In the past few years, I have been friends with a couple whom I admire greatly. Their commitment to each other is strong and the humor they share with each other and their friends make them endearing to be with.
M and D met in 1962. Both are "Newburyporters." On Feb. 8, 1964, they married and lived at High and Willow for about three months. M said they drove to Portsmouth for their honeymoon, got bored ("didn't know what to do") and decided to come back home.
They moved back to M's family home, which her grandfather had bought, and they lived in a three-room apartment upstairs. M's parents lived in the other part of the house. Three children filled their lives and have brought them great pride.
D has a knack for handling animal emergencies. They had several baby turkeys. One day he took the screen off the box that they were in. Unfortunately, they flew out and started landing on everyone and the rush was on to capture them. M said, "They were the ugliest-looking creatures and seemed more like baby vultures."
Two rabbits were also part of the family. D would lie on the floor and make a thumping nose with his hands and those bunnies would come running to him. M's brother raised pigs and cows in nearby New Hampshire, so eventually all of D's "pets" ended up there. However, while delivering the "pets," their dog Brandy, a Springer hunting dog, did what came naturally to him and killed a couple of chickens on the farm. He soon wore out his welcome, but, as D said, he was just doing what came naturally to him.
As you can see, animals seemed to be a major part of their lives. They had a parakeet named "George, the dirty bird." One day he got out of his cage and swan-dived onto the table where the adults were playing cards, picked up a nickel and scurried across the table. He also liked to choose a card and loved to pick up pennies. He was a born gambler.
M grew up in a family of six boys and two girls. She remembers her mom commenting to her older sister not to wear pants, as there were too many boys in the family already.
She and a good friend, my neighbor, became friends early on and still are. M was evidently very shy and quiet growing up. They made up games to play and one of them was about them being roommates. They used the sidewalk as an imaginary apartment with the lines on the sidewalk separating rooms. They would play act drying dishes, vacuuming the floor, doing the laundry, etc. Of course, there was nothing there and anyone walking by probably wondered what the heck they were doing. Back then, children made their own fun; it couldn't be computerized.
My friend recalls the day that her dad had died and M appeared at the door with a plate of sandwiches in hand and wanting to know if she could wash the curtains or the floor in preparation for people coming after the funeral.
Throughout the years, D has often come to the rescue with creative ideas and solutions to make life easier for my friend due to her physical limitations. M and D are, beyond a doubt, friends of a special kind. They truly make a difference!
On one of their early trips to Florida, their son (who at the time was in Boot Camp) called home to check in and let them know how things were going. Unfortunately, he wasn't aware that they were going away and when there was no answer, he became quite concerned. Now the children are used to their little trips to Florida, Arizona and other places.
M worked for many years in the kitchen and snack bar at a private school and D was employed for approximately 30 years at a local oil company. They just hit 48 years of marriage and they speak with great pride of their children and grandchildren.
A little over 15 years ago, M had a diagnostic procedure done in Boston. As a result of complications during this procedure, her life was changed dramatically, as was D's. Their spirit, determination and humor was the glue that held them together and still does.
The good and bad, the ups and downs and the happy and sad all make up a marriage; and throughout it all, M and D did not give up. Their ability to laugh at themselves while sharing their stories with us makes them stronger and their stories funnier and makes us laugh with them. They are totally at ease with each other and their lives. It's a pleasure to know them.
• • •
Sara Anne Eames lives in Newburyport.
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