OUT THAT HE HAD BEEN DRAFTED- HIS DAD HAD RECEIVED THE LETTER THE DAY AFTER WE LEFT. HE DID NOT BOTHER TO TELL US THOUGH UNTIL ABOUT TWO WEEKS LATER. THE CHOICE WAS TO GO HOME TO TEXAS AND GO INTO THE SERVICE OR TO JOIN IN TENNESEE AND TRY TO GET THE BRANCH MARTIN WANTED. THIS WAS REALLY A GODSEND, BECAUSE THERE WERE NO JOBS ANYWHERE AND WE DID NOT KNOW WHAT WE WERE GOING TO DO TO SUPPORT OURSELVES WHEN THE TIME CAME TO MARRY. SO, MARTIN ENLISTED INTO THE ARMY IN THE MOTORCADE- AS ALWAYS HE WAS A MECHANIC AT HEART. RIGHT AFTER THAT, WE DECIDED TO MARRY RIGHT AWAY, SO THAT WE WOULD HAVE THE ADDITIONAL BENEFITS OF FAMILY IN ARMY PAY. (THE TOTAL FOR A WHOLE MONTH INCLUDING FAMILY PAY WAS 198.00). WE HAD A SWEET LITTLE WEDDING ON JULY 3RD, 1972 AND MARTIN LEFT FOR THE SERVICE ON JULY 12TH. THE WHOLE DAY BEFORE, I JUST CRIED AND WEPT AND COULD NOT BE COMFORTED. AFTER ALL, VIETNAM WAS STILL GOING ON AND I WAS SCARED TO DEATH THAT I WOULD LOSE HIM. THE DAY HE LEFT, HE LEFT AT 6 AM TO MAKE IT TO THE RECRUITMENT CENTER TO GO TO BASIC TRAINING IN FORT KNOX KENTUCKY. ALL DAY, BOO HOO HOO. SNIFF, SNUFFLE, SNIFF, BOO HOO HOO. I COULD NOT BELEIVE HE HAD GONE. THEN, ABOUT 7 PM, SOMEONE KNOCKED ON THE DOOR. I OPENED THE DOOR, AND THROUGH MY TEAR FILLED EYES, I SAW WHAT MUST HAVE BEEN MY IMAGINATION. THERE STOOD MARTIN. JUST GRINNING AT ME. I SCREECHED AND JUMPED RIGHT ON HIM! THEN I SAID, "OH WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE? WHY AREN'T YOU AT THE RECRUITMENT CAMP? WHAT'S WRONG? DIDN'T THEY WANT YOU? ARE YOU IN TROUBLE? WHAT'S GOING ON?" HE PUT HIS HAND OVER MY BABBLING MOUTH AND SAID, "I COULDN'T REMEMBER IF I KISSED YOU GOODBYE". THEN, HE PULLED ME INTO HIS ARMS AND KISSED ME AS ONLY HE COULD. I ASKED HIM IF HE HAD TO GO RIGHT BACK, AND HE SAID HE WOULD LEAVE IN THE MORNING. "BUT IT IS 50 MILES AWAY!" I CRIED, "HOW WILL YOU GET BACK IN TIME? ARENT YOU AOL? (AWAY WITHOUT LEAVE)" HE SAID YES HE WAS, BUT THERE WAS SO MUCH CONFUSION, THEY WOULD NOT MISS HIM UNTIL ROLL CALL. SO, WE HAD ONE LAST NIGHT TOGETHER. HE WENT IN TO TAKE A BATH, AND WHILE HE WAS IN THE TUB HE CALLED ME TO BRING HIM A DRINK. I TOLD HIM I WOULD BUT HE BETTER BE SURE AND COVER UP HIMSELF, (I HAD NOT HAD THE COURAGE TO LOOK AT ALL OF HIM YET) AND I DID NOT WANT TO SEE A SURPRISE! HE SAID, "OKAY, I AM COVERED UP, COME ON IN!" WELL, I WALKED INTO THE BATHROOM AND HE WAS COVERED UP ALLRIGHT, HE HAD COVERED HIS FACE WITH A WASH CLOTH! I SQUEALED AND TURNED AROUND. "HOW DARE YOU! HOW DARE YOU TRY TO SURPRISE ME WITH, THAT! " MY FACE WAS FLAMING AND I WAS SHAKING ALL OVER. "AW HONEY, IT WAS JUST A JOKE" HE SAID, AND HIS SHOULDERS WERE SHAKING WITH LAUGHTER. "I'LL GIVE YOU A JOKE" I CRIED, "HERE'S YOUR JIMENY CRICKET DRINK!" AND THREW THE DRINK INTO THE TUB, (WITH MY EYES COVERED OF COURSE). IF I HAD TRIED, I COULD NOT HAVE HIT THE TARGET WITH ANY MORE ACCURACY. POOR MARTIN HOWLED, AND JUMPED UP OUT OF THE TUB."WHAT ARE YOU TRYING TO DO? WE ONLY HAVE ONE NIGHT HERE, YOU KNOW!" WHEN HE JUMPED UP, I SQUEALED AND RAN OUT OF THE BATHROOM. JOIDA CAME RUNNING AND WANTED TO KNOW WHAT ALL THE COMMOTION WAS ABOUT. I WAS CRYING AND TOLD HE WHAT HE HAD DONE. "HONEY, ARE YOU SERIOUS?" SHE SAID- YES, HE TRIED TO SHOW ME HIS------, "NO, SWEETIE, I MEAN ARE YOU SERIOUS THAT YOU HAVE NEVER SEEN HIM?" "WELL NO, WHAT DO I WANT TO SEE HIM FOR?" JOIDA THREW BACK HER HEAD AND LAUGHED LIKE CRAZY. "BABY, YOU ARE GOING TO HAVE TO TAKE CARE OF THIS SOMEDAY!" "WELL, I WILL WHEN I AM READY," I SAID. SHE TOLD ME TO GO AND APOLOGIZE TO HIM, AS IT WAS HIS LAST NIGHT WITH ME. I TOLD HER THAT I THOUGHT THAT AN APOLOGY WAS ABOUT ALL HE WAS GOING TO GET, AND THEN TOLD HER ABOUT THE ACCURACY OF MY SODA THROW. SHE LOOKED AT ME AND TOLD ME TO GROW UP AND BE A WIFE TO HIM. TIME TO COME OUT FROM UNDER THE COVERS AND FACE REALITY. I WAS ALREADY FEELING BAD, BUT NOW I FELT HORRIBLE. I WENT INTO THE BATHROOM, (BY NOW MARTIN WAS OUT OF THE TUB AND COMPLETELY COVERED WITH A TOWEL), AND TOLD HIM I WAS SORRY. HE JUST PUT HIS WET ARMS AROUND ME AND SAID HE DID NOT KNOW THAT HIS JOKE WOULD UPSET ME SO MUCH. ANYWAY, HE HAD TO GET UP AT 4AM TO GET BACK TO THE CAMP, AND LETS JUST GET SOME SLEEP. SO, THAT IS HOW MARTIN AND I MARRIED AND HOW HE WENT INTO THE SERVICE. I HAD NEVER BEEN SO SAD AS I WAS THE NEXT MORNING WHEN I AWOKE WITH A NOTE ON HIS PILLOW. "HONEY, I COULD NOT BEAR TO SAY GOODBYE AGAIN, SO I LET YOU SLEEP. I WILL WRITE EVERYDAY. DON'T WORRY ABOUT ME, I WILL BE OKAY. WE WILL BE TOGETHER AS SOON AS POSSIBLE. LOVE, MARTIN" JOIDA HAD TAKEN HIM BACK, AND HE WAS GONE. BUT,YOU KNOW ME, AND TOMORROW, I WILL TELL YOU HOW I WENT AND FOUND HIM! LOVE, NANASEE