MARYSVILLE – My wife and I didn’t meet until we were in our 40s.

So we missed out on doing all that “young love” stuff in high school.

So when I heard the city of Marysville was putting on a “Forever Young Prom” at the Marysville Opera House, I jumped at the chance at re-living some romance.

I said across the room to Deb, “Hey, you want to go to the prom the city is putting on?”

Not missing a beat, she quickly retorted, “Is that really how you are going to ask me?”

So I quickly put on my 17-year-old thinking cap, walked up to her shyly, looked her in the eyes, and said, “Would you like to go to the prom with me?”

She said yes, and the date was on.

That was just the beginning of how seriously she was going to take this.

As the date grew nearer, she said something like, “I haven’t a thing to wear.” What a shock. She needed to go shopping.

She got a dress and some shoes, both amazingly reasonably priced, so we were set to go.

Or were we?

She asked if I was going to rent a tux. No. Was I going to rent a limo? No. Was I going to get a corsage? Well, I guess that would be fun. Was I going to take her to dinner? Of course, I’m not a cheapskate.

So, the day came, last Saturday, and I asked her which car we should take. I wanted to take my convertible, but it was pouring down rain so that was out. Besides, she reminded me I hadn’t cleaned the dog hair out from the last time I took Cougar, my lab, for a ride.

We took the SUV to Bone Fish Bar and Grill at Smokey Point. We had never been to one before, so that was new, and it was a wonderful time.

On the way there, and throughout the night, we had this game going on where we would have a conversation as we would have in high school, and then switch to where we are now in life. For example, I would ask her about her hobbies and her family, etc. And then complain about our achy joints.

The event itself was a blast – just as I had hoped. About 100 couples were there of all ages – from 21 to 81. All were dressed up, looking sharp, and on their best behavior – except for one couple, who couldn’t keep their hands off each other, I was envious of those old days.

The band played a wide variety of music – from Stevie Wonder of the 1970s to Bruno Mars of the 2010s. The dance floor was filled most of the night, but Abba’s “Dancing Queen” was the song that got the most people off of their feet.

Everyone who went got a 5 by 7 photo. Debbie put it on Facebook that night, and it had 90 likes by Sunday night, which is a lot for us.

The city provided various snacks for the night – Jimmy John’s sandwiches, nuts, popcorn, chips, punch, etc. The Soroptimists sold beer and wine.

Parks director Jim Ballew and his wife, Mary Ann, showed off some impressive dance moves, as did a number of other couples. Their son played bass in the band.

Luckily for us old geezers the dance was from 7-10 p.m. because we were worn out. Ballew said he’d like to have a similar event in the future. If he does, I’d like to recommend that couples go – especially if they met later in life. It is so fun to experience that event all over again with a new love.