I love the fans of BB&W…they often work as my eyes and ears, finding tidbits of news they know I’d be interested in. One such story was published in today’s New York Times about the unlikely love of a black nurse and a German prisoner of war finding (lasting) love in a hopeless place.

Elinor Elizabeth Powell (my mother’s maiden name is Powell, this lady could have been a cousin!) was one of the few black nurses who was able to serve during the war, and discrimination and segregation of blacks meant that black nurses got the least desirable assignments. Elinor got the job of tending to German prisoners of war, which is where she met Frederick Albert. According to Chris Albert, their son (59), here’s what he said to her as soon as he set eyes upon her: “It was in the officers’ mess hall, and my father was working in the kitchen. He kind of boldly made his way straight for my mother and said: ‘You should know my name. I’m the man who’s going to marry you.’”

Can you imagine the boldness of that statement, and how freaking HOT that is?!  Now that’s a MAN.

This couple when through many hardships to stay together, beginning with Frederick being beaten by American soldiers upon them finding out he and Elinor were in love. A product of their affair produced a son, and this MAN came back from Germany upon his release to MARRY the mother of HIS child.

Their unlikely romance resulted in Stephen’s [their oldest son] birth in December 1946. After Frederick was able to return to the United States, he and Elinor married on June 26, 1947, in Manhattan.

You absolutely must read this story in it’s entirety. It is just about the most romantic thing I’ve read in a long time. Ladies, let this be a lesson for you–marry the man who will swim through shark-infested waters, do battle with Jim Crow, and denounce Hitler for you.