VALENTINE THOUGHTS FROM THE DEEP END WITH MISS JULIE’S POOL BOY, Keys to “BIG MAC”, let the Pool Boy tell you two girlies a love story: Monday, August 27,1984, a little before 8:00 AM, the young man destined to be your Papa & Miss Julie’s Pool Boy, took a sip from a water fountain in Maclellan Gymnasium on the UTC campus on day one of the fall semester. It was a fountain that in 1976, standing in line behind & in awe of Moc All-American hoopster Wayne Golden, his love of soon to be national champion Mocs basketball grew like the Grinch’s, 3 sizes that day. The man who wore #10 for the Blue & Gold took his drink, turned & looked at MJPB, raised his large, palm down black hand, a signal to extend a small white hand palm up, & gave “five” & uttered “Go Mocs”. It was the highlight of many days in the place called “Big Mac” until the Pool Boy saw Julie Hemphill, now your Jules, on that wonderful, hot August day, shortly after that water fountain visit, in Maclellan Gym’s room 207. He noticed her first as she, being the prettiest Pi Beta Phi in Tennessee, strolled into Health, Phys. Ed & Recreation class 3020. Your Papa doesn’t know how she missed his mullet & two days of Sonny Crockett stubble, Izod collar popped, Duck Head khaki shorts, & Bass Weejuns on bare feet, a stunning fusion of Miami Vice & Preppy that went unrecognized. The Pool Boy finally got a date with Miss Julie through football. On occasion, he dropped a fin on a 3 team parlay on the 1980s version of a betting app, Stevie’s sandwich truck & one weekend he found his opening. Discovering your Great-granddad graduated from Georgia Tech & unaware how many stops at The Varsity lay ahead, MJPB noticed the Jackets were 38 point favorites over Duke & he bet Jules dinner while taking Duke, giving her the 38 points & praying all weekend the Blue Devils wouldn’t pull the upset of the century. Now, let’s talk about a romance Trav & Taylor can only imagine. Their first “date” was dinner at The Jolly Ox, their first kiss on his parents couch as they studied for the next days final in room 207. They’ll be married 38 years this October. It’s a toss up on who said I love you first. Papa falls asleep first, is taller, older, more stubborn, more competitive, neater & a better cook. Jules is a fabulous baker, the most sensitive, the loudest & can run the house Iike a 60s TV sitcom mom or like a pirate ship captain leading his corsairs on a raid depending on the circumstances. Her favorite perfume has the aroma of a well chlorinated pool, & whether Jules or Miss Julie, Papa or Pool Boy, they adore being your grandparents. Papa loves your pink tennis shoes & Crocs & if you two find those in an adult size & Jules lets him get a pair of Red Puma Clyde’s, you’ll both make dazzling pairs during the bride/granddad dance portion of your wedding receptions (‘cause the Pool Boy can still “Do the Hustle”), & when Miss Julie enters a room, MJPB still think she’s the prettiest Pi Beta Phi in Tennessee.
EPILOGUE: As Papa gets older, he puts more value in substance over style, that peace of mind has no dollar sign. That thankfully, Jules has never been the damsel in distress type & on more than one occasion, found her swinging a drawn sword at that days particular dragon. On some Valentine Days, they’ve celebrated with fine dining on checks drawn from the corner office, one with a frozen pizza to keep the water running, in 2013, a cold sorting through charred remains & today with prescribed meds as Miss Julie finally reverses a 12 day hold of flu turned pneumonia. What they often don’t tell you at conferences or put in books, is there’ll be plenty of days like those & you need a mate that will show up, sword sheathed or sword drawn, for all of ‘em. This past Christmas Miss Julie surprised the Pool Boy with one of those style over substance things. In the last package opened, Papa found keys to the gymnasium where room 207 lives, Big Mac…