The Slice: Mystery matchbook unveils a flame that’s still burning

Here’s a Slice answer.

Back in 1997, Donna Deeble came across a personalized wedding-reception matchbook at a downtown Spokane restaurant. It said “Lisa and Rick/February 8, 1997.”

Deeble had not been at that gathering and knew nothing about the couple. But for some reason, she held on to the matchbook over the years.

Recently, in a moment of curiosity, she asked The Slice to see if anyone knew anything about the bride and groom.

There was no guarantee that this would turn up happy news, of course. We all know the statistics on marriages.

But I posed a “Whatever happened to…” question in Tuesday’s column. And several relatives of the couple subsequently filed cheerful reports.

Rick Hathaway and Lisa Mehlert are going strong.

They actually got married in Seattle. A second reception was held over here not long after the wedding.

The couple, who met at Eastern Washington University, spent several years in Montana and Western Washington. But they now live just north of Spokane.

“Mr. and Mrs. Hathaway are still together and have a 12-year-old son, a 9-year-old daughter, and a yellow Lab,” said Ginny Mehlert, Lisa’s sister and candidate for the title “favorite aunt.”

She said that when the Hathaways aren’t working they stay busy ferrying kids to and from soccer and baseball and going to Priest Lake.

Today’s Slice question: I’ve read that the late Roy Orbison included the expression “Mercy” in the song “Oh, Pretty Woman” because that’s what he actually said when seeing a particularly attractive member of the opposite sex.

So what word or phrase do you utter in that situation? (Because Slice readers tend to have exemplary manners, we’ll assume that you say this out of earshot of the individual prompting the exclamation.)

A) “Ho-leeee …” B) “Oh, my.” C) “Land o’Goshen.” D) “Jumping Jehosophat.” E) “Hummana hummana.” F) “Are you kidding me?” G) “Ai-yi-yi-yi-yi.” H) “Uh, what was I saying?” I) “Live free or die.” J) Other.