A boy met a girl at a cowboy bar deep in the heart of a moderately-sized Midwestern town. Neither one of them wanted to be there (at the bar or in the town). But billiards were played (the boy kept winning) and alcohol imbibed (this is why the boy kept winning). By the end of the evening the girl didn't care that she would hear steel guitars in her dreams for weeks. It was March of 1993.

One month later (after spending very little time apart) the boy and the girl went out for Japanese food then on to a blues club. Music was played and alcohol imbibed. The boy called the girl's mother from a payphone (remember those?) at the blues place and asked her permission for the girl's hand. The mother was shocked as she had been trying to get rid of the girl for years to no avail. The mother said, "yes", not quite believing her good fortune. Then the boy asked the girl to marry him on stage in front of all the patrons at the blues bar. (!!!!!) The girl, never good under pressure, agreed. But she got to pick out a big diamond solitaire. The boy was broke but he didn't care because the girl was happy. That night, Stevie Ray Vaughn's "Pride and Joy" officially became "their" song. It was April of 1993.

Another month went by and the boy and the girl went to Las Vegas for the weekend. Blackjack was played (the boy kept losing) and alcohol imbibed (this is why the boy kept losing). At just after midnight, the boy and girl got married at the Silver Bell Wedding Chapel on the Strip. Pentecostal minister, Reverend George L. Cotton, did the honors. Their cab driver, Bob Scucci, was their only witness, as the Elvis impersonator had already gone home for the evening. The ceremony was video-taped (for an extra sixty dollars, which the boy graciously sprung for because he had quickly figured out over two months of dating how much fun the girl was when she got to spend his money) and lasted exactly 7 minutes and 43 seconds. It was May of 1993.

The odds on this marriage lasting longer than the ceremony itself were listed as 1000:1 at most of the casino sportbooks in town that night. Not surprisingly, there were no takers. Too bad. On the 23rd of May this year the boy and the girl will celebrate fourteen (mostly!) joyous years together. If they had laid down fifty bucks back then they would have $50,000 today. Instead they have a big mortgage and three kids. The boy still wins when he shoots pool. The girl still spends his money. But, even after all of these years, "Pride and Joy" is still "their" song.

And they lived happily ever after.