I was only home long enough to
pick up the ring, work a couple more days, make a round of goodbye visits to special
friends and a group gathering, and to have a final family dinner. Mom took my
departure very hard. I expected it. She was so worried that I would miss home.
I love my family, but departure was easy. I was glad to leave. I can’t say that
I ever missed home. Home was often tense. One sister let me know how disappointed she was that I was planning to be in the ministry. She said, “You
could have been someone.” And all
that time, I though I was somebody. Go figure. My younger brother had been
married while I was in my first semester at school. I met his wife once. We
never had a conversation. Mom was very quiet anticipating my departure. She did
not like any of her kids moving away. No doubt I got less static on my
departure than the others as dad was very supportive. He was thrilled that a
child of his was planning on the ministry.
I soon left on the most nervous and
exciting trip of my life. I was off to see the woman I prayed would soon be my
fiancé. I tried to drive straight through, but holed up over night in Great
Falls, Montana and took off early the next morning.
When in Red Deer I stayed at the
Gifford’s. They only lived two blocks from Della. I loved the proximity. Mrs.
Gifford was very good friends with Della’s mom and Della was best friends with
Jean (Anna),
I was always welcomed to the
Gifford’s like a family member. My first partial year only two students attended
from Red Deer, Alberta. Al roomed with Floyd and I roomed with him on choir
tour. Della was the other one and I had an eye on her, but didn’t pursue it. I
wanted to then, but was adhering to the guy code of not approaching another guy’s
girl. Well, she really wasn’t his girl, but he hadn’t accepted that yet.
The following year was a Red Deer
invasion in Regina — nine more Red Deer students arrived. I’m not sure who
followed whom? Rev. and Mrs. Rose left the pastorate at Red Deer to minister at
Woodward Alliance Church in Regina. All these students had been part of their
youth group. Among them was Ron Gifford. Not only were Della and her mother
good friends with Ron’s family. I now had a connection. Every time I visited
Red Deer as a single guy, I stayed with them. Here friend Jean I met at Christmas,
as she was a nursing student in Edmonton. Her other friend from the second
grade came along to CBC that fall.
I had no idea what Della felt, but
I was nervous. I know we were both glad to see each other. That evening we went
for a walk in Coronation Park (downtown Red Deer). We walked and talked and I
was looking for the perfect place to drop to my knee and pop open the ring box.
I wanted to stop somewhere she would be able to see the ring. She knew the park
and was keeping us in the shadows and doing all she could to stay away from the
park lights. I finally won, moved near a light, proposed, she accepted and I
was walking on air and more than willing to go into the dark shadows, but then
all she wanted to do was go home. There were people to tell.
Mom was excited and then Della
went to the phone. Are all engagements like this? I totally disappeared into
the background while she called every girlfriend she had (which was at least the whole church) and she had plenty. I might
as well have gone back to the Gifford’s and gone to bed. By the time I did get
to there place, they already knew of the engagement. There was no one left to
tell, at least not in Red Deer. I told my Omaha friends of my plans before leaving.
Several of her friends came by the
next day and I was privileged to sit on the side and listen and watch. I wasn’t
completely ignored. I was congratulated before the girls peeled off into another
corner. Actually, I loved listening to the talk.
A few days later, we headed to
Regina. It would be her final year and my junior year. We were optimistic and
enthusiastic. Our lives were out before us and it looked great. We could hardly
wait.
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