Mom Set Up on a Blind Date

Mom had started dating this man she met on the island. He had family here, and they met on a blind date. We didn’t meet him for some time, so we would be sent up to the farmhouse before he would come and pick her up. We would look out the windows and down at our house to see if we could spot him. It was hard to see him, for it was a little too far, but we did see him pull into the driveway, and a very tall man is all we could make out. She told us his name was Werner Ross and that she liked him very much.

Then one day, they were going out and were going to be home late, so Grandma said she would bring us down and put us to bed when it was time. Being curious about this man, we didn’t go to sleep. When they got home, Grandma was walking out the door and told them that she had come down and let out the dog so the man wouldn’t wonder why she was there at the house. She then left to go home. We heard them come in. They went into the living room and started talking. We began to descend the stairs with my sister and brother. We went down halfway where there was a railing to look through. My sister looked first, then she went down another step so we could see. We knew he was tall, but seeing him close up, he was really tall. He had a top hat on that made him even taller. He was 6’5“, and with that black hat, he appeared 6’8“. He looked like Abraham Lincoln standing there. We started to giggle, and they both turned and looked at the staircase.

Mom said, “Okay, you guys, get back up to bed.”

Mom had some explaining to do, for she had never told him she had children. She told me she didn’t know what to say and began to stutter a little. Then she relayed that Werner said, “Yes, this could be a problem, for I have something to tell you also.” She didn’t respond since he said there could be a problem; she was worried about what he was going to reveal. Then he told her that he also had children— two girls (Chris, who is eleven, and Martha, six)—and that he had custody of them. That’s why he said there could be a problem-five children, if they did get together— and it seemed this was going to be the next step. Then he asked, “What are the ages of your three I just saw peeking out of the staircase?”

“My sister is nine, my brother Norman is seven, and the youngest, me, is six.”

They both started to laugh, and Mom asked him if this was going to be a real problem. “No, but this should be very interesting,” he told her. It turned out he hadn’t told her because he was concerned about how she would react to the news, as was my mom.

Things were getting serious with their relationship, and the next step would be to introduce the children to one another. My mom told us, before they came over, that it seemed she was going to marry Werner and that his two girls would become our new sisters. So the next weekend, when Mr. Ross came to the island, he brought his two daughters with him. He worked in New York City for an engineering company. He had relatives on the island; they were the ones who set up Mom and Werner on their blind date. Mom told us they were coming from the city to meet us.

When they arrived at our house on Saturday morning, we went to the window to see what they looked like. Mom stepped outside, and Mr. Ross introduced the girls to her. Then she invited them inside to meet the three of us. We moved away from the window, awaiting their entrance. Mr. Ross greeted us and introduced his two daughters. If I remember correctly, I think we all said hi simultaneously. I asked Martha if she wanted to come to my room, and she looked at her dad, who nodded in agreement. We then left the room while the rest went to the living room. Mom told me later that Mr. Ross remarked that the introductions had gone well.

Meeting someone my age was intriguing. Martha had strawberry-red hair and was 11 months younger than me. We clicked instantly. I asked her if she wanted to visit the farm up the lane that my pop owned. She asked her dad, and he gave his permission. He then suggested Chris might want to see the farm too, so we could all go together. Everyone agreed it was a splendid idea, and off we went, all five of us. They stayed for the afternoon that day, and thereafter, they visited every weekend. The only one slightly perturbed by this arrangement was my brother, who remarked, “Great, two more girls.”

Upon reaching the farm, Pop was outside, so we introduced him to the girls. Next, we went into the farmhouse, where the girls met our grandmother. Both grandparents were pleased to meet them, looking forward to having two more granddaughters. Afterward, we went back outside to show them around. Chris, being considerably older, preferred to hang out with her friends rather than with younger kids, but she was gracious about it. Later in life, Chris and I grew closer.

One particularly memorable escapade she recalls is our attempt to organize Mom’s Tupperware cabinet. One day, craving a fishing expedition but lacking bait, Chris and I fashioned a net from Mom’s pantyhose, attached to a hanger, and inserted a can of tuna. We headed to the nearby dock, immersing our makeshift trap in the water, awaiting shiners lured by the tuna. Chris remarked, “Okay, I think we have enough. Let’s catch some fish.” I can’t recall if we landed any catches, but we had fun.