Lovely tribute Marty!
After my Irish mom got a job in the federal gov't, she was called in over 'a lie'!
"You claimed you were bilingual, but don't speak French!"
She replied: 'Bi means two, as in Bicycle. I actually speak three, and you sir, clearly don't speak English.'
😄
My parents, Marcel & Ethel, got married on this day in 1966 in Quebec City. This would have been their 60th wedding anniversary, but Mom passed in 2012, and Dad in 2019.
They were 22 and 24 and the time.
Dad was a telephone installer in the Ottawa region. Back in those days 10% of homes still didn't have a phone. He also did a lot of work installing additional outlets inside people's homes, and running lines to new houses. Some of his work involved climbing poles with spurs, which I witnessed him do a few times.
Mom was an airline stewardess with TransCanada Airlines. She was from Quebec City, and only spoke French. She moved to Ottawa, in the hopes of learning English so she could fly on longer routes.
They met on a blind date and got married within 6 months. I was born 312 days after this picture was taken (normal human gestation is 280 days).
Mom never went back to work. Dad eventually went back to school, but only after the kids were gone. He actually got his university degree after I got mine.
I often felt sorry for my Mom, because she never got to live out her dream. But in the end, Dad gave her a pretty wonderful life. They lived in Canada, Germany, Morocco, Mexico and Costa Rica.
Mom eventually learned English, but she always had a strong French accent that people loved. Dad learned to speak 5 languages fluently. One of the most fascinating things I ever witnessed was Dad speaking Spanish, but forgetting other languages when he had severe dementia.
Happy anniversary Mom & Dad.