Let’s Get Acquainted
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ARTHUR & JUDY FINK
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LADY IN RED 
When you get to know Judy and Arthur as we have, you will discover that they are anything but ordinary. Let us begin with how they met. One Sunday evening there was a lecture at the temple for singles on (we kid you not) “Cannibalism, Mysticism and ?ism.” Judy was coerced into attending by her friends since she had the only car. Arthur was supposed to go with a friend, but when he did not show up on time, decided to go alone. During the social hour, Arthur looked around the room and saw a lovely young woman with long hair wearing a red dress sitting all alone. He sat down next to her, using the familiar line “Is this seat taken?” Judy looked at all the empty chairs surrounding her and thought “Are you out of your mind? No one is sitting there.” Arthur's friend finally arrived and also spotted Judy, but Arthur let him know in no uncertain terms he saw her first. That was the beginning of a whirlwind courtship.
After getting Judy's phone number, he wasted no time in calling her to set up a date to go out for dinner the following Saturday night. Arthur's favorite color is red and he owned a red VW at the time. He picked her up in a blinding snow storm and as he put it, drove about two miles an hour to get there safely. The particular 
restaurant he chose was attached to a motel and when they arrived, the attendant opened the car door and said “Good evening sir. Your room is ready.” Aghast, Judy said. “What room?” Arthur was surprised but immediately laid her fears to rest by saying he had not reserved a room there. The attendant said someone had called to say he would be arriving in a red VW and wanted his room ready when he got there. We cannot be certain, but suspect one of Arthur's friends played a part by placing that phone call to the motel. Once in the restaurant, as they waited for a table, an inebriated patron tried to convince Arthur to trade Judy for his wife. When they sat down, Arthur produced a coupon he had received from a club he belonged to for half off the price of their dinner if they ordered two drinks. Judy refused and finally told him she was underage. Thinking to himself that he would never see her again, Arthur told her to go ahead and order a drink and he would drink both of them so he could use the coupon. They were off to an interesting start.
restaurant he chose was attached to a motel and when they arrived, the attendant opened the car door and said “Good evening sir. Your room is ready.” Aghast, Judy said. “What room?” Arthur was surprised but immediately laid her fears to rest by saying he had not reserved a room there. The attendant said someone had called to say he would be arriving in a red VW and wanted his room ready when he got there. We cannot be certain, but suspect one of Arthur's friends played a part by placing that phone call to the motel. Once in the restaurant, as they waited for a table, an inebriated patron tried to convince Arthur to trade Judy for his wife. When they sat down, Arthur produced a coupon he had received from a club he belonged to for half off the price of their dinner if they ordered two drinks. Judy refused and finally told him she was underage. Thinking to himself that he would never see her again, Arthur told her to go ahead and order a drink and he would drink both of them so he could use the coupon. They were off to an interesting start. On the way home he asked her if she would go to the movies with him the following Saturday, and she said yes. He called on Sunday, while she was baking chocolate chip cookies, which according to Judy gave him the false impression she could cook when she could only bake. After their movie date, he asked to see her on Sunday. That is the day he asked her to marry him. It took her two hours to give it some thought and then she said yes. Their engagement lasted five months and as you have read above the marriage has lasted for forty-two years.
One more story before we move on is the announcement of their engagement to Judy's grandmother who lived in Forest Hills, New York. They were sitting in the living room holding hands when her grandmother came down the steps, looked at them, and said in her German accent. “So, you vant I should leave?” It was a memorable event for both of them. They would have married sooner, but Judy's grandfather had passed away and her grandmother could not attend an event such as a wedding until a full year had passed after the death of her husband.
We regress here to tell a little about each of them beginning with Arthur. He grew up in Detroit, had a wonderful childhood and a close loving relationship with his sister (also named Judy) and parents. He is very family oriented. We could not help laughing as he told about his first days in school. He found a book of matches on his way to kindergarten one morning. The bathroom was in the classroom and being a curious, he set the toilet paper ablaze sending out plumes of smoke and the Fire Department was called. That was the first time he was expelled. After pleas by his mother, he was back in school (still in kindergarten) when during a reading session he pulled a chair out from under the girl in front of him and she fell and hit her back. Expelled again! When he was ready to start first grade, the teacher said she did not want him in her class. For the third time his mother had to beg for his admittance. After that he settled down.
He told us about the Halloween parties he and his sister used to throw every year as a teenager. The only stipulation for attending was to wear a costume. Once he could not get anyone to dance so he got a broom, Judy started the music and he danced with the broom. When the music stopped he gave the broom to someone else and he danced with a girl. By the time they were finished with the broom everyone was dancing with a girl. He told about the time they took thirty of their costumed guests to a restaurant for dessert.
He was drafted into the US Army right out of high school and spent fifteen months in France. He loved being able to see much of Europe.
When he was twelve, he became interested in magic and through his father's connections to hospitals, he and his sister performed a magic act for children who were patients. When his sister married, the act was shelved since she was the only one who knew how to assist him. This bond is still alive and well today because his sister has lived in Sun Lakes for a long time, which played a significant part in the move Arthur and Judy made to Arizona when they came to visit her and her husband.
Arthur bought a manual camera and taught himself how to use it which led to a lifelong career in the world of photography equipment. He was nineteen and wanted a job in photography. Having filled out many applications that were never followed through, he suspected they ended up in the trash. During one interview, he was presented with an application and he said he would not fill it out. Instead he said he would come back the next day and if they hired him he would fill out the application. True to his words, he went back the next day and was hired, but he never did fill out an application. He worked his way up in the business and when the first company was closed, he got a job in the biggest photography equipment store in the city. When the owner retired, he and four others bought the business. Over a period of time they owned five stores. Once his boss asked if he would like to have business cards printed with his title of Vice-President on them. When a dissatisfied customer would enter the store, the manager quickly picked up a cloth and said he was only an employee and sent them over to the Vice-President. It did not take long for Arthur to figure out that having a business card with a title was not a good idea.
Arthur's interests include playing chess, going to the movies, attending plays (he has also had some minor parts in a couple of plays in Sun Lakes), reading, and swimming. He also enjoys socializing on the weekends in the form of going out to dinner and playing cards and games.
Remember Arthur likes the color red and loves cars. His mother told him when he was eighteen months old he could identify the make and model of cars going by. His first car was a DeSoto, but at fourteen his dream was to own a sports car. With all his other obligations, that dream did not come true for forty-five years. You might see him cruising around the community in his little red sports car wearing his white cap, sunglasses and racing gloves. If you look in the dictionary under “contentment” we think you would find a photo of Arthur in his beloved car.
Now on to his better half, Judy. She has always worked as a legal assistant in domestic relations since beginning her working career. She has a paralegal certificate. Since she is still employed, we asked how soon she would be able to retire, and she was able to pin it down to the month and year. She loves her work, but she is looking forward to having more free time to travel and enjoy the things she likes to do. We understand there is a delayed trip to Hawaii in the not too distant future. This was supposed to take place when they celebrated their 25th anniversary, but the money was better spent on installing air conditioning in the house they had just purchased.
During their child rearing years, Judy was in charge of the household and laid out who was responsible for what duties within. Taking the kids out for trick or treating on Halloween was an annual event and on one particular occasion Arthur arrived home in the pouring rain thinking he would get out of it that year. Such was not the case. So after what was supposed to be a quick stop at a few houses that turned into two plus hours, her soaking wet family returned home with dye running off the children's costumes, but smiles on their faces. Then Arthur went back into the wet night to carry on the tradition of getting take-out Chinese food.
We asked Judy to name some of her interests. Like Arthur, she likes cards and games. They belong to groups that play Mexican Train and Hand and Foot. She also belongs to two Mahjong groups. She loves to read fiction novels, attend plays, play games on the computer and of course, needlepoint. Many of her pieces are hung in their home along with various art pieces that she has purchased in Arizona. She has an extensive collection of colorful teapots that brighten up their kitchen. Their refrigerator is decorated with magnets representing all the places they have traveled to during their marriage. She is always on the lookout for the modern pieces of art she loves, to continue the work in progress of decorating their home.
Judy and Arthur love Sun Lakes and Judy said her biggest surprise was the summer heat. Arthur's was seeing their new home being completed after viewing the bare lot.
We have enjoyed many dinners and playing Rummikub (a game they introduced to us) with Judy and Arthur. Neither of us will ever be as good at it as Judy is. When she stands up to make a play, we all know it is not beneficial for us. They are good neighbors and we are very happy that we have had the opportunity to get to know them as friends. We hope you enjoy reading about them and you will make it a point to say hello if you run into them.