THE STORY I'M ABOUT TO RELATE TO YOU IS ABOUT MY WONDERFUL WIFE THELMA.
ONE OF OUR CHILDREN WAS HANDICAPPED AND THE ONLY REASON I'M MENTIONING IT AT THIS TIME IS BECAUSE IT'S PART OF THE STORY.
MY SON HAD BRITTLE BONES AND THEY FRACTURED QUITE OFTEN. WHEN HE WOULD BREAK A LEG OR AN ARM. THE COMPANY I WORKED FOR WOULD ALWAYS CALL AND TELL ME TO CALL HOME AND THEN IF IT WAS A BREAK THEY WOULD SEND OUT A REPLACEMENT FOR ME AND I WOULD GO HOME. THIS WAS ONE OF THOSE TIMES.
THELMA ENJOYED LOOKING AT THE PERSONAL COLUMN EACH NIGHT, WHY I DON'T KNOW. MAYBE SHE WAS PLANNING TO DUMP ME. I DON'T KNOW BUT IF SHE DID I WOULD HAVE DESERVED IT. FORTUNATELY THIS WASN'T THE CASE.
WITH THIS IN MIND I GOT A BRIGHT IDEA. THE NEXT MORNING I WENT TO THE DETROIT FREE PRESS AND PUT IN THE FOLLOWING AD. "I WILL BE MORE THAN HAPPY TO BE RESPONSIBLE FOR ALL MY WIVES DEBTS. THANKS FOR SEVENTEEN YEARS" WELL I HAVE TO TELL YOU WHEN THELMA READ THAT I HAD MORE THAN ONE BEAUTIFUL EVENING AND MANY HUGS AND A HELL OF A LOT OF AFFECTION, NOT THAT IT WASN'T THAT WAY MOST OF THE TIME.
THE NEXT DAY I GOT A CALL FROM MY OFFICE TO CALL HOME, I KNEW THAT MY SON HAD ANOTHER BREAK. WHEN I CALLED THELMA ANSWERED AND ASSURED ME ALL WAS WELL, EXCEPT THAT THE REPORTERS FROM THE FREE PRESS WERE THERE TO TAKE PICTURES AND THEY WANTED MINE. I AGREED TO GO DOWN TO THE PAPER AFTER WORK AND MEET WITH THEM. MY DRIVER WAS WITH ME. A HELL OF A SWELL GUY AND I TRIED TO GET HIM TO GO UP AND SAY HE WAS ME AND GET HIS PICTURE IN THE PAPER. HE CHICKENED OUT AND LUCKY FOR ME BECAUSE THAT NIGHT WHEN THE FREE PRESS CAME OUT THELMA'S PICTURE WAS ON THE FRONT PAGE THREE COLUMNS WIDE AND MY PICTURE UNDER IT WITH A BY-LINE JACK LOVES THELMA. AND THE STORY CONTINUED DOWN THE WHOLE PAGE.
I MUST TELL YOU OUR PLACE WAS A MAD HOUSE FOR A FEW WEEKS. LETTERS,TELEGRAMS,FLOWERS. WE HEARD FROM PEOPLE I WAS IN THE WAR WITH, STRANGERS,FROM TEXAS AND INDIANA. THE PAPER MUST HAVE PASSED IT AROUND TO EVERYONE. CONGRESSWOMAN MARTHA GRIFFITH SENT A LETTER SAYING SHE KNEW IF IT HAPPENED IT WOULD HAVE TO HAPPEN IN THE 17TH DISTRICT. THELMA GOT A LETTER FROM A FUR STUDIO STATING "COME DOWN AND PICK UP YOUR MINK COAT HE SAID HE'D BE RESPONSIBLE." ALSO WE WERE INVITED FOR A WEEKEND IN THE BRIDLE SUITE AT A LARGE HOTEL IN DETROIT. I WAS WORTH ALL THE PANIC BUT I CAUGHT A LOT OF HELL FROM THE FELLOWS AT WORK. THEY SAID THEIR WIVES WANTED TO KNOW WHY THEY DIDN'T DO SOMETHING LIKE THAT..
THIS IS BUT ANOTHER GREAT MOMENT IN MY LIFE WITH A WONDERFUL WOMEN..MY WIFE THELMA. SHE IS GONE NOW BUT MY MEMORIES STILL LIVE ON.......