Page 42 - Senior Link Magazine Winter 2019- Online Magazine

Mike Dodie Grinnell
Clown Suit Romance
by Dodie Grinnell
y husband has many
wonderful qualities, but
MI would say that, at the
top of the list, is his great sense
of humor. Regardless of what’s
going on in our lives, through the
good times and bad, he has always
had the ability to make me laugh.
People who know us well know
that we met while working at a
local retirement home, but what
most people don’t know is that
our romance pretty much started
because of a clown suit. Because he
was and still is a bit of a clown, I
think that was an appropriate way
for us to get together.
I was working as the Activity
Director and Mike was the Food
Service Director, and we were
42 Lubbock Senior Link
together often for
meetings to plan
events for our
residents. In October
1990, Mike came
to my office to ask
if I had any type
of costume that he
could borrow. He
was to attend a big
annual conference in
a couple of weeks,
and one night of
the event everyone
was supposed to dress in costume.
He said that he would typically
dress as Dracula or some type of
monster, but he thought he would
go as something fun and different
this time, and he needed my help.
This was strictly a professional
conversation and request, and I
don’t think that either of us saw a
romance in our future. I told him
that I had a clown suit that he could
borrow, and he thought that was a
Our girls shortly before we were married.
Andrea and Niki in back. Nicole, Missy, Crissy in
front. Niki and Andrea were 13, Nicole was 17,
and Missy and Crissy were 18.
perfect costume for
him. He did tell me
that he didn’t know
how to do the make-
up, and I told him
I would see if I had
anything at home
that I could bring
to work and show
him how to apply it.
I actually forgot all
about the makeup,
and he didn’t
mention it again.
The weekend before he left for the
conference, I was talking to my good
friend Debbie, and I commented
that I really didn’t want a romance,
but I would just like a friend to go
out to dinner or to a movie with.
She immediately mentioned Mike
and said that she had noticed that I
talked about him often. I said that
I really didn’t know him that well
and we were just coworkers, but he
did seem like a nice guy. She
suggested that I invite him
over, but I was appalled at the
thought of that. I would never
just call a man and invite him
to my house. She said that I
should think of a good excuse
to get him to come over. After
a little thought, I remembered
that he still needed the clown
make-up which I didn’t
have. Debbie suggested that
I just run up to the nearby
grocery store, look through
the Halloween stuff and buy
some clown make up and
then come back home and call
and tell him that I had found
some make-up. She said that