10 Years

New York City, 24 July 2003

We had been together five or six years. We decided to elope. The plan was simple: we would go down to New York for an extended weekend, get married in city hall. We needed a witness, so my brother would come down on the train and meet us there. He would be the only other one to know. The we'd come home and tell everyone. But...

A few weeks before the trip, my band was playing a gig of a Friday or Saturday night. I was at the club early for sound check. The soon-to-be-Mrs. G would have dinner with some girlfriends and meet us there. She arrived about ten minutes before we were set to play. One of her friends just grinned at me. "What?" I said. "Nothing" she said. Then, just before we hit the stage, one of my bandmates was congratulating me and giving me a beer. Seems she had some vodka and couldn't contain her excitement. By the end of it, they were toasting us from the stage.

The jig may have been up, but we still went to New York and did it. Young and broke as we were, we stayed at the Carlton Arms, but sprung for the room with the private bath.Our "honeymoon" consisted of a day spent at Coney Island. I knew then she was right for me, because she loved it as much as I did. Who else would? We took the Fung Wah bus home the following Tuesday happily married, and we still are.

Happy Anniversary Mrs. G. I love you.