WEEKLY
YOURS!
THE THIRD WEEK TREAT:
The Week that went by, was all about love, and very much in the News.
The Love Story - The Reel Story
I saw these two pictures with the news report, ' 45 years after Love Story, Ali MacGraw and Ryan O'Neal to come together again for Love Letters.,' and some pleasant memories flooding back. I had passed out from college and was working, when I first saw this great 1970 movie.
I remember quite clearly... A friend of mine dropped in and demanded that I should accompany her to a movie at the New Empire Theatre, where Love Story,was running 'houseful' for some 3 weeks. She had booked the tickets for her boyfriend and herself. She had just fought with him , probably over some petty issues, of that I was quite sure, and she wanted to teach him a lesson. I knew both of them quite well. They were going steady for some years, from their college days, I believe. She was hot headed, so I thought it wise to go with her instead of arguing and to put some sense in her thick skull. During the interval I excused myself and secretly called our common friend and asked him to meet us outside the theatre after the end of the show.
. Love Story was romantic and yet tragic. It was about two college students, Oliver Barrett and Jennifer Cavelleri., their intense love, their struggle to overcome the adversities they encounter in life. Between them they share a chemistry they cannot deny, a love they simply cannot ignore. They come from opposite backgrounds - He, son of a wealthy tycoon , owner of entire Barrett Empire- She, a small time Rhode Island baker. Oliver finds his true soul mate when he meets and falls head over heels in love with Jenny.
The dialogues were simple and yet crispy, catchy and very lively. They first meet in the college library.
Jenny: Do you have your own library?
Oliver: Listen, Havard is allowed to use the Radeliffe library.
She says, " I'm not talking legality, Preppie, I'm talking ethic.You guys have five million books. We have few lousy thousand."
He needs the book badly and hence says,"Listen, I need goddamn book."
She contemptuously shoots,"Wouldja (pardon me, would you) watch your profanity, Preppie?"
"What makes you so sure I went to prep school?" he asks.
" You look stupid and rich," she replies in matter of fact manner.
"You're wrong." he protests."I'm actually smart and poor."
"Oh no, Preppie, I'm smart and poor." [ Considering my own background then, I was almost clapping in the theatre]
He continues, " What the hell makes you so smart?"
She says spontaneously, "I wouldn't go for coffee with you!"
He says,"Listen - I wouldn't ask you."
"That's what makes you stupid," she replies promptly. [ Again I must have almost clapped and suppressed my laughter.]
They introduce themselves in this manner:
"I'm Jennifer Cavilleri, an American of Italian descent." She adds,"And a music major."
"My name is Oliver."
She asks him," First or last?"
""Oliver Barrett."
"Oh, Barrett, like the poet?"
"Yes, no relation."
They talk music over coffee.She proudly tells him that she is doing 'Renaissance Polyphony'.(Revival of contrapuntal music- I wasn't knowing all that then. Even now I know nothing more than that it's just some term in music.)
Oliver asks her, "What's polyphony?"
She smiles and replies,"Nothing sexual, Preppie."
It's getting Oliver all worked up and he explodes, " Jenny, if you're so convinced I'm a loser, why did you bulldoze (what a word to use 'bulldoze'!) me into buying you coffee?"
Looking straight in the eye she smiles and says, " I like your body." [Cat whistles in the audience, quite plenty of them.]
Despite their opposite
backgrounds, the young couple put their hearts on the line for each other. When
they marry, Oliver's wealthy father threatens to disown him. Jenny tries to
reconcile the Barrett men, but to no avail. Oliver and Jenny continue to build
their life together. Relying only on each other, they believe love can fix
anything. But fate has other plans. Soon, what began as a brutally honest
friendship becomes the love story of their lives
Upon graduation from college, the two decide to marry against
the wishes of Oliver's father, who thereupon severs ties with his son.
Without his father's financial support, the couple struggles to pay Oliver's way through Harvard Law School with Jenny working as a private school teacher. They rent the top floor of a house near the Law School at 119 Oxford Street, in the A gassiz neighbourhood of Cambridge, adjacent to a local laundry. Graduating third in his class at Harvard Law, Oliver takes a position at a respectable New York law firm.
With Oliver's new income, the pair of 24-year-olds decide to have a child. After failing, they consult a medical specialist, who after repeated tests, informs Oliver that Jenny is ill and will soon die. Oliver then tries again. She has leukemia.
Oliver attempts to live a "normal life" without telling Jenny of her condition. Jenny nevertheless discovers her ailment after confronting her doctor about her recent illness. With their days together numbered, Jenny begins costly cancer therapy, and Oliver soon becomes unable to afford the multiplying hospital expenses. Desperate, he seeks financial relief from his father. When the senior Barrett asks if he needs the money because he got some girl "in trouble", Oliver says yes instead of telling his father the truth about Jenny's condition.
From her hospital bed, Jenny speaks with her father about funeral arrangements, then asks for Oliver. She tells him to avoid blaming himself, and asks him to embrace her tightly before she dies. They lie together on the hospital bed.
When Mr. Barrett realizes that Jenny is ill and that his son borrowed the money for her, he immediately sets out for New York. By the time he reaches the hospital, Jenny is dead. Mr. Barrett apologizes to his son, who replies with something Jenny once told him: "Love means never having to say you're sorry."
Without his father's financial support, the couple struggles to pay Oliver's way through Harvard Law School with Jenny working as a private school teacher. They rent the top floor of a house near the Law School at 119 Oxford Street, in the A gassiz neighbourhood of Cambridge, adjacent to a local laundry. Graduating third in his class at Harvard Law, Oliver takes a position at a respectable New York law firm.
With Oliver's new income, the pair of 24-year-olds decide to have a child. After failing, they consult a medical specialist, who after repeated tests, informs Oliver that Jenny is ill and will soon die. Oliver then tries again. She has leukemia.
Oliver attempts to live a "normal life" without telling Jenny of her condition. Jenny nevertheless discovers her ailment after confronting her doctor about her recent illness. With their days together numbered, Jenny begins costly cancer therapy, and Oliver soon becomes unable to afford the multiplying hospital expenses. Desperate, he seeks financial relief from his father. When the senior Barrett asks if he needs the money because he got some girl "in trouble", Oliver says yes instead of telling his father the truth about Jenny's condition.
From her hospital bed, Jenny speaks with her father about funeral arrangements, then asks for Oliver. She tells him to avoid blaming himself, and asks him to embrace her tightly before she dies. They lie together on the hospital bed.
When Mr. Barrett realizes that Jenny is ill and that his son borrowed the money for her, he immediately sets out for New York. By the time he reaches the hospital, Jenny is dead. Mr. Barrett apologizes to his son, who replies with something Jenny once told him: "Love means never having to say you're sorry."
Their love was magical, exhilarating . . . and though heart-breakingly brief, it was enough to last a lifetime, so Oliver tells himself. Thus ends the Reel Story and makes way for the Real story - the actors are once again coming together after 45 years for--- again reel story - Love Letters!
Our friend did come. He said to her, " I am sorry!" And I asked her, "What would Jenny have said?"
She laughed and said, "Ajay.(name changed), love means never having to say you're sorry!Thanks Vinay, for doing some patching for us. It was silly of me."
Eternal Love - The Real Story
The couple was known as Al and Jay and they had been in love since they were 8 years old and went on dating each other since their school grades until 29th June,1940, when in some Church Al must have said:
"I, Alexander Toczko, take you, Jeanette, to be my lawfully
wedded wife, to have and to hold, from this day forward, for better, for worse,
for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, until death do us part." And Jay must have repeated:
"I, Jeanette , take you, Alexander, to be my lawfully wedded husband, to have and to hold, from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, until death do us part."
Thus, their marriage must have solemnized in some American Church on 29th June, 2040.
This vow --'until death do us part' they did fulfill.
On June 17, just a couple weeks shy of their 75th wedding anniversary, their wish came true when Alexander (95 years old) died in Jeannette's (96 years old) arms. Twenty-four hours later, Jeanette died as well. The family celebrated it early this year, bringing home flowers and balloons to honor the major milestone shortly before Jeannette and Alexander died.
Being devout Catholics
helped the couple form a stronger bond. In fact, Alexander always carried
around a photograph of Jeanette during her First Communion. Eternal Love, indeed!
The Cinderella Story- It's no Fairy-tale
Donna -Anne Hadley was 13 and Phil Wiggin was 15, when they first met at school in early 1980s. Soon they became school sweethearts. Years rolled by.They too drifted apart. Now, thanks to a chance meeting at second-hand clothing shop, some 30years later, the pair is all set to tie the knot.
Donna wanted dispose off her old clothes and shoes. So she took the bag full of clothes and shoes to 'Cash In Clothes' shop on some day in 2013. However, when she had returned home she realised that she had only dropped off one of her leopard print heels and the other remained with her. But she took her time to hand over the other shoe. Some days later she back with other shoe and Lo! And there he was! "Phil, is that you?" " Why, Donna!" They had recognized each other instantly. From that moment they hit it off - it was like old times - they talked about their school days and what they had been up to, so on and so forth.
Phil did not want to let his true love slip for a second time, so he asked her out for a drink to rekindle their romance. Phil said," She left me hanging for nine days until she finally said yes.It was a real Cinderella moment, as Donna had only come in with one shoe of the pair. It was a real chance meeting as I only volunteer on certain days. It feels like I've been spending half my life trying to the person that I actually found at 15."
Yes, Prince Charming, now don't let off your Cinderella!
And Finally - A day of judgement :
See you in the next week, until then---
Yours ever,
Vinay Trilokekar
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