GEORGE

G eo rge was the boy a c ro s s the riv e r wh o stood on the

si de wa lk and waved at us , my f rie n d a n d r, a s we d ro v e b y on
the way to Grandmother's house wh e re we we n t to Iunch on
Fr id a ys. r felt good in my g re e n ro a d s t e r wit h t h e _ s h in y
chr o m e and the tire-viel1s, e s p e c ia liy in n ic e we a t h e r wh e n t h e
to p w as down. r was flatt e re d that G e o rg e wo u ld wa v e a t me .
I d id n 't know who he was, b u t I thought h e wa s k in d of " f re s h "
fo r w aving when he didn't e v e n k n o w me . My f rie n d and r both
th o u g h t he was rather "cu t e " thouqh.
rt wasn't long before my A u n t E t h e 1 , wh o k n e w h is p a re n t s ,
ga ve a party so we could me e t . T h e y p la y e d b rid g e , wh ic h I
ha ted , but somehow we got t h ro u g h t h e e v e n in g , and that wa s t h e
be g in n in g of a pretty serio u s re la t io n s h ip .

G eo r ge would ride his bik e a c ro s s t h e riv e r t o my h o u s e s o m e

e ve n in g s. one night he ro d e it rig h t in t o the liv in g ro o m .
He did n 't have a car so wh e n we wa n t e d to g o d a n c in g or o ut
so m e wh ere we would take m y c a r. He wo u ld d riv e , a n d h e wa s a
ter r ib le driver. He took a lo t of chances. He wo u ld ma k e t h e
tir e s screech as he rounde d c o rn e rs , and he lo v e d to s p e e d.
M y m other hated to see h im c o min g . My d a d d id n ' t lik e h im
eithe r . I could hardly b la me t h e m.

G eo r ge's problem was t h a L h e d id n ' t get e n o u g h a t t e n t io n

fr om his parents. P eter wa s a lwa y s g o n e o n b u s in e s s t rip s , and
M ar y w ould often go along. That le f t G e o rg re wit h o u t anyone to
 com e h ome to. He usually in v it e d a f rie n d h is o wn a g e t o come
an d stay with him.

G eo rge was a lonely k id . He wa s I ik e a lit t 1 e boy. He

se e m e d to welcome being s c o ld e d a n d e mb a rra s s e d . rt $ ra s a s
tho u g h he thought he deserv e d p u n is h me n t . . He wo u ld a lwa y s s ay
or do things he thought m y mo t h e r wo u ld d is a p p ro v e of, and that
g a ve her the opportunity she wa s lo o k in g for wh ic h wa s t o
cr iti ci ze him or put him in h is p la c e . He wo u ld a lwa y s lo ok
ver y sheepish, like a litt I e b o y wh o h a s d o n e s o me t h in g wro n g
an d wa s terribly ashamed. He d id n ' t seem to know how to do the
thin g s lhat would brinq h im c o mp lime n t s or the g o o d f e e lin g s
of tho se one would think h e s h o u ld wa n t to p le a s e or ma k e a
go o d im pression on. B ut th a t wa s wh a t lif e wit h h is father had
d o n e to him, r'm sure. we d o wh a t is expecLed of us, a s k id s ,
or wh a t we think is expec t e d of us, a n d G e o rg e wa s d o in g it
p e r fectl y . It was the on ly c o n c lu s io n h e c o u ld c o me t o .
G eo r qe was noted for hi s "ta11 t a le s " . His I ie s b ro u g h t h im
atte n ti on , and George need e d a t t e n t io n and Iove. T h e lo v e h is
fathe r s eemed incapable of 9 iv in 9 h im. peter wa s v e ry c rit ic a l
a n d d o mineering. Mary was, r b e lie v e , h is s la v e a n d h e was
Lo r d an d l'laster. He must h a v e b e e n v e ry h a rd t o I iv e wit h , and
r be lie ve she was frightene d o f h im. r t h in k that fear o f h im
is h o w he kept her in Iine. s h e iik e d t h e ma t e ria l t h in g s he
cou ld give her. she lik e d b e in g the best d re s s e d wo man
w he r e ve r she went. Mary lik e d . t h e wa y Ma ry I o o k e d , a n d s o d id
Peter . There was affection a n d p rid e in t h e ir re la t io n s h ip ,
 a n d a great deal of loyalt y on both s id e s , but r t h in k it was
m o n e y and things that kept t h e ir ma rria g e t o g e t h e r. p e t er
like d having an attractive wo ma n , a n d s h e s t u c k it out because
h e h a d the means to help a c c o mp iis h t h is .
M ar y was a meticulous h o u s e k e e p e r. T h e ir h o me s L re re we l I
fu r n ish e d. r was well acq u a in t e d wit h t h re e of t h e ir v a ri. o u s
ho m e s before and during the t ime r wa s ma rrie d to G e o rg e .
Peter wanted everything iu s t s o a n d l{ a ry wa s t h e re to p le a s e
he r m an. I guess she did a g o o d . jo b of that. I
Wh a t brought George an d me t o g e t h e r wa s , I b e lie v e the
elo se n e ss experienced by t h o s e wh o h a v e f o rc e d upon them the
im p o ssib le expectations of o n e o r t wo p e rf e c t io n is t p a re n t s .
 THE GET4WAY

The plans for our elo p e me n t we re in the ma k in g . It wa s

G eo r g e 's christmas vacation f ro m s y ra c u s e u n iv e rs it y . He h ad

ju st a rrived in Maumee, wh e re I I iv e d wit h my mo t h e r, that

afte r n o on. He had made a rra n g e me n t s to me e t h is mo t h e r a nd

fa the r in a few days. Th e y h a d o ld f rie n d s in p e rry s b u rg , a nd

we r e m ixing business and p le a s u re .

G eo rge and r were sitti n g in the c o mmo d o re p e rry Ho t e l at

a ta b le next to the dan c e f lo o r. As the o rc h e s t ra p la y e d

"star d u st" he popped the q u e s L io n , a n d in my e x a lt e d a lc o h o lic

sta te, feeling more euphoria t h a n p a in , r c h o s e t h e a f f irma t iv e

an swe r . we decided to Iea v e for A n g o la , rn d ia n a the next day

at fi ve o'c1ock. A nqola b e in g the p la c e wh e re ma rria g e s c o u ld
b e p e r formed quickly and c o n v e n ie n t ly , at a mo me n t ' s n o t ic e .

It was a cold winter e v e n in g , ju s t t u rn in g d a rk . I had

pa cke d my large suitcase a n d wa s d re s s e d a n d re a d y to go. It
w as g e tting colder. Fros t y p ic t u re s we re b e in g etched on the
win d o w pane as r fixed my g la n c e in t e n t ly on the ro a d in f ro n t

of the house and nervously wa t c h e d for G e o rg e . G e o rg e wa s t o

be dr o p ped at our house by a f rie n d , and then we we re to

pr o ce e d by car (my car). It wa s a g re e n p ly mo u t h Co u pe
p r a cti cally new. He finally a rriv e d , la t e a s u s u a l.

G eo r ge drove. We cro s s e d the b rid g e to p e rry s b u rg , h is

ho m e town during high schoo l days. It wa s t h e s a me b rid g e I h ad
crossed many times before going to Grandfather's house. we

drove to the oId Perrysburg High building, d 9loomy structure

 tha t a p p eared even more so a t d u s t . G e o rg e p a rk e d t h e c a r, and

I wa ited what seemed like h o u rs . It wa s g e t t in g d a rk e r and

co ld e r . There was no hea t in the car (G e o rg e had taken the

ke ys with him). My fingers and feet we re g ra d u a ily t u rn in g to

i na E'ina] 1y he appeared.
s ! , ! , e {a vu He h a d g o n e t . o b o rro w s o me mo n e y

fr o m a n old school-teacher f rie n d wh o wa s t o me e t h im t h e re ,

an d a p p arently did, at lea s t those we re the e la b o ra t e p la n s

w hich I had thought miqht b e a n e la b o ra t e lie .

9Ie d r ove on to A ngola ma n y mile s f ro m t h e re , a rriv in g la t e r

tha n an yone seemed to want t o t a k e the t ime t o a c c o mmo d a t e u s .

We eve n tually found a minis t e r wh o me t u s a t the door in h is

ba lh r o b e . Il was almost twe lv e . He lo o k e d s le e p y , b u t q u ic k ly

if r elu ctantly, dressed in h is we d d in g a t t ire , a n d d ra g g in g h is

wife w i th him he summoned a f rie n d by phone a n d we h a d o u r

we d d in g party.

l 4y g e t away was a succes s ! But I never lo o k e d back o n it

w i th m uch joy or pleasure. I s h o o k a li d u rin g the c e re mo n y .

It se e m e d just an experience to be gotten t h ro u g h ; not t h e wa y

I wo u ld have chosen to be ma rrie d , but beLter than h a v in g to

l ea ve h o me alone. We were p a rt n e rs in c rime . That wa s wh a t

ou r pa r e n ts would, have had u s b e iie v e and that wa s wh a t b ro u g h t

us cl ose r together. W e bo t h had a need for in d e p e n d e n c e in

co m m o n , and felt braver fac in g t h e wo rld a n d t h o s e wh o s e a n g e r

w e dr e a d e d.

A te le gram to my mother h e ra ld e d the b iS event, and 1o, a

r e tur n telegram telling us t o me e t h e r next mo rn in g for

b r e a kfast at the hotel wh e re we h a d s p e n t the n ig h t . We h a d

o u r b r e a kfast which in our n e rv o u s n e s s mo t h e r and I "gobbIed".

Ge o r g e 's nervousness would not a llo w h im to eat. He s a t in

she e p ish embarrassment. It wa s a s c e n e n e v e r t o b e lo s t . L ik e

a bla ck and white negative it is p rin t e d o n my min d f o re v e r.

Ge o r g e and I agreed to r e t u rn t o T o I e d o wh e re h is father had

r ese r ve d the bridal suite at t h e Co mmo d o re P e rry wh e re we f irs t

agreed to give up our sepa ra t e f re e d o ms .

Th e bridal suite was flowe r bedecked. T h e re rrra s a ls o a huge

b o wl of fruit. It was qu it e I u x u rio u s . G e o rg e wa s v is ib ly

e m b a r r a ssed.

Sh o r tl y after our arrival t h e re wa s a k n o c k at the d o o r.

IE w as my dad who came to wis h u s we l 1 . He c a rrie d a cane

w hich he pointed at George, s a y in g , " G 1a d t o we lc o me y o u in t o

th e fa m iIy", then, in the next b re a t h , "You son of a b it c h ! "