Kelly let us in and fixed us up with a beer. The girls will be right back they just had to go and do girl things. They did come back and we were introduced to Gerda and Margaret. Now the name things were a problem. Ed and Margaret were simple enough, but there was some confusion about me. I introduced myself as Steve, but Ed and Kelly kept calling me Gus. And Gerda was pronounced as "Gghgerrrda" or something like that. (Note: We gave Hedda her nickname because not many Americans would be able to say her name correctly and she would be called Gerda.) She said her name with sounds that came from deep in her throat and some sounds that I had never tried before. I spent a while looking into her eyes and trying to mimic her. She had (and still does) this beautiful laugh. I was hooked, even if I didn't know it at the time. I was 19 and not ready to get serious. She was 16 (she told me 17) and not ready to get serious with some GI. But things sometimes happen when we are not ready. We had a great afternoon with lots of laughs. The language problem was interesting. Hedda had learned a little English in school and Margaret’s mother was Scottish but had lived in Holland for 25 years. She now spoke a combination English/Dutch with a Scottish accent and not many people could understand her. Margaret spoke a form of English that she learned from her mom. That first day must have been a success, because we made a follow up date for the next weekend.
An old guy living in Idaho and enjoying it. I have been married since 1969 to Hedda and she makes life anywhere enjoyable. We have lived all over the world and I plan to share some of those stories here.
Saturday, December 11, 2010
Hedda meets Steve
I arrived in Holland for my first assignment with the US Air Force after tech school, in June 1968. After a couple of weeks, my boss invited Ed and me to visit his house in Doorn. He said the neighbor girl and her friend wanted to meet some American guys to help them with their English. It was our first exploration off base by ourselves. We had the bus connections and directions on how to find the house. And miracle of miracles we found it right away! As we were standing at the front door two teenage girls went flying out the back door and jumped on their "bromfiets" or mopeds. I said "I get the blonde in the mini skirt!"
Kelly let us in and fixed us up with a beer. The girls will be right back they just had to go and do girl things. They did come back and we were introduced to Gerda and Margaret. Now the name things were a problem. Ed and Margaret were simple enough, but there was some confusion about me. I introduced myself as Steve, but Ed and Kelly kept calling me Gus. And Gerda was pronounced as "Gghgerrrda" or something like that. (Note: We gave Hedda her nickname because not many Americans would be able to say her name correctly and she would be called Gerda.) She said her name with sounds that came from deep in her throat and some sounds that I had never tried before. I spent a while looking into her eyes and trying to mimic her. She had (and still does) this beautiful laugh. I was hooked, even if I didn't know it at the time. I was 19 and not ready to get serious. She was 16 (she told me 17) and not ready to get serious with some GI. But things sometimes happen when we are not ready. We had a great afternoon with lots of laughs. The language problem was interesting. Hedda had learned a little English in school and Margaret’s mother was Scottish but had lived in Holland for 25 years. She now spoke a combination English/Dutch with a Scottish accent and not many people could understand her. Margaret spoke a form of English that she learned from her mom. That first day must have been a success, because we made a follow up date for the next weekend.
Kelly let us in and fixed us up with a beer. The girls will be right back they just had to go and do girl things. They did come back and we were introduced to Gerda and Margaret. Now the name things were a problem. Ed and Margaret were simple enough, but there was some confusion about me. I introduced myself as Steve, but Ed and Kelly kept calling me Gus. And Gerda was pronounced as "Gghgerrrda" or something like that. (Note: We gave Hedda her nickname because not many Americans would be able to say her name correctly and she would be called Gerda.) She said her name with sounds that came from deep in her throat and some sounds that I had never tried before. I spent a while looking into her eyes and trying to mimic her. She had (and still does) this beautiful laugh. I was hooked, even if I didn't know it at the time. I was 19 and not ready to get serious. She was 16 (she told me 17) and not ready to get serious with some GI. But things sometimes happen when we are not ready. We had a great afternoon with lots of laughs. The language problem was interesting. Hedda had learned a little English in school and Margaret’s mother was Scottish but had lived in Holland for 25 years. She now spoke a combination English/Dutch with a Scottish accent and not many people could understand her. Margaret spoke a form of English that she learned from her mom. That first day must have been a success, because we made a follow up date for the next weekend.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment