Barbara Covington I
contributing writer
Love in the Fabulous 50’s
Love and marriage was the furthest thing from my mind as I walked
into the Evergreen Crossroads’ grocery store/filling station on a September aſternoon in 1955. Mama needed celery and sugar, so I was going to get some. The owner, Skip, and I had quiet an amusing conversation.We knew each other so well and loved to kid around. An older man was lis- tening and came over to offer me a Coke. I refused, paid for my items, then quickly went back to the car. As I got in, I told Mama that some old man was flirting with me.
A few days later, Skip told me the man was Pete Covington and that he said he was going
to marry me. Skip replied, “She’s just a youngin’!” When Pete found out I was 18, he said, “That’s old enough.” Skip agreed to introduce us on a double date to the annual BBQ at the schoolhouse the following Friday. I agreed to go to please Skip and because I loved BBQ. I came home thinking: That was all right, it was actually kind of nice. From that night on, Pete was like “a hound dog on a trail.” On our second date, he told
me he was going to marry me. I told him he was crazy, that I didn’t love him. On our third date, we went to a drive-in movie to see a Swedish film that had a partially nude woman in a scene. I was so embarrassed, and he apologized. On our fourth date, he asked if he could kiss me. I replied, “It won’t do you any good.” I still didn’t love him or want to marry him. I guess I kept dating him because he was very persistent. We had many good times, as he showered me with flowers and giſts. What impressed me most was that he oſten went to church with me. He had a great sense of humor! I admired his achievements at his young age of 28. He had
graduated from USC and had a good job as Director of IGA for W. Lee Flowers of Lake City. With every date, he got younger. The “old man” became closer to me in age. I began to see all of his good qualities, especially the way he looked at me with his bright blue eyes. Aſter nine months, I was in love with him. I knew he was the man God had prepared for me. Since I was in love, the next step was marriage. I never dreamed of having a big wedding, but I wanted it to be in a church. There was a big
problem with that because Daddy would have no part in it. He believed a church wedding was unnecessary stress and a waste of money. He and Mama had eloped. Anyway, I had no money that enabled me to have a church wedding. Thankfully, I had four siblings that sent me some money. My sister and I made my dress. It was truly an original made from satin, tulle and net with
cutout lace flowers sewed on the bodice with pearls. It also had embroidered organdy frills down the back on a short train. We used a costume pearl choker to attach a veil for my head- piece. The fabric for the dress was $35. I did have to pay to have the many buttons covered in satin that were sewed on the back and the long lace sleeves. I wore some white shoes that I already had. And of course, everything was pure white.
My bridesmaids made their dresses. My mother also made hers and crocheted a small
clutch bag to match, which I still have that brings such memories to mind. My wedding cake was in the shape of an open Bible, which had more meaning and was less expensive than a tiered one. In addition to the cake, there were nuts, mints and punch served at the reception in the fellowship hall. At this time, this was thought of as sufficient. At the last minute, we got Daddy to put on a dinner jacket. He refused to wear the “silly shirt” (as he called it), so he wore his white Sunday shirt instead of the formal one with the studs down the front. The destination for my wedding was one mile up a dirt road to my little church across from
the grocery store/filling station. A friend was getting married the night before, so we shared decorations. A church member put candles and greenery around the front. I had planted two dozen white gladiolas in hope that I would have them for the wedding. Unfortunately, they didn’t bloom. The candles weren’t dripless; by the time I used them, they were half of their size. The church choir director sang while the organist played. There was no air-condi- tioning on this hot June night. In fact, a man came through the receiving line with his red tie faded across the front of his white shirt. We borrowed my sister-in-law’s new car to go on our honeymoon to a small cabin we rent- ed in the mountains. We both wanted our marriage to start off right. We had never prayed together or even talked much about God. It was just an unspoken relationship we had. At the cabin, we knelt by the bed and repeated the Lord’s Prayer. I wanted to show what a good homemaker I was going to be, so I cooked a big breakfast every morning. I should have fixed toast and coffee because he expected a big breakfast every morning from then on! Aſter a week, we returned home to find my wedding dress still damp in thick areas and Mama’s garden full of bright blooming red gladiolas. I had an unusual love and marriage. I have wonderful memories of my wedding, working with my sisters and all of the friends that volunteered to make it a success. As long as my husband lived, we teased each other about whose relative it was that showed up in overalls and driving a wagon. We never knew who he was, but we realized that he (along with many others) witnessed a union that was made by God and blessed by Him until “’til death do us part” became a reality aſter 46 years. At the time, I was not alone in my conviction about love and marriage. The song that won an Emmy in 1956 for the best musical contribution was “Love and Marriage” by Frank Sinatra. Words that say, “You can’t have one without the other.”
34 February 2014
shemagazine.com
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