John Saunders

While living in Blackburn, Philip, who was born after my father had returned from military service in Germany during WW2, had a playmate a block away. This boy had a sister Maureen who was my age. One day she came to the house to pick up her brother, and met me. Somehow this resulted in our dating, mostly consisting in picking her up from Artist's school, and riding off into the countryside. I was infatuated, and asked her to marry me, which she declined on account of my irreligious nature. This lasted for about a year until Maureen got a boyfriend with a windowless van.

Apart from a brief relationship with a mathematics major, this was my only amorous experience until the Easter of my senior year. Due to my two army years, I was older than my classmates, except for two, who became my friends. One had been dating Pauline, a social administration major in her junior year. They broke up over sex, any he got another girl, who would. Now, the other friend was dating Pauline's roommate. The two friends conspired to tell me that Pauline wanted to go with me to be important Mardi Gras costume ball. Pauline's roommate told her that I wanted to take her. Thus it came about and we dressed in Roman fashion. Pauline is an excellent dancer. After the ball, at Midnight, I took her home on my motorcycle, and we talked for hours in her kitchen. I thought her too argumentative, and she said I was boorish and should never marry. Eventually, after I had stripped down to my fancy briefs, (because it's hot in kitchens) which I had bought for the occasion, I decided to leave. In courtesy, I kissed her, not expecting a positive response. I got a very enthusiastic kiss in return, which startled me into an instant erection. Scared, I ran out.

That would have been that but the three conspirators again reported positive mutual desire, without any basis. The upshot was we met again at a cinema the next night, then to another dance, and somehow kept dating Pauline, who lived in Romford, Essex. northeast of London. Pauline is half welsh. I did not take Pauline seriously, because I had already got a job in Canada and because Pauline had another boyfriend, who was madly in love with her. I did meet him once, but treated him with disdain because I felt that he was inferior to me intellectually and in social class. So, at my mother's urging I sent her a goodbye letter two weeks before I was due to emigrate. I received a letter back saying that she would follow me to the ends of the earth. I had a sudden change of heart and immediately rode off the Romford, arriving in the afternoon. She was not at home and I got a chilly reception from Pauline's mother. Pauline had not told me about her mother's admonition before leaving to study in Manchester. Rather than urging her to keep her virtue, she had only commanded her to keep off motorcycles! It transpired that Pauline was at the other boyfriend's house, and all that I could get out of her mother was the street name. I went there, and rode up and down. Pauline and her boyfriend were in the front parlor, but Pauline's back was to the window. The stupid boyfriend saw me and went out and flagged me down on my next pass. She came out, got on the motorcycle and went home with me where I proposed, and was accepted. I did stipulate that she was to graduate before marriage, and she that I give up motorcycling. Thus we were separated for a year almost immediately. However, we did write daily, and did marry in Canada a year later.