By Ann von Dehsen, January 16, 2020 — Last year I wrote about Vanessa, my sister Ellen’s long-time pen pal from England who came to visit our family in 1968 when she and Ellen were both 18. A quick synopsis—Vanessa was charming, engaging, funny, generous, and always ready for a good time. We took her to a Broadway play, toured Washington, D.C., and went to her first baseball game where she loudly rooted for Willie Mays (on the Giants team) while wearing a Yankees baseball cap and her first pair of cut-off denim shorts. Though she seemed totally unaware of it, she was also a stunning, head-turning natural beauty who often caused teenage boys in the neighborhood to be momentarily speechless. By the time her 2-week visit was over we had fallen in love with her and shared a tearful airport departure as she wiped her tears and promised to come back again.
And now, Part 2: Vanessa did indeed come back 5 years later accompanied by her new husband, John. John was the male version of Vanessa, sharing both her personality and her good looks. Now it was the teenage girls, myself included, who were often speechless in his presence. John perfected his impressions of American accents, taking on the personas of Elvis Pressley and Richard Nixon. He also became addicted to Dunkin Donuts which had not yet invaded the British Isles. He often took an early morning walk returning with a large box of “Dunkies” as he called them.
Both John and Vanessa were lifelong Londoners and followed the Royal Family with awe, interest, and respect. Princess Ann’s wedding was happening during their visit, so Vanessa asked my parents if she and John could quietly watch the 5 am live televised wedding in the living room while the rest of us slept. Of course, my mom said yes. That morning my mom and I got up before John and Vanessa and decorated the living room with streamers and paper wedding bells. She prepared Earl Grey tea in the China teapot that Vanessa had given her and prepared cream cheese tea sandwiches—along with a plate of Dunkies, of course.
A surprised and happy Vanessa and John came into the living room followed by my drowsy father and sister. We placed paper crowns on everyone’s head and settled in to watch the proceedings. John and Vanessa were glued to the screen while sipping tea and frequently saying things like “lovely,” “beautiful,” and “wonderful.” We Americans however sat snuggled under a comforter trying to stay awake. When it was finally over, my father popped a bottle of champagne and we toasted the wedding of people I had never heard of as dawn finally broke.
Their visit went by quickly and once again we found ourselves sobbing at the airport departure gate. Vanessa again promised they would return, and they did—which will be the subject of a future story.