~e~: The Most Greatest Story Ever Told

Here is a hunk from my book 'Drowning In The Shallow End Of The Dream Pool'

Hello Friends,

Here it is, the most greatest story ever told. Now, this is not to be confused with 'The Greatest Story Ever Told', this is the 'most greatest' story ever told. See the difference? This doesn't have to do with passin' out a bunch of stinky fishes or zombies or nothin', this has to do with my mom and pop. So, with out further ado, her is 'The Most Greatest Story Ever Told'.

Once upon a time, many, many, many, years ago, when I was somewhere around 16 or 17, I was in the Gilcrease Museum gift shop with my mom and pop. We had already been through the museum and were about ready to leave. Mom was off some where, talking to some complete stranger about God knows what, and pop and I were just standin' around doin' nothin' but waitin' on mom. All of a sudden here is mom and she is holding this fancy Indian necklace. Mom showed it to pop and said "Isn't this beautiful?" and pop did his trade mark 'open his eyes wide and jerk his head' move and replied "Boy howdy!" Then mom toddles off to tell the clerk some story that she could careless about (Now you know where I get it from)

After a few minutes here comes mom and she asks if we are ready to go. Pop asked her if she bought that necklace and mom replied "No" then informed pop that it was 900 smack-a-roos. Pop said with out hesitation "Oh, you need the check book" and reaches into his front shirt pocket to retrieve it (He didn't say 'let me buy it for you' or 'would you like to have it' He thought she didn't get it because she didn't have the check book) Mom said "On no, I don't want it" And we left.

Now, I am floored. I couldn't imagine that some one could just be throwin' around 900 bucks like that. He must be a some kinda millionaire or somethin', I thought. So I'm thinkin' if 900 dollarenies is nothin' to pop, maybe he will just give it to me. We left mom at the entrance of the joint while we went to get the car. Time to put my plan into action, I said "You know, since mom doesn't want that necklace, can I have the 900 donuts, pop....I mean...father? All I got was a non emotional, matter of fact, "No". Heck, he wasn't even lookin' at me, he was rubberneckin' around lookin' for the stupid car. As we pulled the Chrysler New Yorker around to pick up mom he tells me this story...not in the stupid way I'm tellin' y'all, but in his 'just the facts, get to the point' way of his. Pops way may be better, but he ain't here. Here is the story in the story.

Once upon a time, many, many, many, many, many, years ago, about 1949, lived a young couple named George and Betty. Now, George was fresh outta the Army Air Corp and WWII and Betty was fresh outta High school. George was from the country. He grew up during the depression in the oil fields some where between Olive and Oilton, Ok. And when I say country I mean if he wanted a glass of water, he didn't get it from some gadget squirtin' cold water and crushed ice that was built into the refrigerator door. He had to get a glass and go outside and pump water out of the bowles of the earth. Betty was from the city, Drumrite. She also grew up during the depression, but being from the big city, she had running water in her house. They now lived in an apartment on 6th and Rockford in Tulsa. Of course those two kids were married, because people didn't live together back then with out bein' hitched, cause if they did they would go to hell and they didn't want that. They had no car and no money. Not to mention, no big flat screen TV, microwave, computer, ipod, Sham Wow's, George Forman grill, or cell phones. If you wanted to call some one, not only did you have to actually know the number, but you had to physically dial it on a wheel with a bunch of holes in it. Ziiiip tick tick tick tick tick, ziiiip tick tick tick tick tick, ziiiip tick tick tick tick tick. It musta been a living hell back then.

Times were tough for those two. They rode the bus to and from work. Betty had just started working for the phone company and George worked at Retail Credit. They could barely make ends meet. One time after paying their bills, all that was left was one (1) dime. That's it, one stinking dime. This was all they had for the rest of the week. One stupid dime. Betty put the dime in the desk drawer. To make things worse, all they had to eat was a big bowl of macaroni salad. So for the next four days those two kids got up in the morning, ate a couple of spoonfuls of macaroni salad, walked to work, worked all day, walked home, ate a couple more spoonfuls, and went to bed. Friday, or better 'payday' finally came. They got up, ate a couple of spoonfuls, got ready to leave and opened the door to a rain storm. George went to the desk drawer and grabbed the dime. He told Betty to take the bus to work and on his lunch break he would run (literally) to the bank and cash his check so they could stop at the grocery store on their way home and get some food. Betty looked at George and said (This is great) "If your walking in the rain, I'm walking in the rain." And that's what they did friends, they walked to work in the rain...together. As they walked, George desided that he would go to college on the G.I. bill so he could a job that paid enough so this wouldn't happen again. And as he looked at his rain soaked bride, he made a silent promise to himself. He promised that when he got out of school and got that better paying job that he would never say 'no' to her. George did get out of school and become a engineer. He has designed, engineered, and built things, from skyscrapers to rockets. He is retired now, but still keeps his professional engineers license, number 5949, up to date. George and Betty have been married for over 63 years, and to this day he is still keeping his promise. And Betty, well she retired from the phone company and is still tellin' complete strangers the most interesting stories. She has never had to walk in the rain again.

I had never heard this story before that day. Mom filled in the blanks for me later but she never knew about the promise pop had made. But that's my father. It makes me wonder how many young brides today would walk in the rain. But that's my mother.

But on a sad note, pop didn't make any kind of promise to never say 'no' to his future son. He has no problem saying 'no' to me. Probably cause he knows I would have taken the stupid dime and got on the stupid bus.

And something else, mom, has never, and I mean never ever made macaroni salad again. Cross my heart.

Now, you tell me, is that not the most greatest story ever told?

Here are a few of the things pop was invoved with. Also, he was head engineer during the construction of the ONEOK building (the house that George built) at the top of the page. A million miles away from Retail Credit, city buses, and that little apartment on 6th and Rockford.