Ode to a Pickle Man

It was a little over 5 years ago, and I was determined to change my luck. I had done the dating service thing, back before online dating match-ups were the thing. Oh yeah, there were dates… a few nice guys, but mostly duds. There was a fair amount of "I wonder what they were thinking, pairing me with this one? Well, we do both have 2 eyes and a nose, so I guess we have something in common…"

I thought, "I know what I want and don’t want in a partner," so it was then that I took matters into my own hands and placed an ad in the paper. Yes, I did. To the horror of some friends and relatives. I figured "Why not – let’s see what kind of response I get!" I wasn’t about to do anything stupid. I have a good head on my shoulders.

And responses I did get – a whole pouch of them. Most went immediately into the discard pile – the prisoner, the form letter, the dissertation. But there were a few maybes, and there was one keeper.

The one that blew my socks off was a keeper. I knew I wanted to meet this one. He wrote beautifully, and it was clear that he was the real deal. I wrote back by snail mail, and before long we started e-mailing. We e-mailed for a couple weeks before talking on the phone. In one of my letters I told him that I wanted to meet a Pickle Man. What’s a Pickle Man, you say? In the movie Crossing Delancey, one of the main characters is a very nice man who happens to sell pickles. He’s a kind, decent, intelligent, straight-forward, handsome, hard-working man. So, to me a Pickle Man has those qualities, and those were qualities I wanted in a man.

So after a month of getting acquainted by e-mail and phone, we made plans to meet. He suggested a cornfield maze. Fun – I was game! I suggested meeting for lunch first. And we did. I made an awful first impression by being late for lunch. He was indeed very tall, as he had said he was. He had the most beautiful blue eyes. We were both a little nervous during lunch. He was a bit shy, but thankfully, I’m a chatterbox and I just babbled on, keeping the conversation going. We had fun at the cornfield maze, too. It was a great first date, because it gave us a project to work on together, a common goal, as we got to know each other.

At the end of the date, he headed back to his car and took a paper bag from his trunk. He handed me the bag, and I already knew what was in it. I could tell by the size and feel of the bag; it contained a jar.

Yes, a jar of pickles.

We’ve been married for almost 3 years now. My Pickle Man still has the most beautiful blue eyes, he’s kind, decent, and has all of the other qualities I was looking for. I’m very grateful that I decided to change my luck, and I’m very grateful that he responded.

To my Husband, my Pickle Man: Happy Valentine’s Day honey! I love you.

Comments

[Jen H]

What a beautiful story. Kudos to you for knowing what you wanted and finding it. I wish you many more Valentine's days together!

[Bluegrass Mama]

Happy Valentine's Day to you and your Pickle Man.

Do his hands smell like vanilla?

(I loved that movie, too)

[Jody Halsted]

So sweet! Happy V-day & I wish you many pickles through the years!

[Pearl]

Aaaaw. Aaaaaw. (one from me and one from my Pickle man) That is so sweet. What a great heartwarmer!

[Katie]

Awww, what a lovely story! Happy Valentine's Day!

[iliana]

Hi Marie - Thanks for stopping over at BookGirl. Unfortunately my husband doesn't bake bread but he should don't you think.

I love your VDay story. Very sweet.

[rory]

Happy Valentine's Day Mr. and Mrs. Pickles!

[Anita]

Oh, I just LOVE that story, Marie.

First of all, I love the movie. But the fact that your husband brought those pickles to you brings tears to my eyes.

[Marie]

Thanks for the nice comments everyone! No, his hands don't smell like vanilla, BGM, :-) but they are rough from a lot of hard work. My husband read this and said "I'm never going to live that down!" I guess he figured he'd have the pickles on standby, in case the date went well. If it didn't, he would have had himself a yummy jar of gourmet pickles!

Oh, and we watched Crossing Delancey together on Valentine's Day. He would probably prefer that I not tell you that, but there you have it!

[Shish]

Such a sweet story. I still remember all those years ago.... Yay for the Pickle Man!