Window Shopping For A Daughter-in-Law

It was 1978. Robin was 22-years-old, working for a dress company in the garment center. She was on her way to try and sell dresses to the dress stores in Five Towns. One wrong turn later, and she had stumbled into an unsuspecting boutique in Oceanside.

As Rick puts, “Robin’s wrong turn was my right turn.” Rick’s mother had a jewelry counter in the boutique Robin stumbled into, and she had an eye for more than just fine jewelry. Read on to hear how Robin & Rick got engaged only 6 weeks after meeting and have built their lives together over the past 45 years, grandchildren and all.

So, how’d you meet?

Rick: Robin has many great qualities but she has a very poor sense of direction. She was on her way to Five Towns to sell dresses, and instead of making a right turn she made a left turn. And I like to say her wrong turn turned out to be my right turn. Because she ended up in Oceanside at a little shop called the Fashion Hut. My mother and the store manager, Marilyn, had Robin take off her coat and see if she had a nice figure and so on and so forth. But this was all unbeknownst to me because my mother never gave me the phone number. So one day I'm having dinner at my parents house and I answered when the phone rang and it was this woman Marilyn and she asked — in a very loud, very high pitched voice — did your mother ever give you that cute girl’s number? And a week later I called Robin.

Robin: I’d been on a lot of horrible bad dates so I wanted to know why he needed his mother’s friend to set him up. He said they have good taste so I must be cute. 6 weeks later we got engaged, and a week after that I broke up with my boyfriend.

That must’ve been some 6 weeks…

Robin: Our first date he really wanted to impress. He picked me up from the train station in a yellow Camaro with rust spots. I couldn’t believe I was going out with someone who would have rust spots on his car. Four weeks in, I took him to a company picnic and he was in a wheelbarrow race with my cousin. My cousin went too fast. And Rick broke his elbow so he was in a cast. He spoke to my mom because he wanted me to move in with him and help him. Then one day I was taking a shower and I looked at him, through his disgusting shower curtain, and for the first time I said I love you. He jumped into the shower with his socks on and that was it. We were engaged.

Rick: The bottom line is 6 weeks later we got engaged and 6 months later, we ended up getting married. And I think most people think we were crazy. But here we are 45 years later and we have three beautiful children and it all worked out.

Any advice after 45 years of marriage?

Rick: I think you still have to have a little flame going. She's always making me laugh. I'm very proud of her for being such a fantastic artist. And I think the fact that we have three beautiful children and three beautiful grandchildren and a fourth on the way, it's the glue that keeps our marriage strong.

Robin: Family and shared interest. Though I don't like walking in the park and I hate walking in the woods which k loves, . But I love all of the traveling we have done over the years. Of course Rick has been a wonderful husband and father all these years.

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