Quote of the Month:  Open the window in the center of your chest and let the spirits fly in and out. Rumi
(My theme for this year’s A to Z Challenge is Open.)

This year, as I was preparing for the A to Z Challenge, several events emerged that sparked new voices in my head. First, we had a Pad Thai and Sock Puppet Night for our Primo Art Spa, where I created the sock puppet characters Willie and Millie. I had not thought about what I’d create until I sat down and started grabbing fabric. That night, we spent some time giving our characters a story. I set them aside until as I was sorting through my sock drawer and some conflicting viewpoints, and I had an epiphany!

Millie and Willie started talking to me, so I’ll get out of their way and let them take over the A to Z Challenge. They’ve been a pair for 45 years and have lived colorful lives. I’ll let them tell you how they met.

A = Opening an Account!

Millie and Willie Cottonpoly
 
Millie: I was working at the First State Bank of Worthington.
 
Willie: I just got my first paycheck from Burlington Northern Railway and went to open an account. (starts humming, I’ve been working on the railroad)
 
Millie: It was July 5, 1967.
 
Willie: You were blushing like a school girl.
 
Millie: I was sunburned. My girlfriends and I had covered ourselves in baby oil and laid out on the window ledge all day until the fireworks display to celebrate our nation’s Independence Day.
 
Willie: The sunburn got suddenly darker when I asked for her phone number. (Millie shoots him a look)
 
Millie: He was very forward. I didn’t know what kind of fellow he was, so I said No.
 
Willie: The next day I came back in with my coffee can filled with coins. I stood there admiring her gorgeous, strong limbs as she counted out all 243 dollars. (chuckles)
 
Millie: I hated counting out coins. They have machines to do it, now. It was a putzy job. I was cursing him out in my head the whole time.
 
Willie: (chuckles)
 
Millie: When I was done, I handed him his bills, shut my window, and took my coffee break. I thought that was a clear message that I didn’t want anything to do with him.
 
Willie: (chuckle) Luckily, I’m clueless that way.
 
Millie: The next day, I saw him walking in the door, so I took my time with Mr. Landry, thinking he’d go to another girl’s window.
 
Willie:  I was patient. I just held back, slowly filled out my deposit slip, and when Mr. Landry walked away, I slid right up to her window and grabbed the money out of my pocket.
 
Millie: The 243 dollars in the exact same bills that I’d counted out for him the day before. I was about to tell him to go make his deposit at some other window…
 
Willie: But, my Hot Tamales caught her eye. (eyebrows waggle up and down)
 
Millie: Willie!
 
Willie:  (chuckles) I’d picked up the candy on my route to Minneapolis the week before. I saw that she was eyeing them, so I opened the box and offered her one.
 
Millie:  I put one in my mouth and my tongue was on fire.
 
Willie: She couldn’t talk for a few minutes, so I took the opportunity to tell her a little about myself and that I would be honored if she’d accompany me to the movies on Saturday night. I brought a fresh box of Hot Tamales, and the rest is history.
 
Millie: What can I say? I was craving a little spice in my life. (blushes like a sunburned school girl)

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Keep coming back to Play off the Page to read more of Millie and Willie’s spicy adventures!

Happy Birthday Arlee Bird, the brilliant blogger who started the A to Z Challenge in 2010! What a riot. It’s like a big blog party. I hope you enjoy your day and this year’s challenge.

I hope all of you enjoy getting to know Millie and Willie Cottonpoly. They can be a hoot. That’s for sure.

Go. Create. Inspire!

Journaling Prompt:  Tell the story of how you met a special friend.