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My father-in-law has been
here with us for a week now due to the hurricane that hit South Louisiana. I
have wanted to write this story for a long time. This week he mentioned
"Maggie" to me and I decided that now as a perfect time for the story to be
written. He is not able to be in his own home and giving him this story will
perhaps be 'just what the doctor ordered'. I hope you enjoy reading it. I
think this may be a "never ending story" because I plan to add new chapters to
it as I can.
Love at First Sight
On a hot summer day in South Louisiana, young
Julius was driving down the road in his car on the road to Bayou Liberty. He
did not have any particular plans that day; he was just riding ???down the bayou???
and thought perhaps he would see some of his friends there. As he drove down
the road he saw something that would change his life forever. There were two
young girls walking in the direction he was going. They were walking barefoot
down the road and one of them was a beauty he wanted to get to know. He had no
idea who she was but he stopped and asked if they would like a ride so they
would not have to walk on the hot road. The young ladies had been properly
raised and told him they would not accept his offer of a ride and continued on
down the road. Back in those days, young girls never would accept a ride from a
stranger and even though they were tempted, they said no.
Julius was already smitten
and watched to see where they went. He was Determined to meet the beautiful
young girl. Luckily for him, she turned out to be the younger sister of some of
his friends. They arranged for her to go to the next local dance with them so
they could introduce him to their sister.
When they met at the dance,
they both were interested and began to see each other at other parties and
dances. Her brothers must have enjoyed helping them to meet and at the same
time were able to watch over their sister. And being young men, they probably
loved the idea of helping to keep the news from their father. They did not
date; but they attended the same events and got to know each other better.
There was a slight problem; Marguerite??™s parents had already planned for her to
marry another young man who was well known to them and her father, Tobe did not
want those plans changed. In fact, he refused to allow his daughter to go out
with this brash young man. He was not from their community and not a part of
the life he wanted for his daughter. Marguerite??™s family lived ???down the bayou??™
and Julius lived ???in town??™ with his family. And even worse, Julius was known to
be a young man who liked to gamble. He loved to play poker!
The day came when Julius
decided to go to her house and meet her family. When he arrived and walked to
the front gate, Tobe stood on the porch and said, ???Young man, do not open that
gate and come to this house. If you do, I will shoot you.??? Julius, as has
been noted, was a brash young man and already in love so instead of turning
away, he took the gate in his hands; removed it from its hinges, and walked
toward the house. Tobe did not shoot him but he insisted his daughter could not
see this fellow.
Young love persisted and
soon Marguerite and Julius were making plans to be wed. Her mom was in
agreement but Tobe was still not ready to see his daughter marry this man.
Emilie (her mother) helped Marguerite prepare for her marriage and Tobe looked
on with displeasure. Then the day they needed to buy the marriage license
arrived and he relented a bit. He paid for the license. Sometimes love just
can??™t be stopped and he must have realized that he was going to have to accept
Julius or lose his daughter completely.
The wedding was simple;
Marguerite wore her best Sunday dress and they were married in the small Bayou
Liberty Catholic Church, St. Genevieve. This was in July of 1937. In August
of 1938, their family grew with the arrival of Carlos David, then along came
Lynn Jude, Julie Marguerite, Thomas Joseph, Rodney James, Allen Charles, and
Denise Elaine. Times were not always easy but Julius worked hard at different
jobs and yes, continued to play poker. He was a winner of the girl of his
dreams and also a winner at poker. In fact, at times, his poker winnings kept
his family fed.
One funny story about
Marguerite has always fascinated me. You see, every payday Julius would deposit
his paycheck and tell Marguerite. She would use the money she needed to buy food
for the family. Once he forgot to tell her the check was deposited and she was
just stubborn enough not to ask. They had bought a case of ???Pork and Beans??™ and
instead of asking if the money was in the bank, she served that for a week. He
must have wondered what had happened to her wonderful gumbos and stews and it
took a few days but he finally realized he had not told her about the paycheck.
Sometimes a woman can send a message without words and Marguerite certainly did
get her message across that week.
In July of 1987, Marguerite
and Julius celebrated their fiftieth wedding anniversary. She was beginning to
have health problems that led to Alzheimer??™s but the love in their eyes was
there. He had managed to win the young girl he saw on the road and he took care
of her for as long as she lived.
Julius called her Maggie,
the children called her mother, and the grand-children called her Mem??re. She
wore all of those titles with beauty and a smile. My name for her was also
Mem??re. She was my mother-in-law and the most wonderful one that anyone could
ever have. Julius saw and won this wonderful young girl and to him she remained
for all the years they were married a beautiful young girl. She never aged in
his eyes. Was it love at first sight? I think it was but it turned out to be a
???never ending love.???
Maggie is gone now but her
memory is still in Julius??™s heart and he will never forget his ???beautiful bayou
girl???.
?© Doris B. Fandal
September 5, 2005
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