When Ed Met Lorraine

When Lorraine was just 16 years old, she and two of her friends went to the Colonial theater in Bridgeport, Connecticut to watch a movie. The year was 1944.

Of course none of them drove, so they all walked from their houses to the theater.

Before walking inside, one of the girls informed Lorraine that there was a boy who worked as an usher there, and thought that Lorraine might like to meet him.

At the time, Lorraine showed little interest in boys, and as she has stated in later years, “ I didn’t have any interest in boys. I was concentrating on my school work. And besides, boys were rough. Not gentile like my brother, Jim. Boys were too rough around the edges for me.

But inside, the girls introduced her to the energetic young usher. His name was Ed.

When she saw Ed, she thought to herself, “ Gee, what a nice looking young man. “

She related later how spiffy he looked, with his sharply creased pants and perfectly coiffed hair.
She recalled, “ And he smelled like “
Noxema “

( Young Ed also worked as a lifeguard during the day, and after his shift would apply amble amounts of “ Noxema Creme “ to soothe his skin.)

After the movie ended, Young Ed happily offered to walk the 3 girls home.

As they walked, Ed told the girls he would buy them all a “ Coke.”

At the “ soda fountain “ the two other girls ordered their Cokes. The sodas were 5 cents each.

When it came time for Lorraine to order her soda, she said “ I’ll have an ice cream soda “

That drink cost 10 cents.

In later years, Ed often joked, “ Lorraine ordered an ice Creme soda for 10 cents. I always knew she was a “ Gold digger “

After the 3 girls had their drinks, they all continued on their way to their respective homes.

Lorraine became worried that because her house was last on the route, that it would not be appropriate for Ed to walk her all the way to her house. After all, she left the house alone.

So she told Ed that she would continue onto her destination alone.

Ed nodded his understanding, then ran happily across the street, to return to his own home.

Lorraine, in later years recalled, “ When he ran across the street, I didn’t see the slender young man of 16. I “ psychically “ saw Ed as a grown man. A man that I would marry. In fact, when I returned home that evening, I wrote in my diary, “Today I met the man I am going to Marry.”