HAPPY BIRTHDAY GERALD

MY FAVORITE STORY ABOUT MY HUSBAND

When we moved into our home twenty-five years ago, my husband still had his hippie long hair. As he was outside tearing down the rotten fence, he was dressed in shorts, muscle shirt and flip-flops with his hair tied in a pony-tail. Bob Mace, our back-door neighbor was also our County Commissioner. Mr. Mace leaned across the fence and asked Gerald, "How much do they pay you to do that kind of work?" My husband answered, "Oh, they don't pay me anything, but the lady of the house lets me sleep with her." Mr. Mace walked away quickly.

The next evening, Mr. Mace came to the door and I invited him to come in to visit. He had obviously checked the voter registration roll as he said, "I just wanted to welcome some good Democrats to the neighborhood." I told him that we had always voted for him. He proceeded to ask me about where we worked, etc. When he asked about my husband I said, "You met him yesterday--let me get him." I yelled and Gerald came down the stairs with his hippie hair bouncing freely.

It was ALMOST worth the price of the house to see the expression on Bob Mace's face.

Mr. Mace tried to apologize to Gerald, but Gerald stopped him by saying, "I've already told the story ten times and I'll probably tell it a hundred more times!" Gerald also told him that the quote wasn't original but that Carl Rowan said it to a neighbor in a similar circumstance.