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A Cup of Coffee and Carol Sue

A Story of How My Grandparents First Met

By Dailey MenendezPublished 3 years ago 11 min read
3
A Cup of Coffee and Carol Sue
Photo by Clay Banks on Unsplash

I remember it was during the summer of 1963. I just got off my shift at the Louisville Bedding Company with my best friend, Carol Sue. Carol Sue looked at the complete opposite of me. She had long, blonde hair, a curvy build, and bold lips. I, on the other hand, was tall, skinny, and short, brown hair.

It was a long day at work and I was itching to get home to rest. Instead, I hopped in the car with Carol Sue and we decided that tonight, we were going to have a sleepover. We traveled the streets of Downtown Louisville until we reached her home. When we pulled into the driveway, the house looked animated. The windows were filled with light and two shadowy figures were chuckling in the living room. I braced myself for having to meet the unknown visitor. I knew Carol Sue’s husband, John, would be there, but who is the other person? I thought about getting back in the car and telling her to take me home, but then I remembered that I was getting free dinner. I looked down at my uniform and sighed.

“Carol Sue, I can’t go in there looking like this, I just got off work. My uniform is wrinkled and my hair is a hot mess,” I said looking at myself in the side view mirror.

“Barbara, don’t worry about it. I think it’s just one of John’s friends, Dudley,” Carol Sue said while looking down at her nails. “He told me this morning that Dudley was leaving for basic training tomorrow, so they’re catching up. We’re all having dinner together and then Dudley will leave as soon as he’s done.”

I gathered my belongings from her red Chevrolet Corvette Stingray. Just as I was following her into the house, I saw the reflection of the moon bouncing off of the hood. When I walked in the door, the smell of roses pounced on my nose. The room was a bright yellow, filled with lovely furniture. I was so happy the house was cool. The air outside is thick and heavy compared to what it was in here.

It was odd, for as I was walking into the living room, John was sitting in a brown chair, while the supposed “Dudley” sat on the matching love seat. Carol Sue came into the house and leaned over to kiss John. I just stood there, examining the stranger. His hair was brown, cropped short around his ears. His face was smooth and lively with his brown eyes accentuating his good looks. I noticed he had a stocky build, but he was lean. I had to hand it to him, he was a good looking man. He would be a great suitor for any girl, besides me.

Across town, lived the man I was planning to spend the rest of my life with. His name was Richard Johnson and he is a packer at the CocaCola Plant. We’re planning on getting engaged so next summer we can get married at this little church down in the country. I knew Carol Sue was up to something, she never liked Richard. She always says he is “too perky”.

“Oh my gosh, it was so hot at work today. They’ve apparently received a spike in orders, so Barbara and I had to work twice as hard,” Carol Sue said as she plopped into the chair.

“I can tell!” John chuckled. “Dudley and I were just talking about how late you all would be. We were just thinking about running up to Burger Boy to grab a quick bite.”

“Oh no, tonight we are having ham! I did not spend the night before preparing dinner for you just to ruin it with Burger Boy. It should just take a few minutes to get it heated. Barbara, Dudley, is there anything you would like to snack on to hold you over?

I was already on the opposite end of the love seat with the urge to remove my work shoes. I looked up at Carol Sue and said: “No thank you, I can hold over until dinner.” I felt my eyelids sinking as my body began to rest.

Dudley looked up exclaimed, “Well Carol Sue, I would love to have a snack, but I’ve been needing to watch my weight. I can’t survive basics with a gut hanging farther than my toes!”. Everyone laughed except me. I turned my head to give him a little smile before I returned my head towards the cushion.

John looked over at Dudley and said “Oh yeah, Dud, this is Barbara, Carol Sue’s friend from work. Barbara, this is Dudley, one of my friends from Hop Town.”

My eyes opened back up. “Did you just ‘Hop Town’, where is that even at?”

“You see, if you take Dixie Hwy all the way down, you’ll run right into it. It’s near Bowling Green if you know where that is.” Dudley explained.

“Oh, you mean Hopkinsville. I didn’t know what you were talking about.”

“Well, Hop Town is something the locals say.”

“Oh really, well in Louisville, we call it Hopkinsville and nothing else,” I said rolling my eyes.

John and Dudley stopped for a minute and then picked back up with their conversation. They began talking about how hot the weather has been and the headlines storming the local paper.

After 20 minutes, Carol Sue called for us to come to make a plate. I walked into the kitchen and the smell of a southern kitchen overtook my nose. Carol Sue learned to cook from her mama, which came from her mama. Carol Sue came from a line of good cooks who always cooked great food. There are stories that Carol Sue can just tell that will make your mouth water.

I stacked my plate full of the ham, broccoli, green beans, and corn that Carol Sue made. It smelled like a Thanksgiving feast. I went to sit down next to Carol Sue, but Dudley beat me to it. I sat at the wood circle table with John to my right and Dudley to my left. I looked up at Carol Sue and she mouthed "Be nice". I rolled my eyes and took my first bite of ham.

“So Barbara, do you like working at Louisville Bedding?” Dudley said, wiping his face off with a napkin.

“Yeah, it’s ok. The pay is decent and the job itself is pretty boring, but that’s why I’m friends with Carol Sue.” Everyone at the table chuckled.

“Have you always lived in Louisville?” Dudley asked.

“No, I used to live in Taylor County near Campbellsville with my grandparents, but I came back to Louisville with my parents.”

“Oh, so you still live with your parents?”

“Yes, it’s what I have to do. When you have to raise your siblings instead of your drunk parents, you have to live at your parent’s home to make sure they’re taken care of.”

“Alright, everyone!” Carol Sue exclaimed while getting out of her chair. “For dessert tonight, I have coffee brewing and cheesecake in the fridge. Would anyone like some?”

“Barbara, I understand what you’re going through with your parents, kind of. My dad was a drunk and I’ve had to work my entire life so far to help my family.” Dudley said, glancing over at me.”

I stopped our conversation, I hated talking about my home life. I abruptly got up to get my dessert before anyone else sparks a conversation.

During dessert and many cups of coffee, stories were told. We laughed until we were blue in the face and tears swelled in our eyes. Sometimes we even felt the urge to cry when Dudley talked of home life back in Hopkinsville. Every time Dudley talked, I noticed he had a special charm. I don’t know what it was; Maybe it was the good-ole’ country boy personality, but it was different than the men here in Louisville.

As time ticked away, it was almost midnight by the time Dudley grabbed his jacket to go out into the cool, summer night. I met Carol Sue in the kitchen to help her clean up the mess we’ve made. I secretly wished we could sit and talk the night away, but I had to get back early to check on the kids. After giving John a small goodbye hug, Dudley walked into the kitchen. He looked over at Carol Sue, hugged her goodbye, and thanked her for making the best meal he’ll probably have for a long time.

Dudley then leaned up to look at me and asked: “Can I talk to you outside?”

I quickly glanced over at Carol Sue and she shook her head slightly up and down. I looked back at Dudley and said “Sure!”

We walked out the front door and down the pathway covered in petunias that I helped Carol Sue plant a couple of weeks ago. Dudley kept at least 3 ft. away from me, hands behind his back, and whistled “Sugar Shack” by Jimmy Gilmer and the Fireballs. The only way I could see Dudley now was through the light illuminating from the windows. We stopped when we reached his dark green 1960 Pontiac Laurentian and he turned around to meet my gaze.

“Barbara, I had a wonderful time talking with you tonight,” Dudley said softly. “Sadly, I have to leave for basics tomorrow, but maybe we can keep in contact. By the time I get back, I should have some money to take you out to dinner.”

I looked down at the ground quickly, ready to repeat my lines for what I usually say to a guy being forward with me.

“Dudley, I would love to have dinner here with you, John, and Carol Sue, but I can’t be more than friends with you. Currently, I’m in love with a man named Richard Johnson. We’re planning on getting married.”

“Oh, well then. I’ll tell John to invite me back over for dinner.” Dudley said, walking to his car door. “I’ll see you around Barbara.” The car door slammed shut and the motor rattled to life.

I turned around to walk down the pathway, back to the house, to put my pajamas on and fall asleep before the morning sun breaks the sky.

The next morning, I woke up with sunshine breaking through the window. I groggily sat up and wiped my eyes to hopefully get the tiredness out of them. I put my hair in a ponytail and walked to the kitchen to get a pick me up. I grabbed a cup of regular coffee with a little cream and a spoonful of sugar. I joined Carol Sue at the round table where we all sat last night to have dinner. She looked up and me and smiled.

“So, you know Dudley leaves today right?”

“Yeah, he told me.”

“So, did you find out where he was going to be stationed?”.

“No, why would I even want to know?”

Carol Sue glanced down toward her ruby red robe.

“Well last night, I thought you two really had a connection,” she said, putting her hand in the pocket on her right side. “I got you the address if you would like to write him or send him a care package.”

Carol Sue placed the address on the table.

“I can’t and I don’t want to write to him. I’m happy with my life here with Richard.”

“Barbara, the man isn’t going to see his family or friends for months. I’m even going to send him a letter and I’m married. Do it for his sanity.”

I shook my head and circled my finger around the rim of my coffee cup.

“Alright, I’ll think about it.”

After a week of contemplating on if I should write Dudley or not, I finally did. I grabbed a pencil and paper to write the dreaded letter. It said:

Dear Dudley,

I hope basic training is not as bad as it’s made out to be. I heard about the start of the Korean War and I hope you aren’t sent to combat. I know that war can have lasting effects on people. If you need anything, I can send it to you.

Keep in Touch,

Barbara Ray

Little did I know that this letter was not going to be the only one to follow. Two weeks after I sent it, Dudley wrote me back.

Dear Barbara,

Thank you for writing me back. It has been lonely here and I miss my friends greatly. It’s been hard for me to get close to people because I never know who will stick around. I was recently told that I will be an instructor for cadets. I don’t think I will be sent to Korea, but who knows. If you could, make sure you tell John to send me some of Carol Sue’s ham. I need a home-cooked meal stat.

Write back soon.

Dudley

In between my shifts at the Louisville Bedding Company, I would spend my nights off trying to formulate the right letter. We continued writing to each other for weeks, which turned into months. During this time, I was glad to have Dudley talk to; Richard, and I didn’t last much longer.

It was a couple of weeks after Dudley left. I went to surprise Richard with dinner, but when I arrived, I saw that there were two cars in his driveway. It was extremely odd, speaking that he lives by himself. I knocked on the door and I heard two people scream. I looked in through the window and I found Richard, butt naked, with Shirley White from church! I cried for a couple of hours when I found out he has been cheating on me for months, but I got myself together. If there is one thing I’ve learned from mama, it’s the premise of Karma. It turns out that Richard got Shirley pregnant, so let’s see how the church is going to respond to that when they find out that we were dating only two weeks ago.

Dudley and I talked for months through letters, until I got to see him again at Christmas. Little did I know that my life would change forever over a cup of coffee and Carol Sue.

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