Happy 64th Birthday to “My Vincent”

Wiping the dust off some old albums from when Dan and I were dating, I couldn’t help but smile when I saw “Great Expectations.” Suddenly, I was teleported back to an apartment in Sharonville, when I found a parchment paper note under my door that started it all.

I remember at the time I was kind of irritated at Dan. I had asked him if he would come to my work Christmas party and he said, “I can’t. I have the most important event of my life.” As his girlfriend at the time, I thought I was the most important thing in his life. Obviously, I called him as soon as I got the note! All he reiterated was that my ride would arrive at 6:15 that Saturday! “Be realistic, Danei,” I thought to myself. “He is probably just going to make you dinner at his parents’ house to make up.” Nevertheless, I was excited.

When Dan’s best friend showed up to pick me up on Saturday, I was surprised, but I knew I was dating a creative man, so I got in the car. As we were driving down towards Cincinnati, I said to Mike, “It looks like we are not going to Dan’s parents’ house, are we?” He just smiled and kept driving. When we arrived at Union Terminal, I was escorted inside and I saw Dan’s brother by the entrance of the children’s museum. It was after hours, but there were people milling around. Everyone looked over at me and smiled. Union Terminal in Cincinnati was an Art Deco—Dan’s favorite art style—train station.

Walking through the door to the children’s museum, I headed down into the old tunnel. Who do I see waiting at the children’s store inside the museum? “Vincent” from my favorite television show at the time! While we were dating, I told Dan, “Vincent is a true Renaissance man.” The only thing I recognized in the face were Dan’s green eyes! Dan had had a makeup artist from the Playhouse in the Park recreate the makeup for Vincent from the show. That is why he couldn’t come to my employee Christmas party. They were creating the mold! Dan had recreated Vincent’s world in the children’s museum to ask me to marry him. Of course, I said yes!

Here’s to 64 years, Vincent!
Love always,
Danei