The Blue Jean Brides

As I age, random memories come back to me with clarity. Today's nostalgic moment is about the 1970s. The Bible says in Proverbs 18:22 He who finds a wife finds a good thing. This is a story of three men who found wives similarly and unconventionally. These men were attracted to what they saw in blue jeans.

In those days, books and magazines told women how to dress to get a man. I recall a male coach coming to my eighth-grade Home Economics class and pointing out one classmate. She was very neat and, every day, her hair ribbons matched her skirt and blouse.. Unfortunately when some men talk, they share their personal preference as if it applies to the entire male popu;ation.

The coach said this was the type of girl boys liked. I now know that all men do not share the same taste in females and all males are not attracted to women.

The three young ladies in this story were not wearing extravagant hairstyles, were not trying to be sexy, and were not wearing revealing clothing. These men met and were attracted to their future brides because of how they looked when they were wearing blue jeans.

This first incident came back to me with clarity this morning. I had not thought of it in several. decades. It was the summer of 1972. I had just turned 14.

There was a softball game at the nearby ball diamond in my small town. I was standing with a group of teens that included "Harry". I noticed him watching a younger girl, "Candy", who was leaning against the fence behind where those who were going to bat were seated on a bench. Her back was to us.

She was slender, her hair was in an afro, and she was wearing blue jeans with a big belt through the loops. After a few moments of staring at her, with a smile on his face, Harry walked over, and they had a conversation. Over time, everyone knew he was smitten with Candy, but nothing initially came of it.

I don't know if they had additional interactions, and I recall she dated a few other guys. They later reconnected and were married in 1980. They are still together today. When I mentioned this to Harry after the wedding, he said he had a feeling that day at the ball field that she was the one.

The second couple was my late husband and me. We were introduced at a party in April 1976 and met officially a week later. He told me when he first saw me, he noticed I had a nice a$$ in the blue jeans I was wearing.

He said that when I turned around, he thought I was cute and looked innocent. He shared that he knew in that moment I would one day be his wife. We were together for 45 years until he passed away.

The third story involved my husband's good friend Wayne, who loved to eat at Burger King. After his wife Jane died around 2011, 0r 12, he told me how they met. He was at BK one day in 1978 and noticed that the woman in front of him in line was wearing jeans and had a nice a$$.

He said she was the most attractive woman with the best rear end he had ever seen. He asked for her phone number, and they began dating. They married a few years later and were together for 33 years until she died.

Every man has different preferences when it comes to women, so wearing jeans is not a guarantee of a husband finding you. This story is a nostalgic moment from my long past, and I decided to share it.