Philip Frabosilo and his wife Judi have known each other since they were kids. Crediting President Richard Nixon with their marriage, they’ve maintained what they call “a perfect blend” in their relationship.
Originally aired August 12, 2005, on NPR’s Morning Edition.
Philip Frabosilo and Judi Frabosilo
PF: Her father wasn’t around – so I was dealing mostly with her grandmother and her mother, and her mother was really the boss. And Chicky had one day approached me and said to me – that was her nickname Chicky – she said, ‘What are your intentions? Are you really going to marry my daughter?’ And I said, ‘Yes, I’m gonna marry her, but I’m gonna be drafted so I’ll wait til I get back.’ She goes, ‘But do you really want to marry her?’ And I say, ‘Look, if I don’t get drafted I’ll marry her now.’
And Nixon dropped the draft. I was driving down the street, and Nixon got on the – and he started talking, and he said, ‘All you men who are between 1 and 125, I have some good news for you, you’re not gonna be drafted.’ And I just went right through the light, I sailed through the light, because I knew Chicky –
JF: I heard you screaming!
PF: When I walked in the house, Judi was happy – ‘I’m getting married November 18!’
JF: We already made the plans, too.
PF: They had it all set up. No matter what, I was either going to walk to Vietnam or get shot down the aisle.
JF: I thought I wasn’t going to get any more chances in life so I better grab this one who made the offer. Have I ever told you that before?
PF: No.
JF: They told me I was gonna be a nun.
PF: I’ve discovered in life that all of the real exciting things are the things that you don’t expect…
JF: You’re right. The other day, bringing me home those flowers, that was very nice. Thank you.
PF: That’s right. I never buy her flowers because they charge too much and they die too quick but I saw African violets on sale…
JF: See, you had to put a dullness on it. You see, it was so nice.You should not have said that. You should just let it go.
PF: Do you have any regrets, my dear?
JF: If I had any regrets I wouldn’t be sitting here with you.
PF: How about my iderosyncrasies [sic]? Which of them bother you the most?
JF: I’m only here for a short amount of time, Phillip. My life is not long enough for me to repeat them.
PF: I think that our love for each other is so intense and so real that I really think we’re a perfect blend.
JF: I don’t know that we’re really a perfect blend, to be honest.
PF: A lot of times Judy’s wrong. In fact, as a couple, we add up more than the sum of the whole [sic].
JF: Honey, that’s beautiful. Thank you!
PF: You’re welcome.
JF: Did you have that planned to say that?
PF: No, I don’t plan things.
JF: That just came right out? You see you’re just so full of goodness. Start sending some of that goodness my way.
When Deborah Wei and her family moved to the Philadelphia suburbs in the 1960’s, they were the only Asian family in their neighborhood. Deborah remembers how her mother made their new surroundings feel like home.
