By Nancy Schultz, Becketwood Member
THE COURTSHIP OF NANCY AND AL SCHULTZ
My story starts when I had to start over! Divorced with three little girls, I was now living comfortably with my mother and father.
I had been employed by the Soo Line Railway as a key punch operator right after high school. Now it was fun for me to listen to the younger workers’ slang and attitudes; so different! For instance, a young, good-looking guy came with a work order and the girls would all get up and surround him. An older (than me) woman and myself were the only ones still working! When the young man finally got away, one of the girls said, “Isn’t he a doll!”
The “doll” was Al Schultz and we both bowled once a week with the Soo Line Bowling League. After bowling one night, he stopped me and asked, “Is that you standing on the corner on Minnehaha?” My response was, “What?”
“Are you waiting for the bus, or do you have a ride?”
“I’m waiting for the bus.”
He explained that his car was in repairs, so his buddy was giving him a ride downtown and they could pick me up. I said, “O.K.,” but the next day walking to the corner, my stomach was churning and I had thoughts of kidnapping!
A large car pulled over to the corner and Al got out to open the back door for me. His friend looked nice and my stomach calmed down a little. Al wasn’t talking and his friend explained that he had been partying last night! “Oh, great, he’s a DRUNK,” I thought. When we stopped, he opened the door for me and said, “Come on, I’ll buy you a cup of coffee.” When I got out, I said, “I don’t drink coffee,” and kept right on walking!
I had volunteered to make a birthday cake for one of my coworkers. I had a cake carrier, but it was big and awkward, so I worked up my nerve to ask for a ride from Al and friend. I found Al at a desk and when he looked up at me, he looked anything but friendly. It unnerved me and I stammered that I had this “thing” for my cake. He broke in and wanted to know what the “THING” was. He was staring into my eyes and I felt my face getting hot and red. Blushing! He looked intensely at me and said very loudly, “A woman blushing! There’s still a woman who blushes?” So, I blushed even more!
They did pick me up and when we stopped, he opened the door for me and said, “Come in, I’ll buy you an orange juice. You do drink orange juice, don’t you?” We went to the café and halfway through, he said, “Now this isn’t so bad, is it?” I managed a hesitant, “No.”
Later, one of Al’s work buddies stopped me and said that Al’s car was fixed, and could Al give me a ride home from bowling? I was surprised, but replied that Al lived near me, so it would be convenient. I didn’t see or talk to him and now bowling was over and I was walking to the ladies room to clean up and suddenly he was there and asked, “Do you want a ride home?” I was flustered, but squeaked out, “Yes,” and continued on my way. When I came out, I looked for him, but he was nowhere around! I waited and waited and everyone was leaving. I finally spotted his buddy and asked if he had seen Al. He looked at me and said, “I think he’s gone.” “GONE! He’s gone? He was supposed to give me a ride home, and now I’ve missed my bus!” His friend said, “I can give you a ride as far as Washington Avenue.” “O.K.,” I managed.
Then I was standing on Washington Avenue in the midst of a snowstorm waiting for a bus! I was getting more angry every minute. I must have gotten home, but my mind doesn’t recall that.
The next day I told my work friend all about it and when we were coming back from lunch, she said, “There he is.” Oh no! I didn’t want to have anything to do with him! My friend said, “Don’t you want to know what happened?”
“No!”
“But what if it was an emergency or something? If you don’t ask, you will never know” and she shoved me towards him. Reluctantly I walked over and he was looking at me with such intensity; never moving, just that stare! I asked, “Where were you?”
“What do you mean?” he growled.
“You asked me if I wanted a ride home and I said yes and then you left!”
He just kept staring at me and said, “I asked, ‘Do you HAVE a ride home and you said, ‘Yes,’ so....”
I couldn’t believe what I was hearing and said, “Well, who says, ‘Do you have a ride home?’ you say, ‘Do you want a ride home?’ and I said “Yes,” and then you left and I couldn’t find you and I got a ride to Washington Avenue and I’m standing, a woman alone, on Washington Avenue at night in a snowstorm freezing to death!” He broke in and said, “Good!”
Oh! Then I started repeating over and over how nobody says, “Do you have a ride home,” you say, “Do you want a ride home,” waving my arms in the air while walking away.
A week passed and then it was bowling night again. I went with some reluctance, but didn’t want to let my team down. I always kept score, so I sat up front on the alley. Toward the end of the games, I got up to bowl and when I came back, someone was sitting in my chair! It was Al, staring at me! I could hear some giggling in the background. He looked at me so intensely and said very loudly and slowly, “DO YOU WANT A RIDE HOME?” I could feel my face getting flushed and red, but managed to say, “Yes!” I saw him afterward and he said the car was in the parking lot, so he would get it and meet me out front. I said, “O.K.” and then he looked intently at me and said slowly, “I’ll be right out front!” He was waiting by the car and opened the door for me. It had been a long time since a man had opened a door for me. On the way home we chit-chatted and I wanted so badly to ask him to take me to my friend’s New Year’s Eve party. My friend had been making suggestions of who I should ask. None appealed to me and I told her, “I know who I’d like to ask.”
“Who?”
“Al Schultz!”
She looked at me as if I was insane and said, “Oh, sure!” as if that would ever happen. So now I was trying to work up my nerve to ask him. I finally said, “I suppose you’re busy on New Year’s?” I was expecting a yes or no, but I got a “Why?” So, I explained about the party and he answered, “Sure, I’ll take you.” I don’t know if I had ever in my life been so thrilled.
He came right on time and when I opened the door, he said, “You’re on time!” I said, “I’m always on time.” A true statement. By the time I put my Borgana jacket on, my mother had the girls (my daughters) all lined up. She introduced Al to Nikki, Cindi and Tammi. I had mixed feelings about that. When we got in the car, he asked if he could drop off a gift for his brother. It was fine with me. I was able to see where he lived and was introduced to one of his brothers. When we arrived at my friend’s house, we were going down the stairs to the party when suddenly Al was kissing me like I had never been kissed before. When he finally pulled away, for a moment or two, I didn’t know where I was! There was mistletoe above us and everyone was laughing! It was very late or “early” when I got home. Al came over every day after that; because he would be leaving for California soon, he said he wanted to see me every day. That was fine with me.
One day we were coming home from somewhere and he was talking about our lives together and I started laughing.
“What are you laughing about?”
“You talk as though you’re going to be here, and in a few days you will be going to live in California!”
He looked at me and said, “I’ll send for you and the girls.” I really started laughing then and said, “Oh, I can see it now, ten years from now, they’ll ask me if I’m dating and I’ll say, ‘Oh, no! I’m waiting for Al Schultz to send for me and the girls!’” (more laughter). He came back with, “Oh, aren’t you ever serious?”
He left on a Sunday. We said our good-byes sadly.
Monday came and one of the girls asked if I had heard from Al. I said, “No, he just left Sunday and he’s driving there!”
Tuesday came – “Did you hear from him?”
Wednesday – getting funny looks.
Thursday – Even I was starting to wonder…
Friday – He could have called to say he had gotten there!
I walked into the house and heard the phone ringing and told my mother I’d get it. (It must be him.)
“Hi, how are you?” he asked.
Told him about the inquires at work. Asked how it was in California. He said, “I’m not there, I’m halfway home.... It wasn’t what I wanted! Are you doing anything Sunday?”
“No.”
“Well, don’t make any plans. I’ll be over at 7:00!”
So, Saturday I took a bath and washed my hair when the phone rang. It was Al and he said I’ll be over in ten minutes. “But I thought you said Sunday!”
“Well, I drove all night and I’ll be over in ten minutes.”
“But my hair!”
“What about your hair?”
“It isn’t fixed!”
“Does it change who you are?”
Hesitation, ”Nooo…”
“I’ll be over in ten minutes.”
We were parked by Lake Nokomis and I thought he might ask me to live with him and I would say yes.
He said, “Do you think you could live with me? You’ve seen the worst and best of me.”
I said, “Well, you’ve seen the best and worst of me too.” Then he surprised me and said, “Oh, you’re going to make me say it!” (I thought, Say what?)
“O.K., will you marry me?”
I came back with, “Are you Catholic?”
“No. No, I am not Catholic!”
“Then I’ll marry you!”
After kisses and hugs he said, “Why did you ask if I was Catholic?”
“Because I’m a divorced woman with three children so the church wouldn’t recognize our marriage.”
He asked, “Have you talked to your minister?”
“No.”
“Well, don’t you think you should call him and set up an appointment?” Which I did and we were married in my Lutheran church.
(NOTE: The young girls at work told me that Al was almost engaged to a girl in California and that he was Catholic!)
We were married July 8, 1959 (I was 29 and he was 24). Our child was born the following June. I pictured a boy with dark eyes and hair, so when they handed me my newborn, I said, “But it’s the same thing!” The nurses said, “What?” and I repeated, “I got the same thing, a blonde, blue-eyed girl!” We all had a good laugh!
Al and I were together for 53 years until his death. He enjoyed living at Becketwood as much as I do.
HAWAIIAN LUAU
Al and I were on vacation in Maui with our 20-something daughter Suzi and her friend Katie. Our hotel was beautiful, as were the grounds, full of bird of paradise and orchids in full bloom.
There were many daytime events, but now it was the evening luau. The long tables were set up on the beach, with lit torches, and a stage where musicians were playing interesting instruments.
On our way to the tables I saw men squatting around what looked like a big fire pit in the sand. Being curious, I wandered over to see what it was. The men were rotating a whole pig over the flames! My Norwegian tummy started rotating along with the pig, so I hurried back to the tables and vowed not to eat any pork!
The tables had many assorted dishes and I was extremely careful, as I had a bad experience in Mexico with a wonderful-looking red tomato that turned out to be a wonderful-looking red hot pepper! (But that’s another whole story.)
I was contemplating a strange-looking dish when I heard a woman’s voice behind me say, “I wouldn’t take that, it’s only for the Locals,” and she proceeded to tell me about each dish. Then suddenly there it was, the famous Poi! I told her, “I just have to taste it!” Which I did. (It tasted like gritty sand!)
Now the show was starting and it was very entertaining. I, of course, went on stage with the other volunteers, to learn to do the hula. I found out very quickly that I will never be a hula dancer. (We did get lots of laughs.)
The final performer was a young indigenous woman singer/dancer. When she walked on stage it got sooo quiet. Her beauty took our breath away! Everyone was in awe at the absolute perfection we were looking at. She started singing and dancing and we all just watched in complete silence.
The silence was broken when my Suzi said, quite loudly, “She has a body similar to mine.”
I heard a chuckle here and there and pretty soon our whole table, including Suzi and Katie, were laughing.
The perfect ending to a joyful holiday.
The post Memories of a Life Together appeared first on Becketwood.