Bunny Berigan – I Can’t Get Started
I was happily surprised that so many of you enjoyed the story last time, and as such I shall now tell you the rest of it. As before, I will tell the tale in the context of a song that is relevant to the story.
Currently Playing: Bunny Berigan – I Can’t Get Started
When we left off, Daddy and Mommy were back together in L.A., except they weren’t Daddy and Mommy yet. They were just two people who liked to hang out together. At that time, she worked at a soda fountain and he drove a taxi. On her breaks, she’d sometimes sit in his cab and they’d listen to the radio. Their favorite thing to hear was the now-legendary Joe Hernandez calling the horse races at Santa Anita.
Naturally, my mom had a fiancee at the time, but she apparently wasn’t too serious about him, for when my dad asked her to go on a date, she agreed. On their date, he took her to the racetrack at Santa Anita to see the horse races they’d previously only heard on the radio. According to my mom, the combination of the day at the races and a hot roast beef sandwich he bought her at the track (a big deal to her as she was very poor) was enough to win her over, so when soon thereafter he asked her to elope to Las Vegas with him soon thereafter, she said “yes.”
They each brought a friend along to act as a witness for the wedding, and drove to Las Vegas to tie the knot. However, this story does not have the happy ending you may be expecting. My mom got cold feet at the altar and said “no.” It worked out sort of okay, because the two friends they’d brought to act as witnesses decided to get married instead, so the chaplain still had someone to marry. In the meantime, while the newlyweds stayed to honeymoon, my parents had to make the awkward drive back to Los Angeles.
I’ve flown around the world in a plane
I’ve settled revolutions in Spain
And the North Pole I have charted
Still I can’t get started with you
While driving her home, my dad sang “I Can’t Get Started” to my mom. She said it was the first time she’d ever heard it, and to this day it is one of her favorite songs. Meanwhile, back in Los Angeles, they kept seeing one another, and eventually, they tried again and eloped (successfully) to Tijuana, and they lived happily ever after. Until Peasprout was born and behaved very brattily. The end.
I’ve been consulted by Franklin D.
Greta Garbo has had me to tea
Still, I’m broken-hearted
‘Cause I can’t get started with you.
Haha…
Sometimes it’s hard to imagine our folks had such romantic stories. I remember my mom told me that when Dad was trying to ask Mom out, he would ask her lil brother to go out too, since Mom was a super shy girl (that’s one good thing about having siblings).
hmm….nothing is easy…..
if you are gonna elope, where would u go? Tiajuana?
I do way to many things backwards… ie: reading a magazine from back to front.. etc… I guess it comes in handy now & again, cuz I read ur March 1 blog & scrolled up to todays & it clicked.. lol.. Sorry about ur dad’s passing, but for ur mom to have 54 happy years of memories to hold onto… That’s amazing & awesome!!
How wonderful! :D
lol…now i want to ask my folks abt their life before me. =D
Hmmm, the story seems to fit in a movie of sum kind rather than real life, but it’s still kinda sweet although too picture perfect…
Another great song, another great post.
Too cute. You lk lke Dad ! Wht hppn to the let’s-get-married-the-1st-time-we-met couple ? ~PK
@Dirti Martini, They stayed married to one another for the rest of their lives!
I liked this one.