Bingo has been Called: Our Love Story

/ Jodi
Bingo Heart

34th anniversary watercolor heart card

Some couples meet at bars or through friends at parties or in college classes or through on-line dating sites.

I met my hubby at Bingo!

Yep – – – Bingo.

Bingo has been called… hold your cards…. We have a winner!  (Anyone who has ever attended Bingo has heard the “Bingo Caller” state this phrase.)

On Friday, I shared that hubby and I are celebrating our 34th anniversary this weekend.  This is the card I made for him, and I thought I would share the story of how we met.

As many of you know, my Grandma was a very special person in my life.  I lived with her for a while when I was a young girl, I spent long summer vacations at her house growing up, and even as a teenager and old enough to drive, I would visit her and sleep over just to spend time with one of my favorite people on the entire planet.

So one summer evening, 16-year old Jodi went to visit Grandma.

Grandma had a very dear friend and neighbor named Audrey, who we would often visit together.   Sometimes we played cards at her kitchen table and nibbled on snacks.  Other times we sat on her back porch and told stories and jokes while watching fireflies and listening to “oldies” music.

Audrey was a mom and a grandma who had developed Multiple Sclerosis and was wheel-chair bound, but she always had a bright smile and a cheerful disposition.  She had a family who cherished her, and she was such a good friend to Grandma.  Audrey’s husband treated her like a princess – taking over many of the chores Audrey once did, helping her bathe and get dressed, making sure her hair was done just right and assuring she was powdered and perfumed and sparkling with jewelry.

On a weekly basis, Audrey’s husband would lift Audrey into the seat of the family car, load the wheelchair in the trunk, and then pick up Grandma (who never learned to drive), and take the ladies grocery shopping and out to eat at the local diner and run any other weekly errands that needed done.   Sometimes it was Grandma’s only trip out of the house for the week since she was widowed, and Grandpap, her “chauffeur” was gone.

So this particular summer evening, the ladies wanted to go to Bingo.  16-year old Jodi was talked into driving them and playing along, as Audrey’s husband had no interest in playing this “silly” game.

Bingo was held weekly at the local firehall to raise money for the volunteer organization to buy trucks and equipment and pay the bills needed to support the firehouse.  Marty (pre-hubby) was a 20-year old volunteer fireman working the bingo that evening.

Now not many 16 year old girls attended bingo.  Average age was closer to 61.  So when 16-year old Jodi showed up struggling to lift a wheelchair out of the trunk of her lime green Chevy Vega, and Marty was on parking lot duty, well……. fate was about to take a twist….

Seeing the struggling young girl, Marty came to the rescue and lifted the chair and Audrey into the seat and wheeled her into the firehall like a knight in shining armor.  Grandma smiled, and little did I know……………..

 

Bingo was played.

Rows and rows of cardboard cards were covered with shiny copper pennies or red plastic markers in a room filled with smoke and overflowing ashtrays and the smell of sauerkraut and hot dogs tantalizing the taste buds.

None of us won, but we had fun.  It’s kind of hard to win playing only one card when the “pros” kept shushing us so they could hear the caller and keep track of the 16 cards spread out in front of them.

When it was time to go, Sir Marty, with his shining smile and twinkling eyes as armor, swooped over to us ready to push the wheelchair out through the gravel parking lot, making even more points with Grandma and Audrey.

Once the wheelchair was loaded and Audrey safely placed in her seat, Grandma decided it was time to take action.

“You are a very nice young man,” she told Marty.  “Why don’t you ask my granddaughter out on a date?”

APPALLED and mouth hanging open in horror, I smacked my Grandma with the back of my hand on her arm.  (So sorry Grandma – it was a gut reaction!)  Marty laughed….. nervously…… and used a line he later told me he had been waiting to use on just the right young lady.

“I’ll make you a deal,” he said without a blink or drip of sweat.

“Come back to bingo next week, and if you don’t win, I’ll take you out to dinner,” he swooned with those dreamy blue 20-year old grown-up man eyes looking right into mine.

“We’ll see,” or something like that, was all 16-year old Jodi could stammer in her best effort to be coy.

“By the way,” he continued, “Don’t you work at Murphy’s Mart?”

WHAT???!!!  How did he know this???

You see….  Future hubby had already “noticed” me in the world!

Turns out 20-year old Marty used to work at Murphy’s Mart himself, before he became a professional electrician, so he often stopped in to shop and visit old friends.  Apparently, he had spotted me there and remembered.

I stammered something unintelligibly stupid I’m certain, and we drove off.

A few days later, as I was straightening shoes in the Murphy’s Mart shoe department where I worked part-time after school, I spy Sir Marty in the distrance wandering my way.

YIKES!  I hid!  I went back into the stockroom and only peaked out until he was gone.  (Okay – remember – I was only 16!)

The next week, Grandma and Audrey showed up for Bingo again, but to Marty’s disappointment – no Jodi….  (I actually did have to work that evening, and the ladies talked someone else into taking them.)

But then, when the time came for the Winner-takes-All Jackpot Bingo – the last game of the evening, a young girl showed up – swiftly sweeping into the room and sitting in an empty seat that just happened to be available next to Grandma in the crowded room.  Grandma’s card just happened to be pushed in front of Jodi since she had to excuse herself to the ladies’ room- just in time for Jodi to play one card for one game – and lose………

Grandma came back and called Marty over.

“She didn’t win,” Grandma declared in a challenging voice…..

 

The following week was a first date.

Three years later was a wedding….

with a reception in the very same firehall where bingo was held and the young loves met.

Marty Grandma and Jodi wedding day

Marty, Grandma, and Jodi – Wedding Day

And 37 years later, I believe Grandma’s spirit is still smiling…

Bingo has been called.  And I hit the Jackpot!

Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi

100 thoughts on “Bingo has been Called: Our Love Story”

    • Thanks, Sharon – well, today is sweet, not so romantic. LOL! But all good. Hubby is not feeling well, and we had to cancel going to a surprise anniversary party for dear friends that we were so looking forward to. Then hubby happens to be “on call” for work this weekend, and we got a crazy snow storm out of nowhere, so he was up half the night coughing and hacking and calling guys out to clear roads and fix traffic signals. But I did get a beautiful card, and a lovely bouquet of “thorns with flowers!” 🙂 and some wine and we watched movies last evening. Today our oldest, Jake and Colleen are having us and Nick and Liz over for dinner, so will be so nice. We booked an anniversary week to Punta Cana in a few weeks! 🙂

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    • She sure did. She always was a big part of my life and my biggest hero! She still is. though she is gone, I still aspire to be here and am inspired by her and her life and love. Thank you!

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    • I used to think it was so silly – but now I smile at the sweetness the older I get. 🙂 We all have a story – eh? Happy day Nicole, and thanks for visiting and your note.

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    • Young love is grand, but old love is even better. Maybe not goo goo ga ga or romantic like in the movies, but a comfort and confidence that is so precious. Ins and outs, ups and downs, all part of the journey. But in the end, love survives 🙂 ❤

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      • So true…old love is better! You know each other so well and have been through so much together – I love my guy so much more now than when we first met 🙂 🙂

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  25. This is such a SWEET SWEET AWESOME STORY! LOVE IT!!! ❤ ❤ So glad you shared it. Happy Anniversary to a couple meant to be! 🙂 Its like what you read in a book or see in a movie, but your story is TRUE! ❤ What a precious Grandma!

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    • thanks sweet C! I don’t want everyone to think life or marriage is a fairy tale – as we all know there are ups and downs and good and bad. Marriage is work, but it is so worth it when love is at the core. And besides I trusted Grandma knew better than me when a good thing was right in front of me 🙂

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      • You are so right, fairy tales only exist in books, BUT yes when Love is at the core it is worth everything! And your Grandma does sound wise and funny! For I can just imagine your face when she asked him to take you out, I would have been smacking my hand on her to 🙂

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  30. Great meet-cute and story or meeting your husband Marty. It is told romantically and I can truly tell you love him still a lot. This gives me hope Jodi, that there are indeed nice guys out there. These days, it seems there hard to find, but one day maybe 🙂

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    • There are Mandi, and we must remember nobody is perfect and marriage is not like what we are led to believe as little girls in fairy tales. It is work and give and take and focusing on the right and important things. Find happiness within yourself and that will radiate out. Never wait for a man to make you happy. Share joy with someone, but don’t rely on them to give it to you. A pastor once told us love is an action – a purposeful act. One of giving. Not a feeling. And if each member of the couple believe that, their giving will be received by the other and bring joy and happiness. I’m not saying it quite right, but I hope you understand 🙂

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      • Yes I do. Thank you Jodi for the well put advice. I think you are telling me love is an act of giving, pretty much with anyone and doing it because you love them, not to get anything in return. I will remember this. Thank you 💞

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      • Also, I get the bring your own happiness and finding that,you can’t depend on someone else to make you happy; you do that on your own 🙂

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  32. Wonderful story, Jodi! I’m sure your grandma would be so proud of you both. I think I see a little family resemblance between you and your grandma ~ yes?

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    • Oh Yes – I think I look very much like my Grandma – and I have always felt we were soulmates and kindred spirits. We were best buddies even when I was very young and a teenager. When something happened to her, it happened to me too. Even something like getting stung by a bee. 🙂 Grandma wasn’t the greatest beauty – nor am I – but her beauty radiated from within – and I think that is the greatest beauty and I strive to give off that type of beauty 🙂

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  33. Awwwww….I teared up at this. Such an amazing story. ❤️❤Love grandma!! ️Love this post and love that you actually won and won BIG in Bingo!! (I once won car wax and a tapestry of dogs playing poker on velvet…you did much better!) Happy Anniversary to you both and many more happy years ahead. 😃😃😃(Eventually… You’ll be old enough to play Bingo again, but that’s not for a really long time yet. 😉)

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  36. loved the reading of your story!! thanks for sharing!
    Gramma WAS Most certainly a Fan of Hubby, by the look in her eye! ….when the rellies like ’em – they’re usually ‘Keepers’ LOL Had to laugh when you ‘ran and hid’ just what a 16 yr old then, would do!
    Again, you were a Beautiful Bride Jodi…. you have such lovely eyes and face!

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  37. Geeat story, Jodi. Your grandmother sounds like a special person. I think you’re the first person I heard of that met their spouse at bingo…:) I don’t imagine that happens much any more..:)
    Congratulations!!!

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  41. What a lovely story! I especially like the way your Grandma…such an important person in your life…was instrumental in getting you and your husband together! Surely, you two were “meant to be.” And congratulations on your anniversary, hope you had a great time celebrating it!

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