The "I Know A Story" Story

It was an ordinary day.  Reading the morning Sunday News which is the Sunday newspaper in Lancaster, Pennsylvania.  The Sunday News allows its readers to submit stories or letters to a few different columns and they are always interesting to read.  The story that was submitted and published this past Sunday was written by a fellow who lives in nearby Lititz, Pennsylvania.  His name is Robert E. Barnes.  He submitted a story to a column called "I KNOW A STORY" which is printed in the "Living" section of the paper.  The story must be 600 words or less and sent to Mary Ellen Wright of the LNP editorial department.  It is one of my favorite columns in the paper and Robert's story was the highlight of the newspaper, at least for me.  I have included the story so you too have a chance to read Robert's story about the love of his life.  I hope you too enjoy it!  

          Meeting by chance led to a happy life!

As usual, it was a bitterly cold day in Lockport, New. York, in April 1952.  Twenty-five long-faced draftees stood on the steps of the local post office, waiting to have the group photo taken.  We were already sworn in.  We were GIs - Govermnent issue.  I and 10 others were shipped to Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri, for basic training.  While there, I became friends with a guy named Mike.  It turned out, at home, we only lived two miles apart.  After eight weeks of basic, I was shipped off to Fort Belvoir, Virginia.  I had no idea what happened to Mike.  I was in the army for three years and, upon discharge, returned to my old life.  After about three months, I was walking across a parking lot and heard, "Hey, Bob!"  It was Mike.  More than three years had gone by, and we met by chance in a parking lot.  We renewed our friendship and, after about a month, he asked me to go with him to visit his sister, who worked for Kodak in Rochester.  I couldn't believe it - his sister, Frieda, single and beautiful.  For about a month, I tried a number of times to get a date with her, to no avail.  Probably a year went by, and I ran into Frieda, who was visiting, and Mike's new wife.  We all went to dinner that night, and Frieda and I really hit it off.  We dated for about six months and got to know each other, and were married in 1960.  I was 28 and Frieda was 27 when we were married.  We always said we just waited for each other.  Frieda passed away nine years ago, and not a day goes by that I think, if Mike had not spotted me in a parking lot, after 3 1/2 years, I would not have had 52 years with a wonderful woman. 

The stories that are featured in the newspaper are both sad and heart-warming.  Some are serious while others are hilarious.  They all are interesting!  I haven't decided what story I should submit to the newspaper as of yet, but someday I will!  If you have been following my blog for the past few years, I'm sure that you more than likely will have already read it by the time I submit it to "I KNOW A STORY".  But then again, I have lived long enough to have stories that could last forever...almost!  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.