Settling My Heart in North Carolina

This is a true story. It breaks in where I recently (back in 1978) moved to North Carolina from Ohio. I had just bought my first car and was staying with my sister in New Bern. I had also met a girl, Jennifer, who became my wife the following year. - Rambler1

I now had a red 1968 Volkswagen.  Before Jim Carey ever thought of it I said, “Somebody stop me!” My sister had moved across the Neuse River to Bridgeton, out in the country. I did not know how to drive the Volkswagen because it was a stick shift. But to a man in love a huge wall becomes a stepping-stone. I just drove the car around the yard until I got used to it.2

I had gotten a job at Craven County Hospital full time and was now busy exploring the coast of North Carolina. If I had a day off during the week you could find me at Atlantic Beach or just about anywhere else. I was in a new world.3

In the spring of 1978 Jenny had mentioned that she liked black onyx rings. I told her I would get her one. A week or so later I did, calling her to say I was coming with a surprise. She lived about twenty-six miles away in a small town on the Pamlico Sound called Vandemere. If you look up the town in a book it’s known as a fishing village, a very quaint place where even now you can leave your doors unlocked without worrying. 4

When I arrived Jenny’s older sister, Cassandra, answered the door with a mischievous look on her face. She knew about the ring. When I came in they were both waiting. I pulled out the velvety black box and opened it to expose the ring. Immediately I saw a flash of disappointment cross both their faces. At first I was nonplussed. How could this be a problem...unless...something else was expected. And then it dawned on me. They had thought it might be an engagement ring. I was surprised and pleased at the same time. 5

I hadn’t thought Jenny was thinking such a thing. We talked about it. I took the ring back and exchanged it for an engagement ring. I couldn’t believe I was doing this. But the more I thought about it the more right it felt. I was very satisfied with Jenny. Why go on looking when you’ve already found the right thing? So we decided to get married. We set a tentative date for sometime in the winter.6

About a month afterward Jenny told me she was going to New Jersey to spend the summer with an aunt. I was not happy about that but there was nothing I could do. In reality, as I found out from her after we were married, she needed to get away to think about what she was about to do. She felt she couldn’t do so while I was close around. So off she went. In the meantime I busied myself as best I could. 7

At the hospital one night (I worked the late shift) I got a call to come down to the second floor to assist with moving a patient. When I came to the front desk the nurse just looked at me. “You must be new. I haven’t seen you before”, she said. I told her I’d been there for three months and I hadn’t seen her either. She said she’d been on vacation. She was short, dark skinned and attractive. I went and took care of the task she called me for.8

When I came back past the front desk she was sitting there. She motioned for me to come over. When I did she said, “ I have another job for you in the room at the end of the hall. The room is empty but it has a bed in it. I’ll follow you down in a minute”. The look on her face and the lilt of her voice told me this job hadn't been listed in the job description given me at hiring.9

I stood there like a totem pole. Was I hearing her right? This was the kind of thing that happened on television. As it dawned on me what she was saying I became mute. She just observed me. Finally I said,10

"I don’t think that would be a good idea."11

"Why? Are you married? You don’t have a ring."12

"No, but I will be soon." And I stepped toward the elevator.13

"I always get my man", she said.14

"Not today", I said, stepping into the elevator.15

When I got off on the fourth floor I stepped into a restroom and locked the door. I stood there looking in the mirror. Did that just happen? I couldn’t believe it. This was WILD! What I didn’t want to happen was anything that might be reported to Jenny when she returned as me playing around. People working at the hospital knew I was engaged to her. I didn’t want something stupid messing that up.16

But little did I know I hadn’t seen anything yet. The next week I was getting off work. It was 11:30 pm. My car was parked in the darkened rear lot of the hospital. I could see a yellow car parked next to mine with the hood up. As I approached my car I could make out the hunched over form of that fast nurse in the wan light of the overhead lamp on the telephone pole.17

"Hi, Bruce" she said rising up. 18

I asked her what was wrong with her car. She just said it wouldn’t start and could I give her a ride home. I asked her where home was. It was a small town, the name of which I forget just now, about thirty miles away. I was beginning to get suspicious. She came over to me. I had the door open on my driver’s side. She started making small talk and asking me a lot of questions about Jenny. Where was she? When was I getting married? 19

I saw other people coming out of the hospital to get in their cars. They saw me talking to the nurse. There it is, I thought. Someone is going to tell Jenny I’m up to no good.20

The nurse pressed me up against the open door of my car and started telling me about the good times we could have and how well I would be treated. For me this had become almost surreal. I really couldn’t believe it was happening. I looked into her face as she talked, searching for some clue as to what could make someone put herself in this vulnerable position. She didn’t know me. I might have done her harm for all she knew.21

All of a sudden the whole thing became incredibly funny to me. As I looked into the nurse’s eyes, she trying to convince me of the good things to be had within her enticing precincts (oh yes, they were enticing) and me thinking about how to keep from screwing up, literally and figuratively, I just started laughing. The craziness of the whole thing just hit me and I started laughing. She immediately backed off as if I’d developed a third eye. And I was busting a gut.22

She finally huffed away, got in her car that wouldn’t start, started it and drove off.  I sat in my car for five or ten minutes laughing.23

I know how people are. I knew that someone would tell Jenny about the nurse. So when she came back at summer’s end the first thing I did was tell her myself. I told her everything. I also told her the people that would probably come to her with the story.  Several days later she called me and said I was exactly right about who would say what. 24

The matter was closed. We were married Nov. 11, 197825