Road to Romance

By Angelo Thomas Crapanzano

John has been dumped by all the girls he had ever gone steady with. After graduation his two best friends got married and moved to other states. He felt lonely and unlovable. Then he met Lorrie. it was love at first sight for both of them. What John felt for her he had never felt before. John's parents loved her like one of their own child. Afte

• Language: English
• Publisher: Leavitt Peak Press
• Release date: Oct 13, 2022
• ISBN: 9781957956541

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Road to Romance

Angelo Thomas Crapanzano

Copyright © 2022 Angelo Thomas Crapanzano.

All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the publisher except for the use of brief quotation in a book review.

ISBN: 978-1-957956-53-4 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-957956-54-1 (e)

Rev. date: 09/30/2022

Contents

Chapter 1   Loves Lost

Chapter 2   Love is in the Air

Chapter 3   One True Love

Chapter 4   Happy Times

Chapter 5   The Best of Days

Chapter 6   Future Unknown

Chapter 7   Life’s good and bad days

Dedication

I dedicate this book to my four children, Gary, Teresa, Dan, and Linda and their families. They have given me more affection and love then any father could ask.

Chapter One

Loves Lost

John held the letter in his hand unable to think for a moment. It was so unexpected. He just sat there his mind in confusion. He felt hurt.

He wondered however if the hurt was mostly his ego, because he wondered why he also felt somewhat relieved. He was tired of traveling from Cleveland to Sandusky every weekend. His thoughts suddenly recalled that he had been dumped before, but this was the first time he got a Dear John letter. She said that she met George at her place of employment and they fell in love. She stated that she cared for John but the difference in their religious beliefs and the distance between them was too much to overcome. John was a student at Cleveland State University at the time. His school work had suffered a little from being away on weekends and some times during school days. He was in the co-op training program and had gone to work in Sandusky on one of his assignments. There he met Irene on the Tennis Court. They were attracted to each other right from the start. They played Tennis together and after a few days John asked her to dinner. They soon became an item. They were inseparable from that day on. They were together every evening except on Sunday. On Sunday she went to her church and John went to his. She was a Catholic and John is a Baptist. He tried to change her but she was a diehard Catholic. After John’s co-op period was over, the romance continued on weekends. John had even taken her home to meet his parents. After the next school term was over he returned to Sandusky again and they took up where they left off the previous co-op period. Now, having received her letter, he found it hard to accept that it was all over and he would have no one to date.

John sat at his desk remembering the other girls that he had met and lost. The first was Caroline, a girl he met at a school dance. After a few dates John asked her to go steady with him. She gladly accepted. John gave her his school pin. They became known as a couple by all their friends. John invited her to his graduation Dance. One day after graduation, John and Caroline went to dinner to talk over the future. John remembered that day with deep feelings because Carol was the first to break the silence.

Johnny she said, I know I should not take the first step but I have been waiting for you to say something. Now I can’t help it, I have to say something. I love you very much and you have told me that you love me very much too. Why haven’t you said anything about us getting married? There I said it.

Honey, John remembers responding, I do love you, but I have four years of college to go through. Can you wait until I graduate and get a job?

But I want to get married now. Caroline had responded. My body needs more than a few kisses if you know what I mean. You have this strong religious Idea that controls your actions which won’t allow you to satisfy my physical needs.

You know what I have promised my mother, myself, and God. I will not do anything to dishonor a woman. I am going to wait until I get married before I go that far with a woman.

I have a good job. I can support you until you graduate

‘I’m Sorry, answered John. I don’t thing that is a good idea." John remembered how Caroline had kept her silent from that day on and was not as romantic as she had been. John recalled that he had other reasons for not wanting to marry Caroline. Besides his schooling, he was not sure he wanted to spend the rest of his life with her. She was to wild. She was always looking for fun. They never had a quite date. She was also not a very strong religious believer. John remembered that as it turned out it didn’t matter. After John started school he and Caroline dated only on weekends. One Saturday evening John went to pick Caroline at her home. They had planned on going to a restaurant that had music you could dance to. Caroline loved to dance. She was a great Ballroom dancer. When John got to Caroline’s house he recalled that her mother had answered to door.

Johnny she asked being surprised to see him. What are you doing here?

I came to pick up Carol, he answered. We are going dancing. Caroline isn’t home, she answered. "She went out yesterday

afternoon and didn’t come home last night. I was about to call you to see if you knew where she was."

She probable stayed at one of her girl friend’s house, John had reassured her. She just forgot it is Saturday and forgot our date.

I hope you are right. But she should have called me.

I’ll call her in a couple of days, said John. I’m sure she will be home by then. John remembered that he did call the next Wednesday. Hi, said John when her mother answered to phone. May I speak to Carol please?

Caroline is not home, said her mother.

She hasn’t come home yet, asked John before she could continue. She called me Sunday night, said Caroline’s mother with a quiver in her voice. She eloped with her friend George. She is on her honeymoon in the Bahamas. John remembered that he hung up without another word. That was that for John’s first girl friend.

John sat remembering ever minute he spent with Irene. He looked over the Dear John letter again. He didn’t know what to do with it. He shouldn’t keep it as a memento. Why would he want to remember that event? While he was contemplating what to do with the letter, he remembered that he had dated Betty during the second year at the university. She was a very sweet girl. It was obvious that there was no spark between them. They had discussed that after the first few dated. They declared that they were very fond of each other and had a lot of respect for each other but they felt no more. They both had very high moral standards and liked each other. Because of this they decided that they would continue dating as good friends. There were too many parties and dating with other friends that they would miss if they were without a partner. They did this for a couple of years Until Betty met Sal. They fell in love and ended John and Betty’s agreement. John remembered that he was happy for Betty. As he was contemplated these past memories the phone rang. It was his best friend Nick.

Hello Nick, he said. How are you? Nick was John’s best friend. They had gone to high school together. They also went out on the town together and double dated until Nick met Nancy. Then they didn’t see each other very often but they communicated by phone at least once a week. Nick was an Art Teacher for a little private art school.

I’m fine, how are you?

I’m in a state of confusion, answered John. "I just got a Dear

John Letter from Irene."

You’re kidding, responded Nick. I can’t believe that. She was so in love with you. What happened?

She just met someone else, said John. I think she got tired of traveling too.

So what are you confused about? Are you going and try to win her back?

No, that’s what I’m confused about, said John with a very questioning sound to his voice. I don’t understand why I have this feeling of relief.

Perhaps you didn’t really love her, suggested Nick.

I also don’t know what to do with this letter. Should I just throw it away?

Why don’t you put it in your photo album, said Nick. Put it in with you pictures of Carol, Betty, Jane and Irene.

Jane, said John. I forgot all about Jane. How could I forget about Jane? He started to remember Jane. He searched his memory for his time with Jane. She was a very beautiful tall blond. He had dated her just before he met Betty. Nick had fixed him up with her on a blind date.

That’s right, said John. You fixed me up with her on a blind date.

How could you forget Jane, kidded Nick. She was the sexiest of all your girl friends.

She was too passionate, recalled John. I remember once we were necking parked next to the school parking lot. She got so passionate that she passed out. She wasn’t a very moral person if you know what I mean

What happened with her, asked Nick trying to remember. You just stopped dating her and she never contacted Nancy again. If you remember she was my girlfriend Nancy’s friend.

Didn’t I ever tell you? No

I remember now, said John thinking back. She didn’t want anyone to know. But I guess it will be OK now.

So what was the big secret? asked Nick getting impatient.

If you remember we dated for about a year, started John. We however were never boy friend and girlfriend. I was aware that she was dating someone else. Whenever I got serious, she would say that I was a wonderful sweet and honest person and that she wasn’t good enough for me. Well it turned out that she was true.

All right, said Nick. Stop dragging it out. Don’t tell me what I know; tell me what I don’t know.

All right, agreed John. I called her one day to go to a movie I wanted to see. She told me that she couldn’t go out with me anymore. I asked why. She said that she was pregnant with another guy she was dating. I asked if she was going to marry this other guy. She said she couldn’t because he was already married and didn’t want to leave his wife.

Wow, I can see why she didn’t want it to get around, said Nick. Have you heard anything about what happened?

One day I met her sister. She told me she had a cute little boy and was raising him herself in a little apartment near downtown.

So, said Nick changing the subject. What is your next move? Well, answered John. After the final tests this Friday I will be returning to Sandusky for my final co-op job."

You’re kidding, said Nick being surprised. What will you do if you run into Irene?

I’m going to go every place she didn’t want to go and I surely will not go near the Tennis Courts. I will do everything to avoid her.

Why would you want to go back there anyway?

I was working in the engineering lab. I was designing and building production line test equipment. I’m learning too much to give that up. answered John.

Well, good luck. Call me when you get back, said Nick as he hung up. John got his photo album and placed the letter inside next to Irene’s picture.

After the final tests were over John and his school buddies, Bill and Jack, who were also co-opting in Sandusky, left Sunday night after dinner. It was a one and a half hour drive. Since John had the only good car he always drove. They all chipped in on the gas. When they got to Sandusky John dropped Jack at the local motel.

Pick you up at about seven thirty tomorrow, said John as he drove off. Bill and John stayed at Mrs. Berger’s house. She was a sweet old widow who had a five bedroom house that she rented at a reasonable price to young students. Jack came from a wealthy family and wouldn’t think of staying at someone’s house.

The first two months went very well for John. He learned so much designing and building production line test equipment. He learned most of all that fifty percent of an engineering job is writing manuals.

It was on the Tuesday of John’s last week that he saw Irene. The company had a restaurant on the top floor of the factory building. He went there for lunch every day because Irene hated the food there. Being that he also never went near the Tennis Courts and