Mama I met the man I am going to marry, Zonia announced as she danced around the run down house. Where did you meet him? Remember the new family that just moved in down in the woods on the way to the schoolhouse. I stopped in there today to cut Mr. Moore's hair and read to them from the bible. I met there next to the oldest son "Boots". Does he know your going to marry him or did you decide on your own, Mama teased. No he doesn't know yet but he will soon said Zonia laughing. He is coming to call on me tonight

.

Boots came to the door, "He is a tall lanky nice looking boy of seventeen." All of the kids ran to the door to see "Zonia's Boyfriend". Zonia shooed all the kids away and ask him to come in. We sat at the kitchen table and drank coffee and talked until midnight. Papa yelled " Zonia it is bedtime, tell your young man to go home. Boots left, but bright and early the next morning he was back. We spent the whole day together talking and laughing like young people do. Boots ask me to "marry him" that day. I told him he would have to ask Papa. Boots stayed for supper that night. I will never forget we had black-eyed peas with no grease or salt and water cornbread. He said it was the best meal he ever had. I thought he was crazy. Boots asked "Papa'. Papa said we had to wait one month, then if we still wanted to get married he would sign for us. I was only sixteen and I had been sick a lot the last five years. I had rheumatic fever and was partial paralyzed for a while. But I have made a full recovery.

I told Boots "we should go and ask his parents" We talked to them after they tried to convince us we were to young and couldn't support ourselves, They finally agreed with what Papa had said about waiting a month. All of them thought we would change our minds, before the month was over. But we didn't Boots came over everyday after he had cut wood all day. It was a long month and exciting. We made plans and worked to get the money for the license.

I didn't know Boots didn't have any dress clothes only overalls. He was embarrassed, so we had to have money for clothes for him. We both worked the whole month but we finally had enough money for everything.

Finally it is January 30, 1934. We all took the wagon and went to Cooper and got married. We were the happiest two people in the whole world. It did not matter that we didn't have a place of our own yet. We spent our first night together with Boot's parents on a straw mattress in the floor. But it was wonderful. Things would be all right we were together.