By Kay Cole, February 15, 2017 — It was late in the day on a lovely June afternoon. The sun was sinking behind the cypress trees that lined the Louisiana bayou. The room filled with friends and family, was beautifully decorated and the aroma of magnolia blossoms filled the air. The occasion? a rehearsal dinner.
Sitting at the head table, Larry stood to make a toast to the almost bride and groom, the best-man pointed to the groom while saying, “You know, I’m supposed to be sitting in his chair.” Not knowing what to do or how to react, the guests laughed nervously. At that point, the maid-of-honor stood and said, “Well, I’m supposed to be sitting in her chair,” as she pointed to the bride. The look of questioning horror spread across the bride’s face as she sputtered, “What? How? Why?”
Now that I have your attention, let me explain.
Once upon a time, there were three girls from three different towns, who ended up at the same college and living in the same dorm room: Pat, Nerissa, and Kay. They did the typical college girl things: drank alcohol, kissed too many boys, and stayed out late.
Upon graduation, the girls decided to become stewardesses with great plans to see the world, and more importantly, not move back home with Mommy and Daddy. Being from the South, a stewardess was considered second only to a bar maid (Coffee, Tea, or Me? was published the month before they went to training.) Johnny, Nerissa’s college boyfriend, had gone to Officer Training School and was now stationed in the Panama Canal Zone preparing for a tour in Viet Nam.
Kay, Pat, and Nerissa decided it would be great fun to visit Johnny. Their first evening in Panama, Johnny had arranged blind dates and they all met in the dining hall for dinner. Eddie and Larry were the chosen guys: one from Baltimore and one from Kansas. After an acceptable length of time, they decided to head for the closest moonlit beach….it’s Panama, remember?
Getting up from the table, Kay put her arm through Eddie’s and they walked out together. Eddie glanced back with a questioning look. The rest of the gang followed slowly, looking at each other in bewilderment. “What just happened? Why did she do that, he’s not her date.” The blind date plan was Kay and Larry were a good fit; Pat and Eddie were more outgoing. Expressions changed as each realized no one had told Kay that her date was Larry, not Eddie; they each assumed the other had told her.
Eighteen months later, sitting in the country club dining room in front of all her family and friends, Kay finally learned of the plan. But actually, she got the last laugh, don’t you think? Turned out Larry and Pat never saw each other again. Kay and Eddie got married. So, I guess you could say …the rest is history.