5. Love

Byron on his first date with Esther

The school year was soon over, however, and Esther had to take up her summer job at the Brocklebank Hotel in New Hampshire. When she left Massachusetts, however, she left a young man who was growing more entranced with her as every day passed. Once she arrived in New Hampshire the two began to correspond by letter, daily. Byron found Esther to be a lovely and enchanting young woman with a delightful sense of humor. She was a good listener and conversationalist. They seemed made for each other.  

Esther on her first date with Byron

The event that cemented their "more-than-friendship" began with Esther writing to Byron of a certain boy up in New Hampshire that she ran around with. She told him that the two of them would go to drinking parties and he would take her on wild rides in his car. Byron was concerned for Esther's safety and none too happy about this young man's interest in her. He responded by telling her that if she went on with that boy, Byron would call it quits; it was either one 

Byron fit right into the Boston family; Tom and Bessie treated the young man like one of their own. Sometimes they would all go on picnics together. Feasting on fried chicken and apple pie in the bright sunshine and relaxing on the cool, green grass, they would revel in the simple pleasures of life. At other times Byron and Esther met each other at MassArt for lunch or they would skip school altogether and go see a movie for 25 cents!

Then one day Esther went over to Harold and Byron's apartment to cook dinner for them, not an unusual happening. She started puttering about in the kitchen and Byron ducked into the bathroom to clean up. As he started to shave, his mind wandered to the beautiful young woman in the other room. He realized that he never wanted to be apart from her. There could be no delay; it was now or never. He called her into the bathroom and proposed marriage to her right then and there. What was she thinking at that moment, as the young man with shaving cream over half his face looked intently into her eyes to read her answer? Whatever else was going through Esther's mind, we know that her answer was positively and definitely, "yes."

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The ecstatic couple couldn't wait to be married. Byron felt that big weddings were just a lot to do about nothing and wanted it over as soon as possible, so it was scheduled for the following weekend. According to Esther, however, "The suddenness shocked my family, so [Byron] relented and put the wedding off for another week, to July 25th, 1937. In that two-week period my Mother and sister, Ruth, put together a fine church wedding and reception, complete with pastor, best man, maid of honor, flower girl, ushers and bride and groom, resplendent in formal finery." The wedding ceremony was to be held in a small church in West Acton, Massachusetts, with about 50 friends and family members in attendance.

The guests had begun assembling in the bright sunshine when Byron pulled someone aside and told him that he didn't want the flower girl to throw rose petals when she walked down the aisle. That little piece of nonsense simply offended his common-sense mind. However, when the little girl was informed of the change in plans, she burst into tears! Her mother had told her to scatter petals and now some mean man was saying that she shouldn't. When Byron stood by the altar that day and looked out to see his bride coming to meet him, he saw that she was treading on rose petals....

Byron and Esther were serious in their commitment to each other, and both had been to weddings where the bride and groom could barely be heard when saying their vows. Those softly whispered promises weren't enough for the young couple; they wanted their passionate declaration of undying love to echo throughout the church and into the next century. By the time the minister pronounced them Mr. and Mrs. Byron Bristol, the congregation was in tears. 

After a lovely reception at the Bostons' home, the bride and groom changed into more casual attire. Byron's practical nature had struck again and he insisted that he wanted no foolishness like people decorating the newlyweds' car during the ceremony. So his brother, Harold, had kindly offered to hide the vehicle in the bushes by the roadside, with only the hood sticking out of the undergrowth. When Byron and Esther left the reception in a cloud of rice, they hopped into the waiting car and were driven off into their future. 

When they stopped by a roadside fruit stand, however, Byron and Esther saw that people were looking at their car oddly. Glancing back, they were astonished to see streamers over the whole thing and "Just Married" written in bold letters across the back of the car! Esther must have been thrilled, and even Byron had to laugh in spite of himself!