Did you ever wonder what happened to the Sharons and Keiths and Dotties and Chucks who appear in “Tales from the front”? Here are some updates on “Tales” alumni:
– Sharon was in a “Leave It to Beaver” marriage when she had an affair. That ended the marriage, and then the affair fizzled. Today she writes: “To anyone contemplating an affair: If there is any hope for your marriage, work on it as hard as you possibly can. The grass on the other side is full of weeds.” On the other hand, “I have grown greatly in the three years since my divorce, and it makes me happy to see what I’ve been able to do completely on my own. When I do find a man to share my life with, it will be for love and companionship, not for someone to take care of me.”
– Keith was rummaging in his wife’s purse, looking for lunch money, when he found love letters, not from him. He’s now remarried and says, “I won’t go through my new wife’s purse, not because I might find love letters, but because the purse is packed as tight as the black hole of Calcutta.”
– Bonnie wrote a Valentine letter to the boyfriend she wished she had. Now, several years later, she still doesn’t have a boyfriend, but, through therapy, she has learned she doesn’t want one. “At first I felt really bad because I thought that meant I wasn’t `a real woman,’ but I have come to accept it. I, like a lot of women, had been led to believe that I need to be part of a couple. But upon inspection, I realized that I ended almost every serious relationship I had, and my only really pleasant relationships had been with men who travel or live out of town. I like men, I want men in my life, but on my terms. I don’t want to be so deeply involved with anyone that I become derailed by their moods and needs. I have plenty of my own problems. And most of all, I don’t want to take the manure that most women take to keep a relationship going.”
– Amy’s New Year’s resolution last year was a vow of celibacy. Then she met Todd at a wedding she didn’t really want to attend because she had a crush on the groom. She ran into Todd several times after that, but sparks didn’t fly. He was 10 years younger. But they kept running into one another and had their first date on Amy’s 33rd birthday. Says Amy: “So much for my vow of celibacy.”
– Dottie and Chuck were married in 1982, and everyone said it would never last. Their 22-year age difference-she was 17, he was 39-was just too big. Wrong, says Dottie. “We’re more in love today than ever. Our family-six kids-comes first, but we never forget to take time for ourselves.”
– Janet filled in the blank “I knew it was love . . .” with “when I asked him to marry me.” They’ve been married for 13 years, and Janet is still the sparkplug in their relationship. “I am always the one who wants to do something. He will never throw a surprise party for me, find a great new restaurant or whisk me away to a perfect beach. He has his list of never-to-be-missed TV shows and falls asleep watching them. Hannibal crossed the Alps with less kicking and screaming from the troops than I get from my husband when I plan a vacation. And we would never take a vacation if I didn’t plan it. The other day, I was indulging in the `what ifs’ when a thought came into my mind: `This is the man who made me quit dreading Sundays.’ And I felt great.”
———-
Have you been in “Tales”? Send your update to Cheryl Lavin, Tales from the front, baiduhai, 435 N. Michigan Ave., Chicago, Ill., 60611. Letters may be used in whole or part for any purpose and become property of the column. Include day and evening phone numbers.