William’s Story. Georgia, USA/Liverpool, England.

Well, I never really believed in love at first sight. Truth be told, I was a bit of a rascal back in my early days. My daddy taught me that women were there to cater to a man’s needs and a man’s needs always came first. So growing up I didn’t learn to respect women or to understand the power that they can have over a man. It never entered my mind that I could fall in love with one of these girls that I was running around with.

Before the War, I had a reputation around my home town of Macon, Georgia. I was a good looking guy and always had a good looking girl on my arm. None of it was ever serious, we’d have a bite to eat, go to the pictures and there was some hanky panky from time to time. The ladies in town were mighty sad when I signed up for the War and got sent off to Liverpool.

I’d never been out of the United States before the War, and although I was scared to death about having to go to battle, I was amazed at being in another country when I first came to England. Liverpool was a hell of a lot different than Macon, I can tell you! The girls there seemed very sophisticated, not like the country girls I was used to. It didn’t take me long to get to talking with some of these ladies in the local pubs and as far as I was concerned I was up to my usual tricks.

All of that changed when I saw Lucy walking down the street one day. I don’t know what exactly it was about her but when she walked past me I stopped dead in my tracks. She was a beautiful woman but she had a look on her face like thunder. I mean, she looked like she was going to kill someone. I was curious about what she was up to so I followed her into a clothes shop.

She marched in and right up to a cashier and demanded to see the manager. After a few minutes he came over and she threw a pair of leather gloves down on the counter in front of them and told him off for selling ‘inferior products.’ When he asked what she meant, she showed him how the gloves were coming apart at the seams and said that she had only bought them last week. She said they cost her close to a month’s wages and demanded a full refund and a new pair of gloves. At first he offered either a refund or an exchange for another pair of gloves. She said no, for the trouble and suffering of cold hands that she had to put up with she deserved both and wouldn’t leave until she got them. Eventually he gave in and gave her the money and the gloves-I couldn’t believe it!

I followed her out of the shop and down the street into a cafe. I asked her if I could buy her a cup of coffee and she said, ‘No, you can buy me a cup of tea.’ So I did and sat down across from her. I told her that I had seen her in the shop and that I was impressed with her bartering abilities. She said that she had grown up working on her father’s market stall and she knew how to hustle. I asked her if she’d like to go out with me that evening. She thought about it for a minute and asked me if I was about to ship out. I said that I was going in a couple of days. She thought some more and then said no.

I felt like someone was squeezing my heart. I’m not sure if I was more surprised that she had said no or by the way that it made me feel. It just seemed urgent to me that I spend every last minute I had with her. She told me that I could write to her when I was away and gave me her address. Then she got up and walked out. My heart broke in two.

I thought about her every single minute while I was away. Well, other than those minutes when I was dodging bullets! I wrote to her once a week. I can’t tell you how happy I was when I got a letter back from her. She asked me to keep writing and she sent me a picture. I looked at that picture so much I wore it out. We got to know each other through our letters and it took all my might to stop myself from telling her that I was in love with her and wanted to marry her when I got back. I didn’t want to scare her off.

When the War was over I went back to Liverpool. I didn’t tell her that I was coming; I just went to her house and knocked on the door. Her mother answered the door and as soon as she heard my southern accent she broke into a huge smile. She invited me in and said that Lucy was at work but would be home in an hour. I told her I couldn’t wait that long and tore out of there to find her on the stall. I saw her before she saw me, so I just stood there for a minute, staring at her and trying to stop my heart from racing. Eventually she glanced my way and did a double take. We stood there for what seemed like hours just staring at each other. I felt like I was dreaming when I started walking over to her.

When I got to her the only thing I could think to say to her was hello. She smiled and introduced me to her father and asked him if it was ok for her to take a break. We walked back to that same cafe where we first met and just sat there grinning at each other. She asked me when I was going back to Macon and I said that I didn’t think I ever would. When she asked me why not I told her that I thought I’d stay in Liverpool because I’d fallen in love with the place. I reached over and held her hand and we both got teary. I kissed her for the first time on the walk back to the stall. I knew that she would be the only woman that I would ever kiss for the rest of my life.

We got married about a month later. Now we have four children, seven grandchildren and two great grandchildren. All girls except for two, and they’re all as feisty as she is. I love her more and more each day.

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Artwork has been created by the amazingly talented and generous Valentina Ramos. Check out her blog: Feeling Inspired.

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