NPR 09-24:'My First True Love'我的初恋——谨以此纪念我的前夫

Though they were long separated when he died, Rebia Mixon-Clay still has fond memories of her first husband

Time now for StoryCorps. This project is collecting stories from everyday people across the country. Today we hear from Rebia Mixon-Clay in Chicago. During her interview she remembered her first husband the late Frank Mixon.

I was pregant when I met him, and he saw me, and walked over towards me he said, "You're gonna be my wife." And a year later, we just one day went down the city hall and get married, and we had no rings, he tried to give me his class ring, big ugly thing to put on my finger. It feels like, ah ah. And I remember coming home one day, and he wasn't there, and there was a note on the back of the door, and it said go on the bedroom and look on a dresser. And I went in the bedroom and looked on the dresser, and there was the ring box--a beautiful wedding ring and engagement ring in the box. I grabbed those things, I didn't put them on I just ran out of the house because I knew where he hang out at, and when he saw me coming, he said did you find them? And I was like, yeah. I was shaking the stuff like I had just met him, and I handed him the rings and he got down on one knee. He said, "Would you be my wife, really be my wife?" I said, "yeah."

He would come home and he would say what's for dinner, and I would tell him whatever dinner was going to be. And he made me feel like it was magnificent: I mean if, I burnt popcorn 1 it was the best, you know, that was a kind of guy he was. I was married to him for 17 years, and we seperated. And he moved to Michigan. I don't know the details, but Frank got into an altercation 2. They say that this woman was a damsel in distress 3, and Frank was helping 4 her. And the woman's boyfriend shot him in the back.

I have my fourth child with him, and he is exactly like his father, exactly. He never talks above a whisper, he is always happy and laughing, he is the gentleman of all gentlemen. And even my other three kids are like that, because they had him. My oldest son, he will tell you, my biological father's name is so-and-so, but my daddy's name is Frank Mixon.

And out of all the years that we were seperated I still remember Frank Mixon, because I honestly believe he was my first true love.

Rebia Mixon-Clay, at StoryCorps in Chicago. Her interview is part of StoryCorps Griot, that's a collection of African-American stories to be housed at the Smithsonian National Museum of African-American History & Culture. All StoryCorps interviews are archived at the Library of Congress, and you can subscribe 5 to the project's podcast at npr.org.