REPOST OF "LISA AND BARRY "LUCKY" DAY---MOST VIEWED FICTION

Comments: Riches & Romance; Duty & Divorce;   Heartaches & Heaven and Happiness & Hell 






                  Lisa and Barry “Lucky” Day


                                     by Glenn


                         (Contains very brief and mild sexual content)

Barry Day was not born on third base: But he was born somewhere between second and third. His father was the vice-president of the Felderburg National Bank and his mother was the daughter of the bank president.  


Young Barry lived an easy and comfortable life. New sports car at age 16; captain of his state champion football team; and steady boyfriend of Lisa Wilson, the most beautiful cheerleader in school and a great candidate for the most beautiful girl in town. She was an 11 on the ubiquitous 10 scale.  


 In spite of Barry’s much above average financial status, he never forgot he was very fortunate to enjoy the blessings of his birth.  Weather permitting; he would jog to and from school. He was the first to arrive for football practice and the last to leave. Teammates and coaches held his motivational leadership in high esteem. His six foot two inch frame reflected proper diet, lots of outdoor time, and abstinence from tobacco and alcohol. His light brown hair was cut in a close flat top style. Some of the girls privately said he looked like a modern day Tab Hunter. Everything about Barry seemed to reflect self-confidence, yet real humility.  


He knew he was very lucky in this Midwestern town of 18, 673 people. Many of the residents were of German ancestry. In fact, Barry was called “Lucky” Day in high school and he openly enjoyed the nickname. Lisa knew she was lucky to date the BMOC. Lisa could have competed in beauty contests with her All-American face and “head turning” figure; however, she had her sights set on a much more important prize. Interestingly, Lisa secretly wanted their relationship to go further and faster that Barry seemed prepared to go.  


After graduation, Barry and Lisa attended a small local liberal arts college. Lisa was planning on her MRS degree with Barry. Barry was studying banking and finance. He made a perfect 4.0 for four years. 

Between Barry’s sophomore and junior year he joined the Air Force ROTC. His motivation was to travel and prove his worth on his own. He wanted to someday travel to Germany and visit Europe. 


During his AFROTC basic training at Reece AFB in west Texas he was spotted as a natural leader and easily won the Commandant’s trophy for the most outstanding cadet at this demanding officer basic training. Barry once more lived up to his “Lucky” nickname.  

Following college graduation, Barry was commissioned a second lieutenant and the following week he and Lisa were married in the largest wedding in the modern history of Felderburg. The 800 plus attendees brought so many gifts two pickup trucks were required to transport them to his mother and father’s six bedroom home three miles east of Felderburg.

The newlyweds honeymooned in Hawaii for ten blissful and heavenly days. In addition to lying on the beach, body surfing, skin diving, flying to other islands, shopping (Lisa really enjoyed the shopping) and sleeping until 11am each morning, the happy pair enjoyed breakfast in the Honeymoon Suite heart-shaped bed. The colorful meals always included large spears of pineapple; served on trays containing fresh orchids. Lisa repeatedly thought how lucky she was and she would often refer to herself as Mrs. “Lucky” Day. 

Back on the reality of the mainland they had 20 days to prepare for their first duty assignment at the flat, super cold in the winter, Minot Air Force Base in Minot, North Dakota. Only Shemya Air Force Base in Alaska enjoyed a colder, more desolate reputation among service members.

As they entered Minot, they saw a large sign that probably had been erected by the Chamber of Commerce that asked, “Why Not Minot?” Some disgruntled citizen had spray painted below the business attracting question, “Freezin’ Is The Reason!” The Days would learn the temperatures would dip to 35 below zero during the winter.

Barry and Lisa lived in a two bedroom officer housing quarters on base. Barry was a brand new “Butter Bar” and was assigned as Chief of the Plans and Programs Division in the Base Accounting and Finance Office. He quickly earned the respect and confidence of his subordinates and the full bird colonel division chief. Lieutenant Day routinely briefed the base vice commander, and occasionally the base commander, on new upcoming programs and the projected cost of completion. It seemed fitting he was quickly elected the president of the junior officers advisory council. Barry accidently overheard the base commander tell the wing commander that, ”Lt. Day is bright, looks like he just walked off a recruiting poster, and he has the prettiest wife on Minot Air Force Base!” He went home that night and shared the double praise with the smiling Lisa. 

Lisa volunteered in the Special Services office two days a week and worked three days a week as a paid assistant in the base Day Care. She was happy to be busy, especially during the long cold winters. As the temperatures dropped, the snow piled up.  

She participated in a Tuesday unofficial lunch for junior officer wives. The conversation always included ultrasound results, due dates, progress of newborns and when was the new mother’s mother returning to her home. Lisa listened politely but was never able to contribute to the discussions. When honeymoons were brought up Lisa took center stage. Very few could top her and Barry’s. One proud mother-to-be, and new comer to Minot, said her due date was computed from her honeymoon. An all knowing smile adorned the faces of these junior officer’s wives. 

It was on a Thursday night at the mixed league bowling lanes when Barry “Lucky” Day’s luck started to go south. Barry was in the restroom as Lisa was bending over to retie her bowling shoes. From behind her came a deeply resonant, radio quality voice that asked, “May I help you?” Lisa turned to see the smiling face of Captain Steve McCory. She said, “Thanks, I got it.” 

Instant physical attraction is hard to define. Was it his voice? Was it her unintended bending position? Was it his dark blue eyes? Was it her model-like appearance even in her loose fitting bowling shirt? Maybe it was his all season tanning bed body that caught her eye. Maybe it was Lisa’s confident voice that echoed her “I know where I’m going and how to get there” overall demeanor. She quickly spotted his border line compliance with Air Force haircut standards. Simple answers to complex questions are seldom, if ever, correct. 

He extended his hand and firmly shook her soft, well-manicured hand and exchanged brief introductions. Barry returned from the restroom and put his left arm around her waist. Lisa introduced him to Captain McCory. Many lives were now destined to change.

 

Barry told Steve he worked in the Accounting and Finance Office and Steve said he was a Launch Control Officer for the Minuteman III ICBM and worked 24 hour rotating shifts. Days later, Steve would tell Lisa he saw her smile when he mentioned rotating shifts. Captain McCory was married; had a four year old daughter who was in the day care program and his wife worked off-base at Sears.

Steve and Lisa next met at the day care when Steve picked up his daughter on one of his days off. “Hello” and “Thanks” constituted the entire conversation. He came the next day to again pick up his daughter. On this second day she passed a sheet of paper with her phone number scribbled on it along with Steve’s daughter’s coloring for the day.  

Many, if not most, of the times when we make life-altering decisions we have reasons that at least seem rational to ourselves. However, Lisa’s hurried writing of her phone number and giving it to Steve was not thought out. It was on the spur of the moment. She started almost immediately to justify her decision to herself. Am I as beautiful and desirable as I once was? The giving Steve her number was a quick one person poll to discover the answer. After all, he probably would never call and if he did she could always say, ” I made a mistake, please forgive me.” Her rationalization seemed to make a lot of sense. Besides that, I am married to the greatest and the luckiest guy on the planet. 

A week passed and he called her about 15 minutes before the base U.S. Flag was taken down and the National Anthem played over the base PA system. This daily event marked the completion of another day of defending this great nation. Everything comes to a standstill on all military installations during this important ritual.  Each spoke rapidly and a secret rendezvous was agreed upon. Both of their spouses would be returning home soon. Lisa was surprised she felt no pangs of conscience. In fact, she could feel her heart racing. Yes, she thought to herself that she was at last going to be Lisa, not Lieutenant Day’s pretty wife. She had no trouble falling asleep that night. Her last conscious thought was the upcoming secret meeting with Steve. What would he be like when they were alone?  

When Barry came home from his office on the day Lisa and Steve had their first covert luncheon meeting, Barry immediately detected the unusual and delightful aroma of Lisa’s Dream Catcher fragrance. She received this perfume from an aunt in Santa Fe, NM. The aunt purchased it from a Native American sidewalk vendor who claimed magical and mystical results for the woman who wore this perfume. Lisa got a small bottle when she graduated from high school and another when she graduated from college.   

Barry inquired why she had chosen this day to wear his favorite perfume that had previously only been worn on special occasions. Lisa was now on the slippery downhill slope of changing half-truths into dangerous lies. She stated she chose this day because a group of Sioux Nation dancers performed at the day care. In fact, the dancers did perform at the day care; however, the real reason was she wanted to wow Steve on their inaugural long lunch hour hidden meeting. The perfume produced the desired effects. 

Fast forward four months later: Steve, in spite of his wife’s pleading for counseling with the base chaplain, divorced her. Ditto for Lisa and Barry. Six months later, Lisa and Steve were married. Lisa and Steve found an off base apartment. Steve’s ex-wife took her daughter and went home to Kansas. Barry moved into the Bachelor Officer's quarters. On two occasions, Barry was shopping at the Base Exchange when Lisa and Steve came in. On each occasion he put his items down on the nearest shelf and hastily walked out. How could Lisa look so happy and he felt so bad? Mercifully, Steve and his new bride were reassigned three months later.  

Some retrospective might be helpful at this time.  It is the very nature of humans to attempt to find the cause and effect for events, especially painful ones. Barry attempted many times to determine why Lisa was leaving him in favor of a man she had known for less than a year. Had he done or said something wrong? Was she unhappy in her work? Had she forgotten all of the good times they enjoyed in high school and college? Was Steve a better performer in the bedroom? Was the weather responsible for the divorce? Was she on drugs? Are you depressed? Have you grown tired of the Air Force? Did he promise you something I can’t provide? On and on the questions went. Each time she would generalize and say, “I can’t explain it.  I just know it is best for everyone.” 

Barry quickly advanced from the early stages of Shock, to Denial, to Anger in the Grieving process. He felt unbelievable anger toward Lisa and Steve. He thought briefly of confronting Steve and duking it out---winner take all. He even thought of taking his own life. Time, reason, the base chaplain, a very challenging job, and a supporting mother and father helped him survive the midnight of his soul. To quote Robert Service “It’s the Hell served for breakfast that’s hard.” He later would recall he felt like the gut shot cowboys in old western movies. He didn’t want to live and he didn’t know how to die. 

Had Barry’s long streak of luck been broken? Was he just another ordinary guy after all? Barry got a three week leave and went back to Felderburg to get himself together. He spent much of the time alone. On Friday night just before he went back to Minot, he attended the opening night at the annual German Wurst Fest.  Things would never be the same after that night.

 

It was a long accepted custom for tickets to be sold to determine who would have the first dance with the Wurst Fest queen---this year was Helda Wenderson. She was dressed in traditional German attire.  Her blond neatly braided pigtails and bright blue and white checkered dress with wide jumper straps highlighted her quiet outer and inner beauty.  Knee high white stockings amplified her shapely figure. Her genuine smile made a fellow want to wrap her up and take her home to mother. Her face reflected an innocent wholesomeness. Her smile was so captivating he felt as if he was beholding the original allurement of Eve in the unspoiled Garden of Eden. Barry would later learn she and her family moved from Milwaukee to Felderburg about the same time he and Lisa moved to Minot. Furthermore, her father was the pastor of the largest Lutheran church in Felderburg.  

Sometimes a person must cast his bread upon the waters and see what happens. Barry bought one ticket and silently waited for the drawing. Barry’s ticket was drawn to start the official opening of the three day celebration. Smiles and constant eye contact served as the main medium of conversation. 

Barry asked and was granted permission to escort Queen Helda home. For the next two days the two of them were nearly inseparable. Barry felt as if each good night kiss was the stairway to a timeless eternity and infinite space. He attempted twice to tell her the full details of his previous marriage. Each time she would softly say, “I know.”  Barry’s luck seemed to be back. 

Strangely, old westerns again popped into his recollection. This time he was the ragged, bearded prospector that was more dead than alive and barely able to crawl to a life-saving fresh spring of water. Barry Day felt alive again. He was alive! He was alive! Hey world, I am alive!  

 He returned to Minot a totally different person than when he left. He phoned Helda every day; sometimes two or three times a day on weekends. A year later they were married in a small military ceremony at the base chapel. Thrown rice never felt so good. The crossed sword exit from the chapel seemed to Barry to be the portal to genuine and long lasting love. While Barry never said it out loud, his feelings for Helda were deeper, more even than those felt for Lisa. He thought to himself, Lisa was a speed boat and Helda is a three-masted, majestic, silent, old world, sailing ship. The speed boat had raced over the horizon never to return. The tall sailing ship was safely and forever in his home port. To love and be loved is the greatest thing a person can experience. Yes sir, Barry Day was lucky once more.

Within a month he received orders to Ramstein Air Base, Germany. Helda spoke perfect German and helped launch a four year dream tour of all the major countries of Europe.  Captain Day was the number two man in the base Accounting and Finance Office. Barry’s father developed terminal cancer and he separated after 8 years of active duty to help his mother take care of him. 

Back in Felderburg, Barry became the director of the bank’s loan department and was widely recognized as the future bank president in waiting. He and Helda had twin boys, Joshua and Caleb, and lived in a house about four blocks from Helda’s parents. The Barry Day family became faithful members of her father’s Lutheran church. 

What happened next was straight out of a Dickens’s novel. A subordinate brought a loan application to Barry to sign the Disapproval statement. The subordinate briefed Barry on the applicant’s lackluster financial status. She is a single mother of four young kids; just moved into town; works as a truck stop waitress; has a credit score of 420; been married three times; and wants to purchase a 10 year-old double wide trailer for $4,800. 

Barry scanned the application and surprised his subordinate by approving the loan. He said, “Tell Lisa this is her Lucky Day!”

 

 GLENN <><
JUST WEST OF YESTERDAY