Proposal Of Marriage

Cherrylaine MacBride got up early that Saturday morning, knowing the
job at hand was to drive into town for supplies. She hated the fact
that she would more than likely run into Asa Malloy, the man who owned
the only grocery store for miles around. Much as she detested the very
idea, the sooner she accomplished her task, the sooner she could be
back home. Listening to Lisa And The Southernaires on their radio
program was a treat she didn't dare miss.

Her Philco radio blared out the fire and brimstone voice of the
backwoods country preacher as she dressed in her white blouse with the
Peter Pan collar and her favorite poodle skirt. " Dearest Brothers and
Sisters of Faith, don't you know that the Bible tells us to love our
enemies..kill them with the kindness of our words and actions, and
pretty soon, they'll be our best of friends. I know how hard it is to
bite back words of hate and anger, especially in the heat of any given
moment, but God will bless your lives if you do as He asks. "

Now Cherrylaine believed in doing the best that she could when it came
to loving her friends or enemies, but she would rather take a trip to
Hell and have a visit with Lucifer himself than be friends with Asa
Malloy. After her sainted Mama had passed on to live with the Angels in
heaven, Cherrylaine's daddy had courted Asa 's widowed mother for a
spell. When he discovered she had a disposition as sour as unsweetened
lemon pie, her daddy knew without a doubt he didn't want to pucker his
lips in the Widow's direction and he hightailed it to parts unknown.
Not being known as a man of bravery, he only made brief appearances in
the dead of night when the new moon was on the horizon. He was good at
sending her money to cover household expenses, but Cherrylaine found it
hard living alone.

Both the Widow and Asa had accused her daddy of breach of
promise..Cherrylaine figured it was more Asa's doing as he wanted to
get his mother out of his hair. Rumors had floated thick as smoke
signals in the air that he wanted to live life on the edge..in other
words he was a sorry soul who wanted to drink illegal hooch and smoke
unfiltered Lucky Strike's without having to ask his mother's kind
permission, which he knew he would never get!

With a huge sigh Cherrylaine climbed into her daddy's 1947 Ford truck
and turned the key in the ignition. She oftimes wondered why God
allowed things to happen as they did, especially when she parked in
front of the grocery store and recognized that thick slickedbacked
hair, shining like axelgrease in the late morning sunlight. Before she
had a chance to think, he leaned his head into her open window.
Cherrylaine thought she would gag when the overwhelming scent of Best
Boy Pomade invaded her territory.
" Why Cherrylaine, it's been a month of Sundays since I've seen your
pretty face in town. " Asa gave her his best of smiles..not very
becoming as he still had bits of Beechnut Chawin' Tobacco stuck between
the space in his two front teeth.

" Why Asa, has it really been that long? " She batted her dark
eyelashes at him and thought to herself, " If Daddy hadn't run out of
basics for the upcoming winter months, it would be a coon's age before
I let my shadow fall across Main Street again. "

Asa stood up straight and stroked his moustache. " You know it has,
Cherrylaine MacBride. There's been many a time that I wished you'd come
and visit with Mother and me..she loves you like her own daughter.
"
He stammered, " And I..well, I think you know I want to set about
courting you right and proper. "

Cherrylaine figured he would bring that subject up again. She was still
gunshy when it came to relationships of the heart. Her last boyfriend
had run off to that evil land called California, without nairy a word
of good-bye..he dumped her because he thought he was goodlooking enough
to make it as a movie star. The last she heard he was hauling garbage
to the trash heap outside of Tijuana, Mexico! ' Good riddance to bad
rubbish '..her daddy was good at spouting philosophical type
phrases.

" And when we get married, you could sell your farm and live with
Mother and me here in town. I'd even let you come work by my side in
the grocery store. And when children come along, you'd only have to
work for eight hours instead of ten or twelve..and you'd still have
plenty of time to keep the house clean and tend to Mother and me and
the kids. "

" Brothers and Sisters of Devotion..do you have your dreams to keep you
company or are they just fleeting delusions that won't ever come to
fruition? You must pray with all your might that you can realize the
difference..choose your hopes and aspirations well, cause that Devil is
out there, waiting to squash your fragile egos like a cockroach
underneath his shiny leather boots..he's waiting for the right time to
get your soul in a tight corner and stomp all over you. " Cherrylaine
remembered that sermon from last Sunday.

Asa would have continued in that vein, but Cherrylaine had business to
attend to. " Asa, as much as that thought entertains me in its
loveliness and simplicity, you know how seldom I get out and about..and
people's tongues would wag if you came acourtin' me at my house without
a fitting chaperone. "
Cherrylaine was smarter than she let on. She and Asa both knew that
once idle speculation started in town it would soon stick like honey
dripping off the side of a biscuit and be hard pressed to slow down or
clean up. Her words would prod Asa to think of what he wanted more at
this time in his life..a wife or his precious customers. A wife
wouldn't be that hard to come by, but customers would feather together
like a flock of crows, taking their business and money down the road a
ways, thus leaving Asa with no prospects of ever getting out from
underneath his mother's thumb. Cherrylaine left him to ponder his
plight as she went inside to get sugar, flour, coffee, and other
assorted items on her shopping list.

Cherrylaine would no more agree to becoming Asa's wife than a person
would agree to being target practice for a field full of first day
pheasant hunters. Cherrylaine had just turned 17 and her whole life lay
ahead of her. Just a few weeks ago she had mailed her own lyrics and
music to the radio station that sponsored Lisa And The
Southernaires..maybe one of these fine days they would think enough of
what she had created to perform it in public. Even if they didn't,
Cherrylaine was not a girl to give up on her hopes and dreams. She paid
the clerk, and rolled her items out to the truck. Thankfully Asa was
nowhere in sight, so she hopped into the truck and turned the key,
starting the bumpy ride home. She pulled up to her front porch just in
time to see the postman knocking on the screen door. " Cherrylaine,
I've got a special delivery for you, young lady. Please sign on the
dotted line. " She did and then went inside to turn on the Philco. She
sat at her kitchen table to read the handwritten note..
' Dearest Cherrylaine, I want to thank you so much for sending me some
refreshing new material..the Southernaires and I will be opening our
program this afternoon with your most pleasant song. ' It was signed
Lisa.

When she finished reading it, Cherrylaine did a jig, whooping and
hollering to beat the band! She almost missed the radio announcer, "
Here are Lisa and the Southernaires, singing a brand new song with
words and music by Cherrylaine MacBride. "

When we see the beauteous glow of the sunset
And rise with the early morning glories of dawn
We must remember to count each of our blessings
Giving thankful praises with each breath that's drawn

Dark shadows looming form peaks in the distance
In spreading God's sunny light we cannot be deprived
Climbing step by step we reach the windy summit
We keep our lifelong view of hopes and dreams alive

We must put our faithful trust in all things loving
Calmly strip away the Devil's evil skin
We can bloom and flourish in adversity
To reveal our strength and fortitude within