Birmingham couple married 70 years has standing lunch date to reminisce
By Rick Karle
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BIRMINGHAM, Alabama (WVTM) — James and Shirley Bailey drove slowly into the drive-thru – they come here six days a week for the past three years.
James and Shirley Bailey are 90 years old, and they have discovered a place where they can talk and reminisce, feel young again, and feel revived. It’s a place where they have had some of the most enjoyable talks in their 70-year marriage.
It’s in the parking lot of the Greystone, Alabama Chick-fil-A.
“It was the spring of 2020, and we were going stir-crazy,” James said from the front seat of his car as he picked up a waffle fry. “The pandemic had arrived, and we really wanted to get out of the house. We had never been to a Chick-fil-A, so we thought we’d give it a try. We parked up here on the hill and split a chicken deluxe sandwich and a fry. We each ordered our own Diet Coke. We weren’t going to share a Diet Coke.”
Something magical happened that day in the spring of 2020.
“As we watched the Highway 280 traffic below us, we were entertained,” James said. “The lunch was delicious, so we came back the next day, and then the next. We’ve been here every day except Sunday for three years.” Shirley smiled and took a sip of her drink.
Day after day, month after month, James and Shirley Bailey drove to the same restaurant, splitting a sandwich and fry and ordering their own Diet Cokes. They weren’t going to share their Diet Cokes. As the years went by, James and Shirley found that they were not only enjoying lunch together, but playing back memories of their lives.
They talked about their days at Minor High School in Birmingham. They remembered when James was a football standout and Shirley was a cheerleader. They chatted about James working at U.S. Steel. They reminisced about their three children, seven grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren.
A few years back, James and Shirley’s trips became even better.
“One of the employees came out and told us how to add Chick-fil-A sauce and mayonnaise to our deluxe sandwich,” James said, his eyes lighting up. “There’s a secret to how you do it,” James added excitedly- he didn’t hesitate to tell me.
“You pour the Chick-fil-A sauce on the bun and then squeeze out the mayonnaise on top of the cheese on the other half of the bun. Then you squeeze it all together so the sauces are mixed with the chicken, lettuce, tomatoes and cheese.”
James and Shirley will be heading to the Greystone Chick-fil-A today. James may talk about the golf game he had to give up two years ago because of a bum knee. He may bring up the fight he won when he beat prostate cancer. Shirley will update her husband on her back issues and remind James that the foot she broke years ago in an auto accident is doing just fine.
Yes, James and Shirley Bailey are both 90 years old, but in a way, they feel young again — they feel like they are the most blessed people on earth. They are healthy and happy and grateful, for splitting their lunch order reminds them that they are one.
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