In mid-November of 1981, I went to an 8K road race in Hickory, N.C. When I went to pay the entry fee, I saw a most attractive young lady (Harriet) who took my money and processed me for the race. Two weeks later I went to Fort Mill, S.C. for another road race and saw the same beautiful lady there again.

Being suave, I told her I was an elementary principal, and I asked her what she did and she said she was an assistant principal in Rock Hill, S.C. I was a little taken aback since she only looked to be about 25 years old. I wondered what had happened to make her rise to assistant principal in so few years.

I discovered that she was not 25 but 34! I went home and forgot her name and everything else. During the following week I could not get her out of my mind. Finally, at the end of the week, I decided to call her and ask her to dinner. It was at this juncture that I could not remember her name, her school, her degrees or anything else other that she was a good conversationalist and beautiful.

I panicked and began to replay the past three weeks in my head. I could not think of a way to get in touch with her. Suddenly I remembered that I had called the race director to ask some questions; however, I had thrown the race flyer away and did not know her name.

After again being frustrated, I finally remembered that I had paid the phone bill the day before. I then went through all my trash bags, found the phone number for the race director and phoned her. I spent several minutes speaking with her and discovering that Harriet was her best friend. After wangling the phone number from Eilene, who now lives in Tryon, I tried to call Harriet to ask her to dinner.

Little did I know that the phone would be busy for nearly an hour. Eilene had called Harriet and told her that I would call and ask her to dinner. Harriet apparently told Eilene that I talked too much, and she was not sure she would accept the dinner offer. I called and Harriet accepted the dinner date.

We went to the White Horse Restaurant in Rock Hill and there I guess I talked too much because a waiter came to the table and asked if I would like to settle up the bill. I became agitated until I was told that the restaurant closed at 1 a.m., and it was 12:50 a.m. I had been talking with this woman since a 7 p.m. reservation.

That was in December of 1981. On July 23rd of this year, I will have had 34 years of wonderful marriage with my best friend and partner, Harriet B. Peoples.

– submitted by Alan Peoples, Tryon, N.C.