This is not a Fort Wayne story, but it's a Midwestern story, and a love story. It was handwritten by a life-long friend of my father. Dad flew B-29s in the late 1940s, and a man named Elden was at one time his cockpit navigator and dear friend.
Years later, Elden wrote down a story and sent it to my father. Recently, it made its way into my hands. I enjoyed it so much I wanted to share it. Apparently, at a rehearsal dinner for my brother's wedding, people took turns around the room telling stories about how they had met their spouses. Elden didn't tell this story then; he mumbled something about having met through friends. He explained to my father later he was kind of embarrassed. It bothered him for a long time he hadn't told my dad the truth. He realized later he wanted to go ahead and share it. Hence the letter, which I will paraphrase a little. It's a story set in the Chicago area during wartime.
......Well, it was 1942 and the big war had started and factories were called "defense plants" and I was on the night shift, making lots of money working seven nights a week and couldn't find time to spend it. A friend and I stopped downtown after work for a game of pool and a beer. The pool hall was dark and smoky and loud, not really my cup of tea. A boy brought our beers and took our money for a game of pool, and then I saw he wasn't a boy - she was a girl.
Well, she turned on the light and racked up the balls and we played a game. Charley won and wanted to play again. I had to pay for two more beers and another game, because I lost. I smiled at the girl when she leaned over to rack the balls - girls didn't wear jeans like they do now, and her skirt didn't exactly drag the ground - she smiled back.
That game, Charley lost, and he wanted to go home but I said let's play one more and don't worry about the quarter - I'd pay it because I was working seven nights a week, I needed to relax and Charley was good company. You can guess why else I wanted to stay. I asked her name when she collected the money and racked the balls, and we got to talking- out table was about they only one still going.
I got in the habit of playing pool and we got to going out some. One Sunday morning after the tables were closed and we were on the bus going home, I said, "How about if I go home and clean up and we'll go to church?" She said she didn't have a church and I said that was ok because I didn't either, but we'd find one.
What I really wanted to do was sort of check her out in a different atmosphere because I was starting to get kind of serious.
We met and went to a big Catholic church that was close. I made sure we got there really early so we could get a seat in the back - I remembered that much from going to church as a kid. We got a seat right on the aisle and the church filled up, and it started. They had a good choir and I was watching it, and I singled out this one girl right up front. She looked just like an angel in that big robe and all - I couldn't take my eyes off her. I didn't hear much of the preaching or anything - anyway back then it was all in Latin. When it was over, I just sat there. My girl got up and left.
When this vision finally appeared in her regular clothes, she started to walk past me. I reached out and touched her hand.
That's how I met Mary.
-Elden Madden, about 1985.
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