<TITLE>18. Par 67-69</TITLE>L-67  So I stepped and just stood, and just barely stepped in too. She shut the door, and I waited a little while and I thought, "Oh, my." She got ready to come out. I thought, "Well, must be all right." So I thought, "What's she going to say now? This is my last day. I know that. Boy, she's going to tell me, twenty cents a hour, I could never make her a living like that, living in a home that she does. So I went on, went down to church that night, and I was thinking, "Oh, my." right after church, had it made up to...
See there, you cross the bridges before you get to it? I said, "Now, well she'll tell me after church, 'Well, Billy, I'm sorry but is our last night together.'" I could just hear her say it. Oh, I just knowed she was going to say it. So I went out. I never heard a thing that Dr. Davis said, and he just preached on. I never heard a thing. I--I was worrying about what was going to happen when I got outside the church.

L-68  That night when we left the church and we started walking home, you know, I was walking down, and the moon was shining bright. She said, "Did you work hard, Billy?"
I said, "I sure did." I thought, "She never got that letter. (See?) She never got that letter. It hung up in the mail box, or it hasn't been delivered." I got pretty brave then. And I said, "All right." I begin to look over at her, look her right in the face. And I thought she passed through, and that moon shine on her, how pretty she looked. You know? So I thought, "Oh, my, whew, I hope she don't get that letter now 'cause I..." going on like that, and I was getting pretty brave, you know.
She said, "Billy."
And I said, "Yes."
She said, "I got your letter."
Thought, "Oh..." I said, "You did?"
She said, "Uh-huh." Just kept on walking...
I thought, "Well, woman, say something. Tell me...?... something." You know how women can keep you in suspense. You brothers know what I'm talking about. And I'm... I just kept walking on, so I... I said, "Well, maybe she never read it." I said, "Did you read it?"
She said, "Uh-huh." She kept walking on. I thought, "Oh, my, say something 'fore you get up there at the house, sure enough." So...
And I said, "Did you read all of it?"
She said, "Uh-huh."
I said, "What'd you think about it?" you know.
Said, "It was all right."

L-69  Well, we got married. There you are, so she...?... We got married. And just before we got married I knowed I had to--to ask her parents for her. She said, "You'll have to ask mother and daddy."
I thought, "Oh, oh. I'm in for it again." I said, "How about just asking your daddy?"
She said, "Oh, either one of them."
I said, "Thank you, honey." I went out and remember that night, I was going to ask her daddy and I set down so nervous. He lightened at... So I said... I was so nervous, and she'd look over at me, laughing. And then so I got up off the--the duofold. I walked over, and she said, "Good night."
And I said, "Good night." I said, "A-hem, Mr. Brumbach..."
He said, "Yeah..."
I said, "Could I--I--I speak to you just a moment?"
He said, "Sure."
He come walking out, you know, great big fellow, walked out on the porch, and I said, "Sure is a fine night."
He said, "Yes, it is, Billy."
I said, "My, I like this weather, don't you?" And I'm so nervous I didn't know what to do.
He said, "Yes." Said, "Go ahead, Bill, you can have her."
I said, "Do you mean it, Charlie?"
He said, "Yeah."
I like him today. My, I thought just then, I thought, "Oh, my, that was fine. I said, "You talk to mother about it. Will you do it?"
He said, "Oh, yes, I'll fix that up; it's all right."


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