Today is Jan 12, 2011 on another Jan 12 1979 at 3.45PM I met my deceased wife Linda...Taking a break today but did want to honor her with a reprint of how we met and then a year later married. We try and not dwell on sadness of loosing a wonderful mate, and I am getting better at it...but then all of a sudden the date hits you right between the eyes, which is just in front of the grey matter that holds all those memories....I wrote this story in 3rd person, like I was an observer but sure you will figure out that "Bill" is actually me and "Jane" is Linda...
Bill had been divorced a year or so. He had been out there visiting a few night spots when time allowed from his duties as a father. Blind dates had not yielded much more to fill the emptiness than the night spots. Oh,family life and work is the main thing anyway he thought and besides maybe he just needed a short vacation that was being offered to him by his employer. A short 5 day trip to El Salvador would be fun he thought. He signed up, never been there before, why not. Nice break from farming and seed sales and this hidden quest for a new companion, he thought. His employer Northrup King Seeds would be flying an entire plane load of seed salesman there. What could be any safer or more fun than a peaceful little country like that?.
January 12, 1979 came and the day to fly off for Bill's vacation. His brother Bob took him to the annual Purdue Ag Alumni Fish Fry before dropping him off at the Purdue University airport for a short flight to Chicago late afternoon, and then the next morning he will be on his way to sunny San Salvador, El Salvador. He sat waiting after checking his bags for the flight, maybe 15 minutes to go till the 4 o’clock flight time. A blonde "looker" comes through the door and hits the check-in counter. Bill scans her but thinks not a lot about her, but did notice that only a couple empty chairs remaining were near him. He would get a good look at the "looker" as soon as she needs a seat. The gal checks in and turns to look for a seat and then sits down only two chairs from Bill. Not bad he thinks, too bad this chick is not going to El Salvador his mind dreams. He notices her nervousness as she sets down and whips out some knitting work. A rubber stopper flies off the needle and Bill thinks quick. Retrieve this you idiot before some other bozo does, why not, no one knows him, take a chance, go for it. Three men go for the stopper but Bill has the quickness and drive needed to recover the fumble. He brings it back and hands it to the lady who smiles and say's, "thank you". "Your welcome", Bill say's, and settles back into his seat.
Only flight leaving that afternoon is to Chicago but Bill finally musters the courage to get the lady's attention and asks, "are you flying to Chicago"? The reply is "Yes", as Bill knew it would be. Silence sets in, as Bill assumes others in ear range have assumed him an idiot. The flight is called and all in the room walk out to the small prop plane. Bill just happens to get himself in line behind the "blonde looker" in the black leather coat. The plane is small, so small in fact that one must bend over at almost 90 degrees to walk down the aisle to the single seats on each side of the plane. All Bill sees now is the rear of that leather coat. Oh, heavens, he thinks as he follows the coat that rides up quite a bit with the bending over, this gal also has legs, and they are running from her shoes all the way to, well to where the coat stops the peep show.
The gal sits on the port side of the plane and luck seems to be liking Bill as he molds himself into the empty seat on the starboard side. The roar of the engines require more volume as Bill ask her, "Are you staying in Chicago"? "Well yes" she says. Silence finally breaks again when Bill says, "well I am flying to El Salvador in the morning". "Wow, that's sounds like a warmer place to be going", she says. "Yeal, they say its 90 during the day there", "Are you married", Bill asked. "No are you", she reply's?
The noisy flight finds them exchanging where they live in their home town, what they do, what kind of cars they have. And of course her name, he finds is Jane and lets her know he is Bill. She figures he is really married but not sure. Bill is figuring with his luck so far this gal will be staying in the same hotel, why not? The plane lands, Bill gets up the nerve to bring up the possibility that they could maybe have dinner together, "Where are you staying he ask?" She tells him, and Bill has not a clue where that is or where his hotel is either. He thinks fast and says, "do you maybe have a phone number at your hotel that after I find out where I am etc., that maybe I could check and see what your plans are"? Jane tells him that she may have here meals included in her package. But Bill gets the phone number and bids her goodbye and promises to call in an hour or so if things work out OK after his hotel check in. He thinks, hey, the main thing here is getting checked in for my little vacation but after that, well who knows love may just be "in the air".
Bill checks into his hotel and asks the hotel clerk about where Jane's hotel would be. How much would it cost to take a cab over there Bill asks? Twenty Five dollars plus, say's the clerk, as Bill look's into the bar and see's that some of his fellow seed sales people are starting to arrive there and get a little noisy. It looks like maybe fun to save all that money and hang there and plan the attack on El Salvador that evening. Bill calls Jane's hotel and finally hears her voice on the line. "Hi Jane, how are you doing?", he asks. "Real good", Jane say's, and then proceeds to tell Bill that she has found out that since she is traveling alone, that she has been able to change her package deal from a Romantic Dinner for two for one night to a Romantic Dinner for one for both nights she will be there. Bill wanting to stay out of the brewing snow storm, impress her with his practicality, and not risk missing his flight in the morning just for a long shot on love, say's, "Oh, Jane that is great, because I found out that a cab fare is 25 bucks over to your hotel and for 50 dollars round trip, why Jane I could take you out twice after we return home". Jane seems not overwhelmed with that prospect, or his practicality, and makes no promises about even a future date. Bill tells her it was great to have met her and hopes when he gets back to be able to at least meet for a cup of coffee and is able to pry a local home town phone number from Jane.
Bill meets that evening about 4 other men who are also traveling alone, single or otherwise. The rest of the plane load were couples who are going to enjoy the trip together.
Everyone turns in at a decent time to rise early for a 8 am charter flight direct from O’Hare 5 hours due south across the Gulf of Mexico to sunny El Salvador. The next morning all are on board at 8 am, but the storm has intensified and the plane is deiced for the second time about 9:30 am, and finally is allowed to leave in a heavy snow storm and is the next to the last plane to leave O’Hare for a couple days. Cheers when up as Bill's plane lifted up out of the storm and into the sunlight and the mood stayed high for all the next 5 hours. The plane slowed for landing and all that could be seen were some pretty green mountains below, everywhere one looked, nothing but mountains. How could this plane land in all these mountains?, Bill wonders. Finally the plane dropped down on what looked like a mountain with the top half missing on the edge of this rather large city. They deplaned and walked through the 90 degree heat which was 100 degrees warmer than they had left just 5 hours before. It was nice, as they approached the customs everyone was told to surrender their passports to the military authorities who seemed to be almost everywhere with rifles and the officers with side arms. Surrendering the passports was strange, but they had no choice. They just hoped they would get them back in 5 days. The corporate officers and travel guides put a good light on things and they boarded buses to the hotel. The driver thrilled Bill all least once per block as they worked their way at high speed through town on whichever side of the street seemed to be less crowded.
That night a gala banquet with drinks got everyone off to a festive mood. The travel guide warned to never drink the water or even eat the salad washed in water. Coke and beer was the name of the game they said. After the dinner they were told to stick in the hotel and rise early for a visit to a cattle ranch the next morning. Bill was about to do that when his 4 single or otherwise acquaintances suggested that they were going to sample the night life a little and if he wanted to tag along. They hailed a cab driver who spoke only Spanish and said to him, "Bar, drinks, women music". He understood and said something like, "good spot" and with two in front with driver Pedro and three in the back, they were off. Bill and the others had been told that night that the city of San Salvador was almost as modern and large, as say Indianapolis, but 5 miles out of town you would progress backwards two hundred years as quickly as batting your eyes. Soon they were in the countryside, no more city and Bill started to feel a little uneasy, but the rest of the crew in this flying missile just figured it was going to be worth the trip. The cab stopped before a rather dim lit bar with Hollywood style swinging doors going in, and in they went, but not before pleading with the driver to not even think about leaving them there.
The bar had four large tables with about 30 Salvadorian men and maybe a half dozen very attractive women occupying three of them. Most of the men had the machetes with about a 24 inch blade attached to their belts. They all 5 sat at the spare table close to the bar and ordered a drink and before they even came, about 3 of the women left the tables with the Salvadorians and moved in amongst the five Gringo's. They brought their empty glasses with them and of course were offered drinks since being so nice as to come over to get acquainted with the seed corn Five. Bill was not really alarmed at all of this, as a couple of his younger companions looked like they had worked with weights forever and who would mess with guys like that. Twenty minutes later Bill noticed that about a half dozen of the less friendly looking Salvadorians had gotten up from a table and positioned themselves in front of the door. They were facing the table of the Americans and a couple had removed their machetes from the belts. Bill suggested that the situation had deteriorated, and after looking around the room, all Five were in agreement that maybe it was time to at least try and say good night. They called for the check!
Story to be continued in a day or two....
After much Prayer, Stress and Money, I finally this day made it all the way home. The final act of this drama started today with a phone call from Louisville Caterpillar service center that my motor home was done and the bill being prepaired...I took off for Louisville about 11 a.m. and arrived there about 2 P.M. The coach was done and the bill was prepaired to the tune of over 2,000 dollars...I gulped and simply asked that they at least consider that I had paid 500 to the same owner of the service center in Lexington and for the same problem more or less. They finally agreed to remove 4 hours labor at 90 dollars per hour or 360 dollars bringing my bill down to the 1600 dollar range. Never thought I would appreciate a 1600 dollar repair bill for a fuel pump, but after first being told over 2000 you bet your sweet bippy, I was very appreciative.
Picture above calls for a celebration of sorts. I made it home and here I am parked in front of my home in Indiana...and it ran good all the way and surely hope it continues to do so for years to come. I had a case of my finest wine in my wine cellar of the motor home. Emmediately upon shutting it off for the first time since Louisville I proceeded to that compartment and removed the several bottles of my Brown County Old Barrel Port Wine and skipped my way into the house. Pulled the cork on one of them and poured my self a "liberal" pour of it and did all the right stuff...First smelling it then taking a small sip...Ahhh yes it was good, very good and after a couple sips I ventured out to remove my truck from the motor home..tucking it away into the garage for the night I did indeed finish my liberal glass of the wonderful grape product....
