In 1945, Dad was a 22-year-old seaman in the US Navy aboard a PT boat in the Pacific during WWII, and Mom was a 17-year-old delivery girl living in Sydney, Australia with her mom, dad and 15-year-old sister, Ruthy. This is the story of their long and somewhat turbulent but very romantic courtship.
Sydney was one of the R&R ports for US troops and like many of his fellow sailors, Dad was in town to have some fun and hopefully meet some girls. He had an address of a girl he was going to meet and was having trouble finding the street when he spotted Ruthy and Mom. That’s his story anyway; I think it was just a good opening line.
Meanwhile my mom and my Aunt Ruthy had been out delivering advertising slides to the movie houses and were walking home. Using the pretense of needing help with the address my dad approached the girls. Both were very pretty but Ruthy with her white blond hair usually attracted more attention and such was the case on the walk home. Once they arrived home and Dad got a good look in some light he realized that Ruthy was much too young and switched his attention over to Mom. Not the most romantic start.
He asked her out and her father said NO but two days later let them go to an early movie. “Be home by 9” The date went well and Dad was on his way back to his ship that would be leaving in the morning when he was hit by a car and ended up in the hospital. Darn those Aussies driving on the wrong side of the road ;)! Mom says that’s when they really started to get to know each other.
to be continued….
Sydney was one of the R&R ports for US troops and like many of his fellow sailors, Dad was in town to have some fun and hopefully meet some girls. He had an address of a girl he was going to meet and was having trouble finding the street when he spotted Ruthy and Mom. That’s his story anyway; I think it was just a good opening line.
Meanwhile my mom and my Aunt Ruthy had been out delivering advertising slides to the movie houses and were walking home. Using the pretense of needing help with the address my dad approached the girls. Both were very pretty but Ruthy with her white blond hair usually attracted more attention and such was the case on the walk home. Once they arrived home and Dad got a good look in some light he realized that Ruthy was much too young and switched his attention over to Mom. Not the most romantic start.
He asked her out and her father said NO but two days later let them go to an early movie. “Be home by 9” The date went well and Dad was on his way back to his ship that would be leaving in the morning when he was hit by a car and ended up in the hospital. Darn those Aussies driving on the wrong side of the road ;)! Mom says that’s when they really started to get to know each other.
to be continued….
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