The Women of Duck Commander (7 page)

My engagement to Willie did not go over well with my parents. They had nothing against Willie, but they had a
lot
against our getting married so young. I was barely eighteen! A huge argument between Willie and my parents, complete with shouting on both sides, took place at Alan and Lisa’s house, where Willie was living at the time.

My parents are not yellers. I actually do not remember an argument like that with my parents before or since that night. I am glad I wasn’t there to witness it, but I realize that tempers were high because everyone involved really loved me and wanted the best for me. They simply did not agree on what “the best” was.

The argument did not end well. Willie called to tell me just how badly it went. And then something surprising happened: My parents called me and said, “If you’re determined to do this, we’re going to support you.” I was, they did, and they’ve never stopped.

My parents threw Willie and me a big, beautiful wedding on January 11, 1992. We had ice sculptures and white trees, which made the place look like a winter wonderland. Since Willie and I were both born and raised in the West Monroe area, lots of family and friends came to our wedding—about eight hundred of them. It was such a happy time. And it was enough of a big deal to Phil that he wore his dress-up clothes: corduroy pants and a button-down shirt!

A
DVENTUROUS
B
EGINNINGS

Willie did end up moving to Searcy, Arkansas, with me. In fact, we moved the day after we got married and settled into a tiny one-bedroom apartment. Not long after that, with my parents’ help, we bought a very small house where we lived while going to school at Harding. We were on a super-tight budget, and some of our biggest fights happened at the grocery store when we had a few extra dollars and I wanted to buy a
People
magazine while Willie wanted to buy baseball cards. We certainly could not afford both.

One of the great opportunities Willie and I had during college was the chance to spend a summer in Florence, Italy. This was part of a study-abroad program, and we were so excited. We had never been away from home together until we took that trip. As I
mentioned, we moved to Arkansas immediately after our wedding, so we did not take a honeymoon trip. My parents did take us to Hawaii the following summer, and we all had a wonderful time, but it was more of a family vacation than a romantic getaway.

Willie and I had all kinds of new and exciting experiences in Italy. We wanted to see Europe, but we did not have money for hotel rooms, so we traveled by train at night from one country to another. We boarded the train in one country, went to sleep, and woke up somewhere else. We had all kinds of adventures in Italy and in various other European countries. We were glad to get home when we returned to the States that fall, but we were also happy and grateful for all the fun we had and for everything we learned while we were away.

I was born into a wonderful, godly family, and I am so blessed to have also become a Robertson. Phil was exactly right when he told me many years ago that Willie would make a good husband. Willie’s a great husband and father, and I am so glad I married him. I love being his wife, and I love being part of such a fun and loving family—but I still find myself surprised at times when Phil and Kay talk as openly as they do about their honeymooning!

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FANCY MEETING YOU HERE

Jessica

I first met the man I married at a hair salon. I was going out the door; Jep was going in—for a haircut. Seriously. Nowadays, most of the Robertson men don’t get haircuts, but Jep did back then. When our paths crossed that day, we said nothing more than “hi” to each other, just one word.

Jep and I both grew up in West Monroe, Louisiana, and he is two years older than I am. We went to different high schools, but because we lived in a close community, we had heard about each other. He knew who I was, and I knew who he was—and I thought he had a cool name. I had heard good things about him, including, “He’s a dream.” When our paths crossed at the hair salon and we simply said hello, I had no way of knowing the hairdresser would tell Jep all about me as she cut his hair that day. Both of us had gone to her for years, so she knew us pretty well, and she said really nice things about me to Jep. In fact, she takes credit for getting us
together! After we were married I found out that when he left the hair salon that day, he went home and told his best friend, “I just met the girl I’m going to marry.”

“What’s her name?” his friend asked.

“Jessica,” Jep responded. He only knew this because the hairdresser had told him.

“Jessica who?” his friend asked. “What’s her last name?”

“I don’t know,” Jep admitted.

I love the fact that Jep knew he would marry me after only seeing me once. Maybe he did not know my last name, but the next time he saw me, he made sure to find out a little more about me.

W
HAT
E
XACTLY
I
S
A D
UCK
C
OMMANDER
?

A few weeks after our encounter at the hair salon, Jep and I both attended a concert in our hometown and saw each other again. He walked up to me and said, “I’m Jeptha Robertson. You’re Jessica, right?”

We went on to have a conversation that went something like this.

Jep said, “My dad is Phil Robertson.”

I was unimpressed. Even though I come from a family of hunters, I had never heard of Phil Robertson, and that seemed obvious to Jep, so he continued. “You know, the Duck Commander.”

I’d heard of Daffy Duck; Donald Duck; and Duck, Duck Goose, but I had never heard of a Duck Commander. “What is a duck commander?” I asked, not sure if it would be a person, a job title, a tool, or what.

Jep was totally shocked by my ignorance but very sweet about it. I thought his disbelief was cute. Our interaction did not go much further beyond the fact that I did not know who Phil was, but it was pleasant.

The next time I saw Jep was at a Chili’s restaurant. He was there with his friends and I was there with my family. He and his friends were going home, to a house he rented with one of his buddies, to play a game of dominoes. Jep invited me to join them. At that time, I was a homebody and an introvert. I was not adventurous in any way and felt uneasy about playing games with people I did not really know. But there was just something intriguing about Jep that caused me to step out of my comfort zone and go with Jep and his buddies.

Not long after the night we first played dominoes, Jep invited me to a Bible study he held with his friends several nights a week. Those guys preached the Gospel to me, and soon after I started attending the study, Jep baptized me one night in a muddy pond in a local neighborhood. By the time we got there, it was already dark, so we used Jep’s Jeep headlights to help us see so we could wade in and out of the water.

M
EETING THE
R
OBERTSONS

Soon after Jep baptized me, I met his family. I have always thought of myself as an old soul, and I felt an immediate connection with Miss Kay. From the time we met, we have been close. That’s my
perspective of course, but if you ask her, she will tell you the same thing!

Jep, too, has always been close to his mom. After we married she told me that when we were dating, but before I met her, she asked him one day why he liked me so much and why he thought I was the one for him. I have always thought his answer was so sweet. He said to her, “Momma, of all the girls I’ve dated, this one is the most like you.”

In June 2000, Jep and I admitted we really liked each other and began dating. In September, we broke up. I was miserable without Jep, and I think he was miserable without me. We finally said to each other, “I missed you,” and got back together after only a couple of weeks apart. Later that month, we were studying the Bible together one evening at Phil and Miss Kay’s house and Jep said, “We should get married.” There was no getting down on one knee, no long profession of his undying love for me, just that matter-of-fact observation. I knew by that time that God had brought us together for a reason and that Jep loved me and would love me forever, so I did not need any of that; I simply agreed: yes, we should get married.

J
OINING THE
F
AMILY

On Sunday, October 7, 2001, just two weeks after Jep and I agreed to marry, we had a beautiful wedding in the backyard of a family friend. It was just what we wanted—outside on a gorgeous fall day, surrounded by nature and people we loved. Alan performed the ceremony, and Missy, a talented vocalist, sang. It was not elaborate
because we did not have time to plan a big wedding. It all happened quickly, but it was perfect in our eyes.

The day we married we went to church in the morning, then Jep told me he needed to go somewhere and would see me later. I had no idea what he was going to do but found out he went straight from church to the mall, which opened at noon, to buy me a ring. I now know Miss Kay had also bought me a ring, at Walmart I think, because she wanted to make sure I had one and knew Jep did not have much money. I will always be grateful to her for being so thoughtful about that. But it was important to Jep to buy me a ring himself, so he picked a simple, pretty wedding band out and paid for it over time. It’s the ring I still wear with love and pride. No big diamond necessary! By two o’clock that afternoon, I was wearing a dress I had bought off the sale rack at Dillard’s and Jep was wearing a borrowed outfit consisting of a pair of slacks, a button-down shirt that was slightly large, and a tie. Both of us were ready to commit the rest of our lives to each other.

One thing I noticed early on about Jep—and part of what made me fall in love with him—is that he is so kind, generous, and eager to help anyone. When I became part of the Robertson family, I quickly realized one thing about them: Robertsons are some of the most loving people I have ever known. They have open doors and open arms to everyone. Phil and Miss Kay are incredibly generous people, and the rest of the family has followed their example. In fact, I would go so far as to say that part of what it means to be a Robertson is to love and serve others, no matter their background, skin color, or status in life. I can remember times when Phil and Kay had nothing to offer financially, but they shared their love and faith
with everyone. They have always helped anyone they can, in any way they can. When I think of becoming a Robertson, it has meant so much more to me and to all the wives than simply a change of last name. When we became part of the family, we became part of everything Phil and Kay represent and taught their sons to represent. I am so thankful to belong to a family so deeply rooted in love for God and love for others.

Part Two

NO ORDINARY IN-LAWS

Two people are better off than one, for they can help each other succeed.

ECCLESIASTES 4:9, NLT

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