In honor of Valentine’s Day, we share this love story by resident, Arthur Sheets.
Thelma & Arthur Sheets
It was 86 degrees in Cebu City Philippines the day I first met Thelma. I know this, not because I made a special note of the temperature, but because It Is Always 86 degrees on the island of Cebu. She was wearing a sundress and splashing water on herself to cool off. I was wandering down the street going nowhere and not sure how to get there, so I stopped to chat with the cute girl in the wet dress. When I asked her to go out with me, I suggested she bring a friend along to act as a chaperone but I had failed to take certain factors into account. So when I showed up for our ‘date’ I found that we had not one chaperone, but six. Fortunately, in that place and time, eight people could have dinner and go dancing without busting a 2nd Lieutenant’s bank role.
After that, I saw Thelma whenever I could. Eventually I went to see her Father. I was prepared (if necessary) to offer up a few goats or chickens as dowry, but all he asked for was a promise that I would treat her well – which I hope I have done. We did get married; but you might say our marriage got off to a stormy start. We spent the first week huddled up in a rented apartment, waiting out a passing typhoon. The next week we flew to Manila and took a room in the Tower Hotel to avoid the next typhoon. The room had piped-in music. It was playing a continuous loop of Christmas songs over and over. Now, fifty years later, we still smile and chuckle when we hear Little Drummer Boy on the radio.