Thoughts of Yesterday, What Was to Be, Part 2

One thing I noticed about Wayne earlier in our marriage is that he couldn't read.  He could read but not very well.  I determined he must be dyslexic.  He had all the signs of someone with dyslexia.  I would have to read him instructions for something he was putting together, for example.  We never talked about his getting help because it didn't affect his work since he always used his hands and was good at it.  His last job he worked as a maintenance person at a automotive shop for about 30 years.  Too bad they didn't have a retirement package.  And, I never told anyone about that, not even our own kids as they were growing up.  I may have mentioned it since they became adults.  Wayne had some report cards from when he was a kid (elementary school) and it was obvious to me he had problems then but back then I don't think dyslexia was something the medical system knew about.  Because of this, it makes it hard for Wayne to do things on a computer for example.  You have to be able to read for almost anything you do.  He was lucky in that he was good with his hands and could get jobs in a mechanical field.  Even when he was in the U.S. Navy, he worked in hydraulics, and he was classified Machinist Mate.

We met in Rhode Island where I grew up and he was stationed nearby in Quonset Point, RI.  I use to go to a club for teenagers (no alcohol) called "The Girls City Club".  It was run by an older lady.  There was a live band there on weekends and dancing, along with hot chocolate and some cookies.  Some people that went to the club would help out with duties, such as making the hot chocolate.  All the sailors would go there and this is how I met Wayne.  He kept following me around the dance floor and I wasn't too keen on him then.  My best friend at the time, Joy Anne, said to me one day "Why don't you give him a chance, maybe you will even like him?"  so I did.  He asked me out.  He was one to brag a lot and I found out fairly quickly not to believe everything he said.  But he had a nice personality, we ended up getting engaged, and he finally took me to meet his parents and siblings.  I was very shy and think his mother didn't like me at first.  We drove from Rhode Island to Michigan.  I ended up flying home because he had to go on to his new ship he was assigned to in Mayport, FL.   All the way home I cried.  I think it was two-part.  One because I had never flown before and two because we were being separated.

Not too long after that, I ended up sending Wayne a letter to let him know I was coming to Florida.  I told him I would not live with him but wanted to be there for him.  Before that even happened, we decided it was best to get married.  So on July 11, 1969, we married.  It was not a formal wedding.  I did not have a "wedding gown" but to this day wish I had at least taken a picture.  It was an empire mini dress and it puffed out right under the bust line.  We were married in a church, but not the Catholic church because we couldn't get a priest to ok it.  Instead we were married in a congregational church by a minister.  We used his daughter's vows she and her fiance wrote.  During the whole ceremony, we both laughed.  I think we were both nervous.  My parents took us out to dinner and then our honeymoon began at a local motel.  

When I called my work to tell them I was leaving to go to Florida soon, they all thought I was pregnant.  Years later when we moved back to Rhode Island and I filled in there for a bit when they needed someone, they were all surprised that we didn't have any children.  

While we lived in Florida, it was the first time I had been away from home and on my own.  I was definitely ready for that.  Even when Wayne went on his 6 month mediterranean cruises with his ship, The USS Franklin D. Roosevelt (CV 42)  aircraft carrier, I remained in Florida.  Wayne went on two med. cruises but I told him if he re-enlisted, I would not be happy.  Prior to our getting married, Wayne was attached to the USS Essex (CV 9) which was stationed in Quonset Point, RI.  The Essex  was the prime recovery carrier for the Apollo 7 mission.  She recovered the Apollo 7's crew on the 22nd of October 1968 after a splashdown north of Puerto Rico.  Wayne was transferred to the USS Franklin D. Roosevelt (CF 42) after the Essex was decommissioned.

Look for Thoughts of Yesterday, What was to Be, Part 3 - coming soon