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Genre: Realistic Faction
Word Count: 100
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ONE SEASON FOLLOWING ANOTHER
Rochelle gazed at the pile of wedding gifts needing to be put away. Among them were three percolators. Neither she nor Jan even drank coffee.
Six months ago, she’d flashed her engagement ring at the senior prom.
With mounting dread, she surveyed the cramped, third floor walk-up apartment with red and black kitchen cabinets. What did she know about marriage?
***
Rochelle downed her second cup of black coffee. “My mother gave us six months at the most.”
Jan poured his third. “What did we know about marriage?”
She kissed his cheek. “Guess we managed to learn something in fifty years.”
Congratulation! It’s a lovely tale. I’ve grown used to you narrating your posts. 😀
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Dear Archon,
I kind of dropped the ball on the recording this week. I was waiting for my husband to do the last line with me. Perhaps I’ll just add it in without him 😉 Thank you.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Amazing story. Congratulations
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Many thanks, Sadje.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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You’re welcome! You finally started drinking coffee!
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Congrats, Rochelle. You learn too much in fifty years or I am wrong?
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Dear Indira,
You are 100% correct, my friend. You do learn many things in fifty years. Some are very painful lessons, aren’t they? Thank you.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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So true. Some are painful but you learn to except. I have also completed50 years of married life in Aug. Shalom.
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Congratulations to you both. You’ve been married just over twice as long as I have. That’ almost impossible to contemplate. Well done, sweet story, though my jaw dropped when you said you didn’t use to drink coffee.
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Dear Sandra,
Truth is most definitely stranger than fiction. We were so young and naive. Although Jan was the much older man at 25. Sheesh, I have shoes older than that now. 😉
As for the coffee…yeah, I find that hard to believe now. I was in my 30’s before I acquired a taste for the now necessary caffeinated beverage that I’m swilling as I write. Thank you.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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A heart-warming story. Congratulations, Rochelle
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Thank you so much, Neil.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Haha! Absolutely delightful! What a clever, clever transition, especially the coffee in hand, too…
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Dear Ain,
I’m glad you caught the coffee revisit. 😉 It’s all true. Thank you.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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The now and then contrast of words and ideas works great here. Congratulations on 50 years!
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Dear Trent,
I’m glad when a plan comes together. 😉 Thank you.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Congratulations, Rochelle! Some people were meant to be… and/or they put in the work over the years and it pays off in their every day. Lovely story.
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Dear Jen,
It hasn’t all been romance and roses, that’s for sure, but when push comes to shove, our marriage is important to us. We used to tell people we stayed together to avoid a custody battle over the kids. I told him I’d hire lack of character witnesses to prove I was an unfit mother. 😉 Thank you.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Dear Rochelle,
What a lovely story. Congratulations on fifty years. May God continue to bless you both.
Shalom,
Adele
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Thank you on both counts, Adele. 😀
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Aw…I love this story. We finally learned to drink coffee. What a milestone. So many gave us 6-10 months. Many of them divorced and remarried several times. You learn a lot about life when you work through the problems together as opposed to just giving up. And when you do, life just gets better all the time. This little journey of ours is a great one. Thanks for the beautiful little story M’Luv. Coffee & all. Cheers….
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Dear Jan,
It’s true. Many of our friends (and family) have been divorced at least once. For what ever reasons, however tempting, giving up was just never an option. 😉 There was that little custody battle issue. Tee hee. Now that the kids are grown, well…divorce is just too time consuming and expensive. So I guess you’re stuck with me…you lucky guy. Love you, hunny. Happy 50th and many more, m’luv.
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I wouldn’t want to be stuck with anyone else. Lol. Without you in it, as the lyrics state “This big ole house gets lonely…”. Here’s to the next years we are given.(Not so sure about 50 more. Lol)
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Dear Rochelle and Jan,
You are two very lucky people to have found each other. My heartfelt congrats to both of you on a long and successful marriage! (I guess you felt obliged to use these percolators after all, hm?)
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Dear Gabi,
Actually, we gave one of the percolators to my coffee drinking parents and I believe we traded the other two in for something we could actually use. 😉 By the time we started drinking coffee, Mr. Coffee had come out with their coffee makers. Now we have a Keurig. Obla di Obla da life goes on, Bra. Thank you.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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🙂
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Aww.. Congratulations! Here’s to many more happy years to come! ❤
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Thank you, Anne. ❤ 😀
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Congratulations Rochelle, coffee and fifty years, that’s great
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Dear Michael,
I sit this morning, drinking my coffee and reflect on a fulfilling life I’ve been privileged to live. Thank you.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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happy milestone anniversary congratulations. Referring to your own life in the third person shouldn’t become a habit
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Dear Larry,
We are basking in our milestone and certainly not living life in the third person. 😉 Thank you.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Happy 50th! Our family said the same about us… only they gave us 2 months. 26 years later… What God has joined together, eh! I can laugh at your number of coffee makers… we got 12 coffee makers and 6 crockpots. Many of which we were able to exchange for things we did need… like curtains for the bedroom window. LOL!
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What is that tall building center background with long black spire? It looks familiar, but I can’t quite place it. Love the perspective on the photog!
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Dear Bear,
We traded in two of the percolators and gave one to my parents. By the time we started enjoying the black brew coffee makers were the thing and we’ve gone through plenty of those over the past 30 years or so. 😉 The other thing we got multis of was the ever-popular in the day fondue pot. 😀
As for the spire, I’ve no clue. I’m pretty sure it’s somewhere in NYC.
Thank you.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Hubby id’d the spire… It’s the building that replaces the Twin Towers. I just love the angle of this street shot. The way things line up and draw you to the sky. Happy Hanukkah!
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Heartiest Congrats, Rochelle!
Special occasion. 6 months to 50 years!
May there be more such milestones.
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Many thanks, Anita. 😀
Shalom,
Rochelle
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You seemed to learn to like coffee! Congratulations to you both on your Golden Wedding. Wonderful!!
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Dear Di,
We learned to like coffee and then some. 😉 Thank you.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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🙂
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Congratulations! You are very blessed.
I love the way you use coffee as a metaphor for the changes that happen in a marriage. It’s particularly telling that you both started by not liking coffee, and you both changed. No change is easy, but it’s so much easier when you both change together.
I love your wedding painting too; what a handsome couple you were!
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Dear Penny,
Thank you so much for your kind words all the way around. For many years now we’ve been at that stage where we both require our morning coffee. 😉 We have grown up together in many ways. ❤
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Many milestone anniversary congratulations. You always say first husband on your blog but by now the ordinal number is irrelevant
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Dear Larry,
“My first husband” is an inside joke since there never was (and no plans for) a second. 😉 Thank you.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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I assumed that much but couldn’t help making a comment Shalom
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Congratulation!
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Thank you, Nelkumi.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Dear Rochelle,
Was it the three percolators and putting them to good use that drove you both into coffee-drinkers? It probably would : waste not, want not. 😂 What a beautiful love: your painting is beautiful too!
Shalom uv’rachah,
Dora
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Dear Dora,
We actually traded two of the percolators for something we’d actually use and gave one to my parents. We didn’t start liking coffee until the rise of Mr. Coffee. Thank you so much.
Shalom uv’rachah,
Rochelle
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Happy anniversary!!!!!
Randy
>
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Todah rabbah, Randy. 😀
Shalom and Hanukah Samayakh,
Rochelle
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Hey Hey!! Congratulations Rochelle to you and Jan! What a lovely tale. However I’ve a feeling its factual and so… probably doesn’t qualify under the suggestive title!!! Not really, great work, hope you have a lovely celebration!!
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should be a comma between not really and great work!!
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Dear Shrawley,
I did a bit of editing for you. 😉 Thank you re my tale and my anniversary. We did have a wonderful celebration! Perhaps I’ll post a blog.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Huge congratulations!
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Huge thanks, Liz.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Beautiful! We all learn it as we go, and if true love is there, we figure out how to make it work. Congrats, Rochelle!
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Dear Eric,
When asked the other night what the secret to our successful marriage is, our answer was: separate bathrooms, individual space and lots and lots of hugs. Thank you.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Dear Rochelle (and Jan),
A lovely story that has lasted through fifty years of learning to love coffee and each other and to defy the naysayers.
Shalom and lotsa and lotsa and lotsa love,
Dale
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Dear Dale,
We’ve certainly had our ups and downs and times when we’re breathing each other’s air. 😉 (Where have I heard that one?) Nonetheless the love and commitment are real. Besides we’re both too damned stubborn to quit. Thanks for being there, my friend.
Shalom and lotsa and lotsa hugs,
Rochelle
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I was gonna make mention of breathing of air but figured… And yes. Your love and commitment are real, for sure!
xoxo
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Congratulations. Love and coffee go together well.
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Dear Lorraine,
Coffee does keep us from biting each other’s heads off in the mornings. 😉 Thank you.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Another selling point!
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Wonderful story, Rochelle,
Congrats to y’all for hanging in there. You make me think back. All those years. Where did they go?
Good coffee is in my Thanksgiving poem for today. I’m a coffee snob these days, but Lawdy, as with wine, I’ve swallowed the best and the worst of it over the years.
Peace,
Bill
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Dear Bill,
It does go by in the blink of an eye doesn’t it? I do love my black coffee…strong…as well as my wine. 😉 I’m off to read your Thanksgiving poem. Here’s to good friends, good coffee and good wine.
L’chaim and Shalom,
Rochelle
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Lovely story with a happy theme. When we are young and happy it is the time to believe and trust ourselves regardless of the tiny worries.
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Dear James,
Thank you for such a lovely comment.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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I’m sure you have! I’m raising my coffee cup to you both right now – I’ll raise my glass later!
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Dear Keith,
I’m between coffee and wine at the moment. Cheers and thank you.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Great story.. Congratulations.
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Thank you, Vartika,
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Aw 🙂 I guess you knew enough 🙂
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Dear Ali,
We learned as lived along. 😉 Thank you.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Congratulations! A lovely story. I’m sure you learned a lot more than just how to like coffee 😛
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Dear Flower,
We’ve certainly learned more than how to like coffee. However, I only have 100 words. 😉 Thank you,
Shalom,
Rochelle
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50 years a lifetime! it takes two to make it work. congratulations and best wishes.
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Thank you, Plaridel. ❤
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Congratulations !!
A true love indeed. And with coffee too. Haha!
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Dear Laurie,
Coffee has become essential. 😉 Thank you.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Mazel tov to you both! Do you still have the percolators?
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Dear Michael,
Todah Rabbah. The percolators got traded in right away…well two of them. We gave one to my parents. We’ve since gone through a plethora of coffee makers. Presently we have a Keurig. 😉
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Heartiest congratulations Rochelle and your better half on achieving this most happy milestone. Many many more to come. And a wonderful story to go along with this eventful journey!
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Dear Neel,
Many many thank you’s for your kind comments.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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