Love Story

It was early fall in Salmon. Eighteen year old Mike who had graduated from high school in Challis the previous spring now worked at the Saveway grocery store for Edmund Bills. Bills’ nineteen year old son Jim worked there, too. Mary Bills, Edmund’s wife, ran the main till at the front of the store. Jim and Mike had become pretty good friends. Mary was also very friendly with Mike and often spent time talking with him.

There was this girl, Birdie King, who Mike had dated for a couple of years. They had broken up the previous winter. Birdie had been dating a lot of guys. She could date about anyone she wanted due to her being one of the most beautiful girls in Salmon. Jim had a friend named Benny Banks who Birdie had dated quite a bit just before she left the previous spring to go stay with her mother for the summer. Her mother lived in Boise and Birdie had been boarding with different families in Salmon for the past couple of years. She spent the winters in Salmon while attending school and the summers with her mother. This coming year she was going to board at the Bills’ home.

One day, Mike and Jim were talking about girls which are usually the subject of conversation among young men. Mike stated that he wished he and Birdie hadn’t broken up as he thought a lot of her and wouldn’t mind dating her again.
Jim replied, “Oh you can’t date Birdie now, she is Benny’s girl.”
Mike didn’t say anything to Jim but to himself he said, “Oh yeh, well we’ll see about that!”

Mike knew that Birdie would be coming back to Salmon soon as school was going to start in a couple of weeks. The next day he casually asked Mary, who he knew Birdie was going to be boarding with, if she knew when Birdie was coming back to town. Mary told him that Birdie was coming in on the evening bus that coming Friday night.

Friday night came and Mike was waiting at the Bus stop at the Herndon Hotel. It was about 9:00 pm and the bus pulled in. Sure enough, there was Birdie. Mike’s heart took a jump in his chest as she was just as beautiful as always.
When she got off the bus and saw Mike standing there she asked, “What are you doing here?”
He replied, “I am waiting for Lonny who is coming in any day now from the army.” Lonny is Mike’s older brother and really was expected home from basic training in California, although not for several more weeks.

Birdie said, “Oh, well he wasn’t on the bus.”

Mike said, “Too bad, but as long as I’m here why don’t I give you a ride up to the Bills’ house?”
Birdie said, “Oh, I would love that but Cornell has offered to take me home in the bus after he unloads.”

Mike said, “That’s a big hassle for him to drive you up there in this big bus. I’ll be glad to do it.”
At that point Mike went over to the bus and began to pull Birdie’s luggage out of the storage compartment. Immediately Cornell, the young single bus driver, saw what Mike was doing and came running over.

He said, “What are you doing?”

“I’m taking Birdie home,” Mike replied.
Cornell could see his grip on this dark eyed beauty slipping away. He said, “You don’t need to, I’m going to take her home in the bus.”
Mike told him in a low but firm voice, one that Birdie could not hear, “Forget about that and while you are at it, forget about Birdie, because she will be with me from now on.”
Mike carried the trunk over to his car and left Cornell standing there with a very hurt look on his face.

Mike loaded the luggage and helped Birdie get into the passenger side of the car. He got in and drove away from the curb. As he made the right hand turn onto Main Street he saw in his rear view mirror the fancy little Porsche that belonged to Benny pulling up behind him. Mike turned right and Benny turned left and spun his tires for about a block down the street.
Birdie asked, “What is that noise?”
Mike replied, “Oh, just some jerk spinning his tires, he must be mad about something.”

Mike took Birdie’s luggage up to Bills’ house and left it there. He then asked Birdie if she wanted to go for a ride and she accepted. Mary was delighted when she saw who it was that had brought Birdie’s luggage home. She always thought they were a cute couple.

The young couple drove around that night for hours and they both realized how much in love they really were. They were married a few months later, on July 5, 1961, in the Idaho Falls Temple for time and eternity.

It was meant to be...

Written by Mike Hicks