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Yeah. This is Lee Habib, and this is Our American Stories. Up next, a story from Lori Cohen. about how she met the love of her life. Lori is a writing student of our frequent contributor Leslie Leland Fields.
and we thank her for turning us on to this story. Take it away, Laurie. In 1972, the cafeteria of the high school was loud. always with an undercurrent of muffled conversations, high pitched squeals of newly pubescent girls, and the scraping of aluminum chair feet across the linoleum floor. there lies in my brain the familiar sounds and smells of that cafeteria.
Those pistachio colored plastic lunch trays with their tidy compartments clattered as students smacked them forcefully against the large trash can to collect the remains of our pizza burgers paired oddly with corn and orange jello salad. I was about to have my first public date with the seniors of my dreams. As a sophomore, my pulse raced and my stomach fluttered in anticipation of our time together. Me? Was it senior?
Through mutual friends, we met on a blind date the previous weekend. Not having much experience with upperclassmen, I did my due diligence by stalking him in the hallways before her date. When I first met him coming out of a classroom, I thought to myself, huh, not my type. I was used to choosing my dates by how much they resembled the nineteen seventies rock stars I admired, with long hair and those who carried themselves with that bad boy swagger. But after the date I had to say there was just something about it.
I eagerly accepted his lunch date for the following week. Uh He was clean cut. Perhaps shorter than me, wearing white Adidas sneakers with red stripes, paired with cuffed straight-legged navy pants and a button-down light blue shirt cuffed at his wrists. He sported the ever-stylish Rods belt, smartly displaying the classic shotgun shell at the buckle. As I looked down at my hip hugger bell bottoms, enhanced by my friend's sewing skills, reframed with Indian themed cloth, expanding them to the appropriate elephant bell size.
My white knit bodysuit and my grandfather's oversight plaid shirt. I saw it.
Well Might as well try something different. I was hoping that my hesitation in his wholesomeness might turn out to be unfounded. As we carried our lunches to a nearby table, a group of loud, rowdy kids was congregating. One of the boys nodded toward me as I passed by. How do you know those guys?
Gary asked as we scooted out the chairs at the lunch table. They hang out with Steve, I said. I more intimately knew them to be my brother's druggie friends. We were sitting at a table that was parallel to the exit of the lunch line, giving us an unobstructed view of the entire cafeteria. We watched as this one girl made her way through the line, pistachio-colored tray in her hand.
She turned to find a seat after paying the lunch ladies, and as she did, she skirted the table near the group of rowdy boys who were acting out by indiscriminately yelling random things at those passing by and punching on each other. I didn't know the girl. but had seen her in the hallways, as had everyone, I guess. She kept to herself for the most part. Rarely did she make eye contact as she length along, always close to the wall for support, dragging her leg behind her because of the clamps.
I later found out she was one of the few remaining people our age who had, in fact, gotten polio as a child.
Well, I'm ashamed of this now, and I don't believe it was on purpose, at least for most of us in high school at the time. We just didn't go out of our way to befriend her. In fact, we didn't really acknowledge her at all. Selfish in the narcissism of adolescence, I'm sure now that our lack of empathy left her feeling perpetually isolated and different. Whether it was deliberate or not, we may never know for sure, but.
As the girl exited the lunch line and neared the boys' table, Bruce, my brother's friend, stuck his long legs out in the middle of the aisle, tripping her. With great fanfare, the food careened upwards, Pizzaburger flipping over in the air as if in a trapeze act, and landing with a splat on top of the gyrating orange jello salad. Suddenly, all the background noise in the crowded cafeteria came to an abrupt stop. Ooh. As the girl fell to the floor, the corn sprinkled unceremoniously amongst her ringlets, landing against her upturned face.
It seemed that everyone in the cafeteria had heard the commotion and the clattering of the lunch tray. and they turned to stare at her in dead silence. As the sound returned to the cafeteria, I remember hearing the slow rising roar of awkward laughter. Bruce, the one culpable for the mishap, was standing, clapping, pointing with delight, shouting, She's down, she's down. I sat with my own pizza burger paralyzed, trying not to stare.
It was then that it happened. Gary Rose. looked at me and said Be right back. Just like that. this clean-cut man-child.
with his Adidas sneakers, button-down shirt, and rods belt. left our table as if he had been summoned by an unspoken call of duty. He grabbed a handful of napkins. and bent down in front of the girl. He gently wiped the food off her brow.
He cupped her face with both hands and with his thumbs wiped the tears from her eyes. Supporting her by her arms, he helped her stand up. and carefully walked with her to the safety of a more private corner. He spoke quietly next to her as they walked. I couldn't hear what he was saying, but she was looking gratefully up at him, and she smiled at his words.
Then he went back through the lunch line to replace her meal. He carried the lunch out into the cafeteria in silence. While I'm not sure of the others in the room, my eyes were solely focused on him. He brought the girl for lunch. bent down and spoke quietly in her ear again as she smiled and nodded.
He stood and lasered his sight on the offending group of boys who had gone back to their loud and rowdy behaviors. He walked quickly and directly, which caused most of the group to step back. He grabbed Bruce by the front of his shirt and a fist, forcing their faces only inches apart. There was no yelling. Because he spoke so calmly and quietly, I'll never know what was said in that moment.
yet I was able to see Bruce's face pale. and the rest of the group of his peers suddenly just walked away. Gary released him. and Bruce sat there, now alone and quiet. Gary then looked directly at the girl eating her lunch and gave her a quick nod of his head.
Again she smiled at him. He turned then and sat down next to me, saying, How's the pizza burger? and gave me a wink. In that moment I said to myself, I'm gonna marry this boy. I was fifteen at the time.
We've had 54 years together since that day when two girls in the cafeteria needed a hero. and found one. And a special thanks to Lori Cohen for sharing this story about how she met the love of her life, where, When And why? And what a story Lori told. And we've all been there in high school.
I love the way she described that meal on that pistachio plastic tray: a pizza burger, corn, and an orange jell-o salad.
Sounds great. And, well, she talked about this young girl who suffered from polio. And how she regrets that she didn't go out of her way to befriend her or to reach out to her at all. And then came that agonizing act of cruelty by Bruce tripping this young girl. And what happens?
That boy named Gary just immediately gets up. as if summoned by some unspoken call of duty. and Laurie thinking, I'm going to marry that boy someday. 54 years later. Married.
The Story of the Cafeteria Hero. won Laurie Cohn's heart. Here on Our American Stories. That feeling when you check your bank account and your paychecks days away. And of course, your calendar's all.
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Member FDIC. Spending time outdoors, then let's talk about skin cancer. Non-melanoma skin cancers, or NMSCs, including basal cell carcinoma and cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma, are the most common cancers in the U.S. and can become harder to treat if left undetected. That's why sun protection and timely detection matter.
Our sponsor, Regeneron, is raising awareness about advanced NMSCs. Learn more and take the pledge to see a dermatologist annually at Let's Get RealaboutskinCancer.com. Liberty has never been just a word to we Americans. It has guided every one of our endeavors for the past 250 years. And now it takes form in a new way.
The 2026 Semi-Quincentennial Coin and Metal Program from the United States Mint. It celebrates the founding ideals that have long shaped our coinage. Available one year only, this historic collection features new coin designs, limited edition releases, and reissues. Shop new official coins at usmint.gov forward slash semi-q. That's usmint.gov/slash S-E-M-I-Q.
Warning. The following song has been rated dangerously catchy and may not be suitable for grown-ups. Yeah. C D. In the morning.
brush your teeth. A B C D is the morning rush of tea. E F G H. Hurry up and don't be late. E F G H Hurry up and don't be late.
Lingo kids, only suitable for kids. If it gets stuck in mom's head, that's not our problem. Everything kids love. Download now for free. You've watched racing.
Now get behind the wheel. At Kaizen Autosport Racing School at VIR, professional race drivers teach you how to drive faster, safer, and with more confidence on one of America's legendary racetracks. Never driven on track? We'll get you started. Already experienced, we'll take you to the next level.
Ready to race? Earn your competition license and learn real wheel-to-wheel racecraft. Stop watching, start driving. Go to racevir.com. That's racevir.com.
