"What in the world is in Lubbock, Texas?"

That's the big question Pat Frye was asking herself when her husband's surprise anniversary trip took a turn at Dallas.

Gene Frye wanted this anniversary to be different. The Lake Viking, Mo., couple celebrated 50 years of marriage on Sept. 20.

As the Fryes made their way into Lubbock, turning down some quiet residential streets, Mr. Frye asked that his wife put on a blindfold.

With an ounce of hesitation and a pinch of uncertainty, she complied. After all, it was supposed to be a surprise. She knew that much.

"Don't let me fall down," she said as she got out of the vehicle.

Arm in arm, Mr. Frye led his bride of 50 years to the driveway of a couple he had only recently come to know. Out of the muffled darkness, there before Mrs. Frye stood a shiny, baby blue classic car.

But not just any classic car. The one her husband drove so many years ago.

The journey began in May, when Mr. Frye began searching for a 1951 Ford Deluxe two-door sedan - one like the one he drove when he first met his wife at a watermelon feed in Abilene, Kan., in 1958.

"She always said 'I wish you could find a car like the one when I met you'," Mr. Frye said. "She always liked that car."

That was it. That was going to be his gift to her.

"What else do you do for a woman who's been with you for 50 years?" he said. "She has everything else."

It began with a simple phone call to Jim and Sharon Ronco. They too had been married for five decades, plus six years, to be exact. The mere thought of Mr. Ronco's prized car selling under such unique circumstances was soothing for them.

"I think this made the transition of selling the car for him a lot easier," Mr. Frye said.

Mr. Ronco, a diabetic, had a leg amputated. That, coupled with age, led to the crucial decision to sell his pride and joy.

Both the Fryes and the Roncos never realized an old car could make two couples, living a few states away, such fast friends. And all because of an original Ford Deluxe Mr. Frye wanted so badly.

"They're not real plentiful," Mr. Frye said. "Very few were in original condition. Most (he found on the Internet) had been customized in some way."

He said the only thing missing was the metallic green paint job his '51 had back in the day. The Roncos' car was a beautiful baby blue, original to the car - something Mr. Frye had no intention of changing and has grown to love all the same.

By now, the Roncos were on board with the Missouri man's plan. "We all came up with a few ideas and finally got it together," Mr. Frye said. "They even offered to pick us up at the airport."

Mr. Frye said he had so much fun keeping the big secret from his wife. Everyone, it seems, knew but her.

"She didn't have a clue," he laughed. "Not even an inkling at all."

Before slipping into the leather seats and joyriding all the way back to Missouri, the Fryes had breakfast with their new friends, the Roncos.

And maybe, just maybe, a chance for Mr. Ronco to say his final goodbye to his beloved.

Jennifer Hall can be reached

at jennhall@npgco.com.