not need to have Jason ask me that as she already had me the night we met. She laughed and said she had no idea where his question came from but liked the idea I someday may be his daddy.
It was a few weeks later when Vicki confessed she could not afford the divorce at that time. I made a deal with her and said I would pay for this divorce as long as she would pay for her next one. Knowing this would clear the way for our probable marriage, we both laughed and she then agreed.
During the summer, Vicki and I along with several other people went up in the nearby forest to explore old, abandoned mines. Some of the mines had a rather small entry where Vicki and I did not feel comfortable going inside. There were others where we were able to walk in to explore.
I remember being several hundred feet inside one abandoned mine when we heard the sound of a shotgun shell being chambered. I had heard that sound before and knew exactly what it was. We then heard a man’s voice telling us this mine was still active and we needed to leave immediately. A few of us had guns but they were loaded with snake shot to protect ourselves from rattlesnakes and the like, not from other people with guns! We did just as he asked and quickly exited the mine.
Vicki’s brother Kevin stayed with her and Jason during the summer and shared this memory of that visit. “One of my many memories is shortly after Vicki moved to Morongo Valley, I spent a week with her and she took me fishing at the Whitewater Fish Hatchery. We then drove down off of Highway 111 to play in the water where I soon learned that water moved faster than me! What a great day!!!” Kevin.
After dating now for several months, I learned Vicki was the most finicky eater I had ever met. She liked her meat cooked well done; I mean if she saw any pink in the meat, she would send it back!
I also learned if I wanted to make her happy, I would only take her to where she could order a burger or Mexican food. I could only imagine by this point what her mother had to deal with trying for cook to Vicki’s limited tastes.
Vicki introduced me to camping when we went to visit Yosemite National Park for our first trip together. We bought a tent and sleeping bags and borrowed everything else from her parents (Les and Barbara Wilford). I found that I really loved to camp and explore the great outdoors. Having only been to one National Park before (Joshua Tree National Park, close to where I lived in the desert), I quickly discovered my love for the National Park service.
While camping, Jason cut his fingertip and we bandaged it up. Several ducks stopped by to pay us a visit while looking for handouts. Vicki and I started to give them pieces of bread and Jason asked if he could feed them too. We handed him a slice of bread and he began to tear apart pieces to toss to the ducks.
When he ran out of bread, the ducks noticed the bandage on his finger and thought he was holding back a final piece of bread. One of the ducks decided to help himself, clamped onto Jason’s finger, and would not let go. Thankfully, Jason survived the attack and the duck was sent on his way.
For the most part, the trip went well. Jason had a good time, as did Vicki and I. It was on the long drive home when Jason decided he was not having fun any longer and cried the rest of the drive home. This really got on my nerves and I was glad to drop Vicki and Jason off at her parent’s house and leave.
Vicki gave me a couple of days to calm down and when I called her, she told me she feared I might have changed my mind about her and Jason and she would never hear from me again. I told her no, I realized this will be part of our life together and I would have to get used to it eventually. I assured Vicki my love for her and Jason had not changed but I did discover I was not as patient with children as I thought I was.
Some boxes of men’s clothing were left in the garage of the apartment Vicki was renting and she mentioned this to me, Ben and Ben’s friend Don. She said there were suits, jackets and a lot of nice clothes in the boxes. Vicki said she did not know what to do with the boxes, that she would probably just throw everything out. Both Ben and Don expressed interest in taking a look at the clothing to see if there was anything they would be interested in before she threw them out.
The four of us were in the garage while Ben and Don opened the boxes. They both found suit jackets they liked and tried them on. As they slipped them on, Vicki noticed the jackets were covered with spiders and the spiders were now on Ben and Don. Vicki screamed and ran back into the apartment. Ben and Don immediately took off the jackets and ran to the door to get into the apartment but found the door closed and locked! As they were yelling for Vicki to let them in, she said, “No way!” Vicki was kind enough to walk out front and open the garage door to let us out. Vicki stood her distance and just laughed at Ben and Don.
Needless to say, neither Ben nor Don took any clothes with them that day. Ben could not stop looking around his body for any stray spiders. He was so freaked out; he immediately left to go home to take a shower. Vicki told him not to bring his little friends (the spiders) back with him. Ben failed to see the humor but Vicki kept laughing.
Later that fall, Vicki’s divorce was finalized. When the judge told her she should pick her next husband more carefully, Vicki responded by saying she did and told the judge, “He is here with me now”. The judge just shook his head and announced “next case”.
My mother was a volunteer for her nearby hospital and a couple of weeks before Christmas; they had their annual Christmas party. My mother invited me, Vicki and Ben to join them at the party and Ben asked if he could bring a date. My mother told him since he would be staying the night; he could not share a bed with his date in her house. Ben was not happy with her old fashioned thinking but agreed not to bring a date with him.
The party went well and we returned to my parents’ house to go to sleep. My mother was not much of a practical joker but this night was different. You see, she was concerned about Ben not having someone to sleep with so she decided to get a blow up doll and dress it in clothing and neatly placed it in the guest bedroom where Ben was to sleep. As we all said our goodnights, Ben went into the guest room and then quickly exited with a puzzled look on his face. Ben quietly told us there was someone sleeping in his bed. My mother told him he was crazy and he said he was not, that there was someone in his bed. As we all walked to the guest room, sure enough, there was someone under the covers in the bed. Just then, my mother walked up to the sleeping woman and hit her while saying “Get up”. As my mother hit her, she (the blow up doll) fell out of bed, causing us all to jump back. My mother started laughing at which time we realized what she had done.
Ben did not seem very amused about this but we all got a good laugh. I had no idea my mother had this devilish way about her but it was great! As the years passed, even Ben started to laugh about that night. I sometimes think he kind of misses that doll!
Being somewhat a traditional person, I visited Vicki’s parents to ask their permission to marry her. Vicki’s father had a reputation of being a hard to approach and a somewhat difficult person towards his daughter’s boyfriends. When I announced my intentions and asked for permission to marry their daughter, Vicki’s father stalled by saying, “Well” ....... “I don’t know” ....... “Let me think” ....... at which time Vicki’s mother smacked him on his shoulder and said, “Just answer him Wilford”, he then said “Yes”.
Knowing Christmas was a large family event for both of our families; I decided to wait until Christmas Eve day to officially ask Vicki to be my wife. Just before we were to leave her parent's house to go to their annual family event at her grandparent’s (Tom and Rosie Wilford) house, I asked Miss Vicki to marry me and did so in the presence of her parent’s. Vicki immediately got embarrassed and said “No!”
I then quietly explained that I was serious
