Lauren Vincelli talks with her parents, Mary and Peter, about their first date, being high school sweethearts, Mary getting pregnant, and why Mary’s father didn’t want them to get married until after their baby was born.
Originally aired February 15, 2008, on NPR’s Morning Edition.
Mary Vincelli (MV), Lauren Vincelli (LV) and Peter Vincelli (PV)
PV: The night that I met mommy it was Valentine’s Day, wasn’t it?
MV: Yeah, as a matter of fact it was Valentine’s Day.
PV: And we made out for about two and a half hours a block up from where she lived. It was love at first sight, no question about it.
MV: Well, for me it wasn’t love at first sight. For me, love at first kiss not at first sight.
LV: Why? Was daddy a good kisser?
MV: Yeah.
PV: Oh yeah.
MV: Yeah, very good.
LV: Did you date all through high school?
PV: Yeah, we had classes together.
MV: I think maybe we broke up twice.
PV: Couple of times, yeah.
MV: We would argue.
LV: What did you guys argue about?
MV: Stupid nonsense.
PV: Just about everything, I guess.
MV: Like, ’You talked to Lucille! Why were you talking to her?’ Or I was just fed up with him.
LV: And were you really serious before you got pregnant?
MV: We were very serious.
PV: Oh, we were serious.
LV: How did you feel Dad when you found out that Mommy was pregnant?
PV: Shocked. Shocked.
MV: You were seventeen years old. Like, how do you not…freak out?
PV: Yeah, I wasn’t even eighteen yet.
MV: At that time it was…You’re pregnant. You’re gettin’ married. Done.
PV: So I had to go to Pop Pop and and say, ’I wanna get married.’
LV: What did he say?
PV: Well, Mommy said, ’Sit down,’ and he said, ’Don’t sit down. You’re not allowed to sit down in this house.’ You know, he was pretty mad at this point, which is understandable.
MV: My father said, ’You are not marrying my daughter until after she has that baby. You are never going to be able to say that you had to marry her, because you don’t. We will take care of her.
PV: I was not exactly the most stand-up person at that time. But I said, ’Look, I wanna marry her and that’s it.’
MV: We were so young that we really didn’t even have a clue what was ahead of us. We had no clue.
LV: Dad, what is your favorite thing about Mommy?
PV: Now or then?
LV: Both.
PV: Then was her long hair, beautiful. Her smile.
LV: Mhm.
PV: Now, her strength. Has always been, now and then.
LV: What about you mom what’s your favorite thing about Daddy?
MV: I don’t dare say that he’s funny, because I’m always saying that he’s not funny. I think that he really is a very, very caring guy and I know through all of it that he truly loved me. That I know for sure.
PV: I always did love her.
MV: Of course you did. Don’t cry.
