There was a poor brother from our Hall who went to Bethel at nineteen. He had quit high school at 16 to pioneer. His parents threw him out of the house because they were Catholic and very displeased with him becoming a Witless. He couldn't afford a car, so he rode a bicycle everywhere. Somewhere along the way, this guy developed a crush on me. I was about 17 or 18.
He was very lonely at Bethel, and called our house collect every stinkin Sunday evening. He wanted to talk to me, but after a few polite words, I'd put my dad on the line. The guy was just so young and lonesome, and I did feel sorry for him, but not enough to lead him on! Anyway, in a couple of years we heard he'd married a sister from one of the New York congregations. She was a nurse! They had five kids at last report, and she had to support the family because he had no high school diploma and little in the way of job skills. But, she got her Bethel boy! Thank heavens I didn't cave in to the nudging from my family to sit by him one time at the Witchtower meeting get engaged.