It's All Clear, We Were Meant to Be Here...
Previously, Part 15: I'll Always Remember Us This Way...
There was no one better than Susan at setting the itinerary for any event, and she did an incredible job with the honeymoon. We had different places to go every day, and she reserved hotels near each venue. We spent a few days at Disney, a day at Busch Gardens, a big top 3-ring circus, a wax museum, a water skiing show, and other great places, along with long days on sandy white beaches. We ate at incredible restaurants and had so much fun together.
Between the wedding and the honeymoon, we were feeling really good about everything, including our future. When the honeymoon ended, we went to my parents' condo in Miami to relax for a few days before getting serious about the jobs my father had lined up.
We spent a lot of time during the summer leading up to the wedding, in the screen porch at Susan's parents' house, packing our belongings into cardboard boxes we bought at a U-Haul store, and sealing them with the right amount of packing tape for their journey south. It was 1979, and shipping and receiving packages from home wasn't as common as it is today.
While we were packing, we dreamed out loud about how great our lives together in Florida were gonna be. We looked forward to the fresh start, the year-round warmth and sunshine. Irv and Gloria had already committed to taking vacations there with us, and we'd be close to my parents, too. There was a lot to be excited about.
While Susan was cooling off in the pool, my father and I circled the water. That's when he told me that while we were on our honeymoon, things had changed.
I immediately got a nervous feeling, wondering how this was gonna affect Susan and me…
He said he quit his job and had accepted a new one in New York City, and that he was leaving by the end of the week…
I immediately asked him if my night job working in the warehouse of his now former employer was still good. He said, "It's not. There's no job there for you."
"And what about your friends in the preschool industry, the ones you were gonna speak to about a job for Susan. Does she still have an opportunity with them?"
Without hesitation or any remorse, he said, "No. I wasn't able to speak with them either."
My mood suddenly plummeted; the honeymoon was officially over. I glanced over at Susan as she smiled and waded in the water at the far end of the pool, where she couldn't hear the conversation. How would I tell her? I didn't want to break her heart…
I told my father that this put us in a very difficult predicament, that we were counting on his help. That we trusted him. I was angry. Fucking angry…
He answered quickly, "Well, I can get you a job as a salesman in the garment business, but you'll have to move to New York…" Which I believe was his plan all along.
Wow! I knew my father was manipulative and not to be trusted, but I never expected that he'd pull this shit on us just after we got married. I remember my aunt, his sister, telling me that my uncle, on his deathbed, warned her, "Don't ever let your brother get his hands on our money!"
This wasn't the first time he had manipulated me, a skill he perfected, and it was a big mistake to trust him. In the past, his antics only affected me, but now that I was married, what he did or didn't do also affected Susan, who hadn't signed on for it. She was raised by loving parents who would never do anything like this.
I waited until Susan got out of the pool. And after I handed her a towel, I told her there was something I had to talk to her about. Susan was smart, she watched my father and me circle the pool, read my body language, and knew something wasn't right…
Right after I told her, it all became very real, and I got even angrier. Angry at my father, angry at myself for falling prey to him, and that anger spilled over into everything around me. When Susan began asking me questions, I was short with her. I was consumed with rage, looking for someone to blame, when in reality, I had no one but myself. I had been a fool to think my father was gonna follow through on his promises and help us out…
I felt horrible. I had dragged Susan into my father's web of deceit.
We immediately called Irv and Gloria to tell them, and Irv wasn't happy, but he didn't seem surprised either. He had been our family plumber for years. When I started dating Susan and living in boarding houses, basements, and bungalows, he understood more than anyone what had happened to my life and my father's role in it. I think that's why he stepped in and treated me so well, like a son, from the time Susan introduced me to him.
Once we calmed down, Susan and I decided we still wanted to live in Florida. I combed the job classifieds and started going on interviews while Susan looked for an apartment.
I had one promising lead. Working at the busiest Yamaha motorcycle dealership in Florida, selling motorcycles. They exported lots of motorcycles to the surrounding islands. I had owned two Yamaha motorcycles, and I knew I could sell 'em…
The interview went really well; my enthusiasm and knowledge of Yamaha motorcycles came through loud and clear. They asked me if I spoke Spanish, because many of their customers did, and I said I had taken Spanish in high school and could speak it a little. It didn't seem like a deal breaker. They said they'd be making their decision the following day.
I was excited, and so was Susan. We waited for the call with bated breath.
Despite our disappointment, one thing remained clear: I loved Susan and she loved me, and we were meant to be together, from the beginning…
There might have been things I missed
But don't be unkind
It don't mean I'm blind
Perhaps there's a thing or two
I think of, lying in bed
I shouldn't have said
But there it is
You see it's all clear
You were meant to be here…
From the beginning
Maybe I might've changed
And not been so cruel
Not been such a fool
Whatever was done is done
I just can't recall
It doesn't matter at all
You see it's all clear
You were meant to be here…
From the beginning
To be continued…