It has been a long journey to write my love story which began when I was 15 and fell in love with an 18-year-old from Lonsdale,
Arkansas. I lived in Texarkana, and Odis Tyler had taken a job at the
Texarkana Gazette. We lost contact for fifteen years and met again in
1973.
After our
reconnection, we knew our feelings were still alive. Odis wanted us to get to
know each other and made plans for us to spend the weekend together. He
picked me up in Texarkana and drove to
Hot Springs. After checking me into the Holiday Inn on Highway 7,
overlooking Lake Hamilton, we spent the rest of the day visiting with his
parents and riding horses in Lonsdale. The next day he gave me a tour of Hot Springs. This is a small clip of that tour:
The next morning,
Odis came and checked me out of the hotel, and we drove to the Arlington Hotel
on Central Avenue for breakfast. As we ate, I was in awe of the elegance of the
marble structure. There was a brochure on the table that gave the history of
the hotel. It dated back to 1875. There was a fire in the twenties that
destroyed the building but it reopened the next year. Many famous guests
had stayed there, including several Presidents, Babe Ruth, and Al Capone.
Odis said, "At one
time there was widespread illegal gambling in Hot Springs, but the governor
brought it under control. Now we only have horse betting at Oaklawn."
We left the
restaurant and drove down Central Avenue to see the bathhouses.
"People come from
all over the world for the thermal spa baths in mineral water."
"I will have to try
them one day."
We passed by the water spigot where people were filling their plastic bottles for drinking water.
"The water is hot coming out of the spout. Do you want to feel it?" he
asked. We stopped so I could get out and touch it. The water was hot and almost burned
my hand. I wondered why it was so hot. "Is it dangerous with that much heat in
the earth below us?"
"No, it's been like that for thousands of years."
I believed him but
was concerned about all that heat and wondered if there was a volcano that could
erupt. We drove to the old railroad station. As we walked around, he gave me a
history lesson, "Mr. Lonsdale was involved with the railroad and the banks in
Hot Springs. Around 1900 he used his influence to generate the town of
Lonsdale. Legend has it, he told several of the local families, 'Give me land
and I'll build you a town.' They granted the railroad line a right-of-way and
incorporated in 1913."
"Really? 1913 is a
good number." He smiled and remembered my fascination with the number 13.
"Remember
when we rode horses, and I pointed out the Colony House? Johnny Lonsdale, Jr.
built it in the forties. He planned it as a miniature Madison Square Garden
entertainment center with three stories. It has been several things, and the
last was a skating rink."
"He must have been
talented."
"I suppose. He was
a colorful character. My uncle said he used to get drunk and shoot out the
streetlights. When he sobered up the next day, he paid to have them replaced."
"Wow. Did he have a
wife and children?"
"No, he never
married. He ran for governor of Arkansas once but only got a few votes. He died
in a car accident in the early fifties on his way back from a political meeting
in New Orleans. His mother donated several acres in his memory to the Baptist a
year after his death. They made a summer campground on the land and later
bought the Colony House."
"Wow, what a
shame."
"When
I was young, I remember the train coming through Lonsdale. You could ride into
Hot Springs early in the morning and ride back that night. We were close to the
train depot, and hobos would stop by our house, and mom would feed them. They
stopped the passenger service in the mid-sixties."
We sat on a bench
outside the station, looking at the railroad tracks and continued talking. "I
could ride the train for free because my dad worked for the Cotton Belt
Railroad. We took the train to visit my grandmother's sisters in Colfax,
Louisiana."
"You're kidding? My
dad managed a ranch in Campti for my mom's uncle when I was five years old."
"My Aunt Dee and
Uncle Joe lived in Campti."
"I started first
grade in Louisiana."
"Wow, we could have
met back then, but you wouldn't have loved me. I was a spoiled brat."
"Oh, you're not
now?" he said with a grin. I got up and pretended to be mad as I walked away.
Odis got up and grabbed me. He laughed and hugged me. "Now, I'm teasing you."
"Do I get a kiss
for that remark?"
He pecked me on the
lips. We walked arm in arm, toward the car as I had an intrusive thought. "Wow, what if we are related?"
He quipped back,
"Then, we would be kissing cousins."
He continued
talking about Lonsdale. "At one time, Lonsdale was larger than it is now. When
they built the new highway from Benton to Hot Springs, they bypassed the town,
and it dwindled to just around a hundred people."
"That's
a shame. When we dated, you talked about it, and it sounded so fascinating. I
always remembered the town."
"I worked on the
new highway in the summers between high school. It was hard work. We moved big
boulders, and my hands would bleed from using a pick and shovel. I could hardly
stand up my back hurt so bad."
"Awe, poor baby."
He grinned, "You're
mean, but I love you.
We got in the car,
and I squeezed his cheeks with my fingers, "I love you, too."
"Okay, I forgive
you. It was great growing up in a small town. I like it for my boys. Fewer
things to get them in trouble."
"That's true."
He smiled at me. "I
want you with me wherever I am."
The hot water in
the ground was still on my mind, "I hope whatever is making that water hot
doesn't erupt someday."
"That won't
happen." He winked and grinned at me. "I promise you are safe!"
It was close to 1 PM, and it had been a great weekend. We were getting to know
each other and building new memories. We drove by the Oaklawn Racetrack on
Central and Odis said, "That is the racetrack I told you about earlier. My
Uncle Floyd that you met yesterday, loves to go to the races. He is my dad's
brother, and I know you've met a lot of my family, but I want them all to meet
the girl I love."
"Yes,
I remember him. He and Diane have the same birthday."
We pulled up to the
service station, and Odis got out to pump the gas. He went inside to get us
some snacks and drinks. Sitting in the car, I was reflecting on the two days,
trying to visualize a life with him, and I was encouraged that I could make the
transition. A few minutes later, I looked up, and he was standing by the car
door, leaning down, grinning from ear to ear. He winked at me as he handed me
the bag and a bottled Dr. Pepper.
Getting into the car, he said, "Was I gone too long?"
I smiled at him. "The key's in the ignition. If you disappeared again, I could drive myself home."
Positioning himself in the driver's seat, he pinched me on the cheek, "You would too." He had a gleam in his eye, "I got you a Dr. Pepper, and you're still mean to me."
"I warned you when we first met that I was a little mean."
He leaned over to kiss me and whispered. "Yes, and I should have believed you."
As we pulled away from the gas station, the radio came on playing the end of a lively tune by Johnny Carver, I Start Thinking About You. He knew the song and said, "I'm always thinking about you and how much I love you. It makes me go out of my mind, wondering if you love me."
I winked at him, "I don't want you going crazy on me, so yes, I love you."
Patting me on my knee, he said, "Good, I want to be your sweet loving man."
We drove by the Holiday Inn on Highway 8, where I had spent the night. Driving out of town, we crossed a long bridge over Lake Hamilton. Odis said, "Before Mark was born, I was driving around this curve into town, and a drunk driver hit me head-on. I almost died."
"Oh, my gosh. I'm glad God had other plans for you and kept you safe. He knew I would need your love ten years later."
Listening to the radio, Sonny James was singing an old sixty's song, True Love's A Blessing. Odis took my hand, holding it tight as we drove. He smiled, "There's no love like the love I found when I found you. You are my pearl."
I chuckled, "Then, I must be worth a lot of money."
"You are priceless," he said, smiling. "True love is a blessing, and you are mine. I'll always love you and be faithful."
We were both quiet as we had our right hands intertwined together. There was not much traffic driving back to Texarkana. I was tired and laid my head on his shoulder. "I love to listen to the beat of your heart and wonder what the beats are saying."
"They are saying, I love you; I love you; I love you." He lifted my hand and kissed it, and I wished this moment could last forever. I dropped off to sleep, and when I opened my eyes, it startled me. "Oh! I hope I didn't snore."
Odis grinned, "You did, but it was cute."
I frowned and stuck my tongue out at him as we drove into Margaret's driveway. He put the car in park and said, "Be careful your face doesn't freeze that way." He reached over and pinched my cheek, "But I'd still love it."
It had been a great day, and I knew I was falling in love with him and where he lived. As we got out of the car, Odis said, "I loved being with you this weekend. I hope you had fun."
"Yes, Hot Springs is a neat town. Very different from the Metroplex, but that's a good thing.
