Well, we had that, thanks in part to Norman. I had mastered trips to Tybee Island on my own, along with my three sons sleeping in the 65 Chevelle. But then Norman and I fell in love, had our wedding at Mt. Bethel and the fun increased a lot more. We liked camping out in the back yard, on a water mattress with our German Shepherd, Bullet. Norman bought us a tent and we camped at Indian Springs, right next to a gurgling stream, which made us sleep like babies! We toured all over Florida, camped there once, but mostly we stayed in motels near the beach. Norman taught my sons how to work on cars, repair the riding lawnmower, and cook outside on the Weber grill. 

  We once had a strange evening though. It was Norman’s birthday and my three sons thought so much of him, they chose a blue Superman t-shirt for him. He put it on and gave them all hugs as he thanked them for his neat gift. We shared some cake, watched a favorite show on TV and then my tired three sons took off to bed. And then the stalker called me, again. He kept asking to come over and spend some time with me and I kept telling him I was married and not interested. But this time, Norman nodded his head, so I agreed to the meeting. Norman went and parked his Cougar across the street in the driveway of an empty rental house. In a few minutes, my stalker knocked on the back door, I opened it, and then Norman stood up behind me. The man gasped, then took off into our back yard as he’d been dropped off by a friend and didn’t have a car. We didn’t have cell phones back then, and we saw him standing near the street beside us, watching for his ride. (He never called again.)

  Then we saw police lights flashing across the street. Next there was a tow truck backing up to Norman’s car, and the blue lights kept beaming. Norman was bare footed, and he rushed across the street in his Superman t-shirt, his shoulder-length hair flying. The police officer and the tow truck driver burst out laughing when they saw his shirt, and probably the long hair and bare feet too. They laughed so hard, and then the policeman told the tow truck driver to unhook the vehicle, and said they weren’t going to give him a ticket after all. He had given them some good humor, and made their night! Norman drove the Cougar back home, we laughed too, and gave each other a quick hug. What a birthday! 

  Naturally he came to love Fresh Air Barbecue as soon as he ate his first meal there. He adopted Tybee Island too, plus Williams Seafood and the neat pier that goes out over the ocean. Tybee reminded us of our honeymoon stay at Ormond Beach, a calm, peaceful spot with lots of delicious seafood restaurants nearby. I also recall the time he was driving his new Ford in the left lane, and people were honking and flashing lights for him to pull over. He reacted with some anger, and when we stopped to eat, he laid the keys on the table and said maybe I’d better drive in the future.  

  I’m glad Norman and his dad converted our carport into another bedroom so the Henry Hilton would have enough space for our fourth child, a sweet baby girl! Another fond memory was when Billy Swann came out with “I Can Help” in 1974 … it was our song and we are VERY thankful we had him.

  Beverly Wittler has four children, eight grandchildren and one great-granddaughter. She lives in McDonough.