Saturday, April 20, 2013

"R" is for Redhead


Julia shook her head at Cal.  "I’m married to an adolescent."
 
"That's because you married an adolescent," Cal replied. "Not too smart, if you ask me, Professor."

"I don't ask you.  I admit it wasn't my most MENSA moment, but I needed someone who could work on a Volkswagen and open jars."

"Uh-huh... Son," Cal said, glancing sideways at Jay, "I’d never tell you
not to marry a redhead, but I’d definitely advise you to go in with both eyes open," whereupon Julia gave him a good whack upside the head.

.....

It was 1987 and I was standing outside my senior English classroom at North High School with my girlfriend Robin before the bell rang, when my teacher, Mrs. Gaede (who, incidentally, is tied for First Place in my personal Teacher Hall of Fame) walked up to the door.  She suddenly stopped and looked us over, shook her head in bemused wonder and said "My, your family certainly has a predilection for redheads."

Let's turn back the clock another twenty three years.  My Dad, with whom I share a first name, was a North High graduate.  Not only did Mrs. Gaede teach at North High when he attended, he also did yardwork and odd jobs for her, and she remembered his redhead girlfriend from then. (Fortunately, hers was an interim position, and Dad married my redhead Mom, whom he met at Bakersfield College.  They just celebrated their forty-fifth anniversary.)  So yeah, Mrs. Gaede definitely had a point.

Our song?  Lady in Red, of course.
I met my own redhead girlfriend my sophomore and her freshman year at a Tuesday night band practice, but honestly, it didn't register very strongly with me at the time.  She seemed kind of goofy, but that's about it.  It wasn't until the next year that I fell for her, hard, at a County Honor Band practice.  There she was, under the lights on the other end of the stage, and BAM, I was smitten with the proverbial ton of bricks, yea, verily.  It took three months of concerted effort to convince her that I was The Guy.

Now I didn't mention it before, but at that first inconsequential meeting, the night air was damp and chilly, and Robin was wearing this ridiculous nylon windbreaker with the hood cinched tight around her face.  Note that there was no electricity when her red hair was covered, but when it was lit up by the stage lights I was zapped like Ben Franklin's kite.  Coincidence?  The gentle reader may dismiss it as such, but I'm not willing to.  Of course, there were other things, like her beauty, her vivacity, her faith, her inner glow, her nuttiness and her independent streak.  But never discount the redness.


Whatever it was, it was something.  We've been married for nigh on twenty-three years now, and my redhead and I have been through ups and downs, thin and flush, laughter and sorrow.  It's common for redheads to lose their red as time goes by, and she's no exception, now being more of a reddish, brownish blonde.  She hates it.  Nothing against blondes, I don't think, she's just always liked being a redhead, in a proud, defiant way.  Most redhead women know they're special.  Now she just requires a little help from magical hair guy David (two hours north in Fresno!) to maintain it.

But I don't care.  While it's true I have a thing for red hair, I'll always have a thing for one particular redhead, even when her hair is white.



23 comments:

  1. Has your wife read this post? You have remembered so much from the beginning and with the rest of your description, well, it's lovely and so sweet. She needs to see it :)

    Lady in Red, yes, it had to be your song of course.

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  2. Such a special tribute to Robin. What sweet memories!

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  3. Lovely post!

    Nice to meet you via the A to Z

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  4. Your final thought is a beautiful tribute to your wife. Thanks for showing us that. My husband & I both have brown hair, but our firstborn came with vibrant red hair, a gene from his side of the family that I was unaware of. Our 3 others have the same brown hair as we do. It's nice to see an old gene show up now & again.

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  5. Thanks, everyone! Yes, Robin did see it and loved it. When a husband makes a gesture to his wife, he calls as much attention to it as possible. I'm still waiting to hear back from CNN. I don't remember everything from the last 29 years, but some things to remain vivid. Thanks all of you for taking the time to come by and read and comment. By the way, Anonymous is the redhead Mom. :)

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  6. I love your tribute to your wife. Congrats on twenty-three years. I really like your last sentence, that really sums it all up. Great post.

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  7. Thanks, Joan. Great to see you today!

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  9. I cannot remember you two ever NOT being together! :) How wonderful that you found each other early and knew a good thing when you saw it! Loved reading this. ♥ Incidentally, my Mom also attended North and had Mrs. Gaede for English...and she is also in my teacher Hall of Fame. :)

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    1. I don't know if I'd have known a good thing if it whacked ME upside the head, but sometimes the Lord superintends things for us despite our best efforts to mess them up. I suspect Lady Gaede is in a whole lot of Halls of Fame.

      Thanks for stopping by!

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  10. Jerry, I enjoyed this post and seeing the evolution of your relationship with Redhead Robin. Your high school photo is priceless. While I love your last line, this one struck me, too: "...her beauty, her vivacity, her faith, her inner glow, her nuttiness and her independent streak. But never discount the redness."

    Beautiful choice for "R".
    xoA

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    1. Hi, Annis. That photo was taken at my senior prom at Pioneer Village of all places. A lot of fun.

      So "vivacity" is really a word? I wasn't completely sure. :)

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    2. "Vivacity" must be a word. I knew exactly what you meant. xoA

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  11. Love this one...I've been trying to keep up, but it's been a bit crazy in Lapaland..I will read them all in the weeks to come. Your intellect and humor are well suited to blogging....keep it up occasionally when your challenge is over! You are a great read.

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    1. Thanks, Candice! I'm flattered to see you here and to hear you've been checking it out. I plan to go once a week when the Challenge is done. Say Hi to the Mister for me.

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  12. Jer,


    Authentic is the word that came to mind as I finished reading this story. A real man sharing real feelings in a sweet story about the woman he loves. Authentic, Jer!

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    1. Thanks, Dennis. I didn't use your excellent theme of people in your life, but it seemed like a good idea for "R."

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  13. So very sweet... Simple words with great heart .. Good luck with the challenge .

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    1. Thanks very much, and good luck to you, too. You have some beautiful designs on your blog.

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  14. Aww, Jer. Difficult to comment on the writing merits of this post when it's just so full of sweet. Boy, you nailed her personality in this one. I see the picture of you two in high school and it brings back so many memories. Also, Mrs. Gaede ROCKED. That was a great class.

    I think the point I need to make here is to call attention to the fact that your writing is evolving through this challenge. Your earlier blogs showed sharp writing skills, attention to detail and humor, but these later posts are also showing that you can make people *feel*, too. Incidentally... we saw 42 today, and WOW. Just... wow. It actually made me think of your "J" post as we were leaving the theater.

    Great job!

    Waiter, drink please!

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    1. Thanks, Dana. I feel like I'm over a hump on this Challenge. Of course, it's the weekend and tomorrow's an off day.

      I wrote a review of "42" last Sunday that you might like. Yeah, I want to go see it again.

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  15. What an encouraging post. I love when people are still in love. Vivacity is an awesome word, especially when describing us gingers. I'm with your wife--Red Rocks! It's not just a color, it's a state of being, so even when you're grey or white, you're always red at heart.

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  16. Thanks, Bethie. It's easy to be in love with someone who puts up with your s---. :)
    Good to hear from a redhead - you know exactly what I'm talking about. There are no former redheads. Thanks for stopping by.

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