Treasures Found: Devotion

Fall, Rural North Central Florida …
Charles Henry was busy sawing and chopping the wood with all of his young friends. Even though he had not grown to his fully mature adult body, he was strong as an ox and not afraid of hard work.
Thus, he dug his heels in and cut all the wood he could before time to go the house and partake of the wonderful covered dish dinner awaiting them.
When he began cleaning up a little in preparation for those great dishes he noticed out of the corner of his eye a very tiny black haired girl with tiny coal black eyes and thought he recognized her from another time and place.
He wasn’t sure if it was the same girl he remembered from another time; if so, she sure has grown up nicely he thinks.
Lois Marion was preparing the tables for lunch and noticed his striking green eyes as well.
They had noticed each other in former times but it appears the occasion just never arrived for them to actually speak to each other before.
However, now they were thirteen and fourteen and we all know at that age interest in the opposite gender begins to spark.
This certainly was the case on this day in 1944.
He was still young enough to be playful, slapping at his friends and running barefoot down the dirt road, tossing the balls at the other boys and playing whatever games they could play while awaiting their meal.
All the while he was playing, surreptitiously his gaze would move to her quiet form and if she caught his eyes on her he would quickly jump back into play with his buddies.
Thus, during the meal, this little cat and mouse game would be played and she would wonder in her own mind… He is sooooo handsome, why haven’t I noticed him before?
She was quite taken with his prowess both in play and strength.
Cousins Lula Mae and Regina noticed the quick and furtive glances at the young man with the green eyes. Lula Mae whispered “look, she’s looking at him again.”
“Yes”, Regina would comment, “he’s checking her out too. Wouldn’t it be something if they liked each other?”
“Maybe we can try to get them together after the meal when we start playing games” they schemed.
“Let’s see, we can play spin the bottle; maybe that will put them together. Who knows, it’s certainly a chance and if that bottle stops on one of them they HAVE to do what the game demands” they whispered secretly
It was at this time Lula Mae and Regina began their efforts at moving Lois Marion closer to Charles Henry in hopes of striking up a new acquaintance.
Who knows what else might happen from this meeting?
“Hey, Ralph, why don’t we get our plates and sit over there near those girls?” Charles Henry whispered. “I’d like to meet that girl with the black hair. I really like the way she looks” he said with a grin. Her hair is really pretty with all those bouncy, black curls. I wonder if she notices me… he thought to himself.
From his friend, Ralph G. “That younger sister, Regina looks great to me! I’ve been seeing her at school and this just might be the time to talk to her.” Ralph commented with mischief in his eyes. “I’m checking out that one for myself!”
Charles Henry finds his way over to Lois Marion and introduces himself “Hi, I’m Charles, what’s your name?” he asks.
She blushes prettily and quietly answers “I’m Marion, pleased to meet ya.”
With more courage now, the young man asks “Where do you go to school? How old are you?”
“Well, I’ll be fifteen at the end of this month and I go to school in town. Do you go to school out here in Mason with my cousins?”
Quickly he answers “Yep, I turned fifteen in June of this year and yeah, I go to Mason. I guess we have something in common, don’t we?”
The conversation stalls as they shyly wonder who would be the next to communicate.
“Well, I guess I’d better get back to Ralph and see what he’s up to. See ya later maybe?”
She only smiled prettily at him and watched him leave her side knowing she must get busy with serving and making sure the hostess duties were accomplished.
Yet she remained rooted to her spot not wanting to miss one glance of him.
Charles Henry located his friend Ralph who had expressed an interest in Regina previously and together they get in line to be served their lunch.
He noticed that Ralph was mightily interested in watching that pretty little Regina…
All during the meal, Charles Henry is glancing over at Lois Marion and wondering just how to approach the young girl. Does he get close to her and trip her up like some young men seem to think is the way to a girl’s heart?
No, he thinks to himself, I don’t think she would appreciate that. That doesn’t seem to be the way.
How about this, he thinks. Do I just walk straight up and ask her to sit with me?
As he continues enjoying his food, he notices every once in a while she lifts her head ever so slightly and surreptitiously glances his way.
He wonders to himself Wow…is she interested in me too or do I have food on my face?
In her own mind she is wondering if she just might have a chance with this handsome young man with the striking green eyes.
*****
A game played by children of all generations brings the chance for two youngsters to finally meet to kick off a series of events that will bring heartache, loss, love, happiness, humor, fortune, fame, and devotion for a lifetime.
Witness their lives as they strive to make a life together at very young ages in a time when the nation was still experiencing the savages of World War II. They were DETERMINED to prove the nay-sayers wrong…