First Love

　　

First Love
　

So Kato, you're talking about your first love, aren't you?



Yes, I am.

I'm all ears.

I'm pretty sure you would be disappointed to hear my monotonous first love.

You never know until you're done with your talking. 　Don't waste your time, Kato. 　Just start telling me about your love story.

Well ..., if you say so. 　First of all, my first love story sounds like the one in the movie: "Summer of '42."

Summer of '42


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The film flashes back to a day that 15-year-old "Hermie" (Gary Grimes) and his friends – jock Oscy (Jerry Houser) and introverted nerd Benjie (Oliver Conant) – spent playing on the beach.
They spot a young soldier carrying his new bride (Jennifer O'Neill) into a house on the beach and are struck by her beauty, especially Hermie, who is unable to get her out of his mind.

They continue spending afternoons on the beach where, in the midst of scantily-clad teenage girls, their thoughts invariably turn to sex.
All of them are virgins: Oscy is obsessed with the act of sex, while Hermie finds himself developing romantic interest in the bride, whose husband he spots leaving the island on a water taxi one morning.
Later that day, Hermie finds her trying to carry bags of groceries by herself, and helps get them back to her house.
They strike up a friendship and he agrees to return to help her with chores.

Meanwhile, Oscy and Hermie, thanks to a sex manual discovered by Benjie, become convinced they know everything necessary to lose their virginity.
Led by Oscy, they test this by going to the cinema and picking-up a trio of high-school girls.
Oscy stakes out the most attractive one, Miriam (Christopher Norris), "giving" Hermie her less attractive friend, Aggie (Katherine Allentuck) and leaving Benjie with Gloria, a heavyset girl with braces.
Frightened by the immediacy of sex, Benjie runs off, and is not seen by Hermie or Oscy again that night.
Hermie and Oscy spend the entirety of the evening's film attempting to "put the moves" on Miriam and Aggie.
Oscy pursues Miriam, eventually making out with her during the movie, and later learns her ways are well-known on the island.
Hermie finds himself succeeding with Aggie, who allows him to grope what he thinks is her breast; Oscy later points out Hermie was fondling her arm.

The next morning, Hermie helps the bride move boxes into her attic and she thanks him by giving him a kiss on the forehead.


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Later, in preparation for a marshmallow roast on the beach with Aggie and Miriam, Hermie goes to the local drugstore.
In a painfully humorous sequence he builds up the nerve to ask for condoms.

That night, Hermie roasts marshmallows with Aggie while Oscy succeeds in having sex with Miriam between the dunes.
He is so successful he sneaks over to Hermie and Aggie to ask for more condoms.
Confused as to what's happening, Aggie follows Oscy back, where she sees him having sex with Miriam and runs home, upset.

The next day, Hermie comes across the bride sitting outside her house, writing to her husband.
Hermie offers to keep her company that night and she says she looks forward to seeing him, revealing her name is Dorothy.
An elated Hermie goes home and puts on a suit, dress shirt and heads back to Dorothy's house, running into Oscy on the way; Oscy relates that Miriam's appendix burst and she's been rushed to the mainland.
Hermie, convinced he is at the brink of adulthood because of his relationship with Dorothy, brushes Oscy off.

He heads to her house, which is eerily quiet.
Going in, he discovers a bottle of whiskey, several cigarette butts, and a telegram from the government.
Dorothy's husband is dead, his plane shot down over France.
Dorothy comes out of her bedroom, crying, and Hermie tells her "I'm sorry."
The sense of empathy triggers her to channel to Hermie some of her loneliness.
She turns on the record player and invites Hermie to dance with her.
They kiss and embrace, tears on both their faces.
Without speaking, and to the sound only of the waves, they move to the bedroom, where she draws him into bed and gently makes love with him.



Afterward, withdrawing again into her world of hurt, Dorothy retires to the porch, leaving Hermie alone in her bedroom.
He approaches her on the porch, where she can only quietly say "Good night, Hermie."
He leaves, his last image of Dorothy being of her leaning against the railing, as she smokes a cigarette and stares into the night sky.

At dawn Hermie meets Oscy and the two share a moment of reconciliation, with Oscy informing Hermie that Miriam will recover.
Oscy, in an uncharacteristic act of sensitivity, lets Hermie be by himself, departing with the words, "Sometimes life is one big pain in the ass."

Trying to sort out what has happened, Hermie goes back to Dorothy's house.
Dorothy has fled the island in the night and an envelope is tacked to the front door with Hermie's name on it.
Inside is a note from Dorothy, saying she hopes he understands she must go back home as there is much to do.
She assures Hermie she will never forget him, and he will find his way of remembering what happened that night.
Her note closes with the hope that Hermie may be spared the senseless tragedies of life.

Final Scene
　

---

SOURCE: "Summer of '42"
From the Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

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I see ... So, Kato, you fell in love with a Drothy-like woman, didn't you?



Well ..., not quite.

Since you showed me the above film, I assumed you fell in love with an older woman for the first time, didn't you?

Yes, yes, yes ... I did. 　I suddenly get infatuated with an older woman, but ...

But what?

She's a bit different from an ordinary woman.

In what way?

Well ..., I tell you my story from the beginning.

Okay ... take your time.

I was thirteen years old---two years younger than Hermie. But I was quite curious about love and sex.

I can understand that. 　And what happened?

One day, my neighbor gave me some old Playboy magazines when he moved out.





He was a well-educated married man with a couple of kids. 　He didn't even show those magazines to his wife. 　Since he didn't want his wife to know that he had such "dirty" magazines, he decided to give them away.



So, did you fall in love with his wife?

No, I didn't. 　I was quite curious to see the naked women in the magazines, but I was totally dissapointed.

How come?

...'Cause in those days the Playboy magazines were all censored in Japan, and a black-filled circle appeared between the legs.


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Oh, Kato, tsk, tsk, tsk, ...



I tried to get rid of the ink by all means.

So, Kato, you were an extremely curious kid, weren't you?

You're tellin me. 　 I tried everything to remove the black ink, but to no avail. 　Then suddenly somebody entered my room. 　Since I thought it was my mother, I was almost stunned to death.

Who was it?

Kiku-chan.





She was twenty-two years old.



... looks like a nice woman, doesn't she?

Yes, she does, but she was a feeble-minded girl with a mental age of seven or eight. 　She had never attended any school at all.

Was she your sister?

Oh, no. 　She was a daughter of a well-to-do family living in the next block.

Why was she in your home at the time?

Kiku-chan was treated like an outsider in the neighborhood because of her feeble mentality. 　Nobody wanted her company. 　Only my mother and I treated her as an ordinary woman. 　So, Kiku-chan liked my mother and me, and frequently visited my house. 　But at that time Kiku-chan came to my room while I was watching the picture because my mother just went shopping.

I see. 　Then what happened?

Well ..., she was a well-shaped healthy mature woman with a nice wholesome body.

So, Kato, you had a wrong and dirty idea, didn't you?

In any case, I showed her the picture of the naked woman. 　Kiku-chan seemed somehow interested in the naked woman. 　Therefore I said, "Kiku-chan ... you are as beautiful as this woman. 　So, why don't you remove your clothes as she did?"

Kato! 　You were such a bad boy! You tried to take advantage of a feeble-minded woman, didn't you?

Well ..., I couldn't resist the urge to see a naked full-fledged woman at the time.

Did she go naked?

I asked her to stand in the buff for me a hundred times, but she refused adamantly. 　Eventually she burst into tears.

How come she cried?

Kiku-chan's mother was born before the World War II, and went to a women's college. 　In those days virginity was golden. Although Kiku-chan didn't go to school, her mother taught her basic disciplines in an old-fashioned way. 　Such being the case, Kiku-chan believed that she would die if she did show her naked body to a non-family member.

Did she run back home?

Oh no, she liked me and stayed with me since I apologized, but she went out of my room after a while.

Did she never come back again?

Yes, she did. 　She returned with two pieces of yatsuhashi for a 3'oclock tea break.





I was so relieved to know that she didn't avoid me after all. 　While eating yatsuhashi, I watched the video: "Gone with the Wind."


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Gone with the wind (trailer)





I thought that she was gone by the time I would finish the video.



Was she?

No, she wasn't. 　Kiku-chan was in my room even after the video was over. 　I started to do some homework at my desk. 　While reading my textboook, I noticed that Kiku-chan replayed the video.

Did she watch the same movie again?

Yes, she did. 　To my surprise she viewed the same scene over and over again with a touch of fascination and trepidation.

Which scene?

She watched the following famous scene:





Apparently she was attracted by the affection between the couple. 　I was puzzled if Kiku-chan could ever understand love. 　So I asked her, "Kiku-chan, do you understand why they kiss?"



How did she answer?

She nodded with a somewhat bashful smile. 　So I asked her again, "Kiku-chan, do you love me?"

Then how did she answer?

She nodded hesitatingly but with a lukewarm smile. 　So I said, "Kiku-chan, let me kiss you."

Then what?

She closed her eyes just as Scarlett O'Hara did in the movie.

Kato! ... Did you ... did you ... did you go all the way to make love?

No, of course not! 　I wouldn't like her to commit suicide.

Kato, you were over-reacting as usual... Anyway, is Kiku-chan still alive?

Unfortunately she died of pancreatic cancer at the age of 48.

Oh, I'm so sorry.　　By the way, Kato, you told me about your first love to explaine how come you brought some yatsuhashi from Japan, didn't you?

Yes, I did.

I know Kiku-chan brought you some pieces of yatsuhashi as sweets for a tea break. 　But that doesn't explaine how come you chose yatsuhashi for me, does it?

No, it doesn't. 　There is a follow-up story.

What is it? 　Tell me.

Well ..., Kiku-chan liked fire engines.

Fire engines? How come?


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The red-colored vehicle with a sounding siren drove her crazy. 　I suppose she was passionate by nature. 　You like re-colored vehicles, don't you?



Me? 　Red-colored vehicles? 　What makes you think so?

Well ..., you sent me the following postcard when you were in London.


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(■ From "Biker Babe")



So I thought you like red-colored vehicles, which remind me of Kiku-chan, who reminds me of yatsuhashi. 　So I chose yatsuhashi for you as souvenir.



What an association!

【Himiko's Monologue】



Wow! Kiku-chan reminds Kato of yatsuhashi.
Anyhow, I'm glad that Kato introduced "Yatsuhashi" to the world.


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As you see, Yatsuhashi is the famous regional product of Kyoto---my hometown where I was born and brought up, and now teaching the tale of Genji (源氏物語) at Kyoto Women's College.



When you happen to visit Kyoto, please take a bite of Yatsuhashi---the taste of the ancient capital.

In any case, I hope Kato will write another interesting article soon.
So please come back to see me.

Have a nice day!
Bye bye ...

If you've got some time,

Please read one of the following artciles:




■"Diane Well Read"

■"Wantirna South"

■"Maiden's Prayer"

■"Bandwidth"

■"Squaw House and Melbourne Hotel"



■"Tulips and Diane"

■"Diane in Bustle Skirt"

■"Diane and Beauty"

■"Lady Chatterley and Beauty"

■"Victorian Prudery"



■"Diane Chatterley"

■"From Canada to Japan"

■"From Gyoda to Vancouver"

■"Film Festival"

■"Madame Taliesin"

■"Happy Days"

■"Vancouver Again"

■"Swansea"



■"Midnight in Vancouver"

■"Madame Lindbergh"

■"Dead Poets Society"

■"Letters to Diane"

■"Taliesin Studio"



■"Wright and Japan"

■"Taliesin Banzai"

■"Memrory Lane to Sendai"

■"Aunt Sleepie"

■"Titanic @ Sendai"

■"Birdcage"


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■"Roly-poly in the wild"

■"Silence is dull"

■"Zen and Chi Gong"

■"Piano Lesson"

■"Dangerous Relation"

■"Electra Complex"


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■"Covent Garden"

■"Fatal Relation"

■"Notre Dame"

■"Anne Frank"

■"Biker Babe"

■"Diane Girdles the Globe"

■"Diane in Casablanca"

■"Infidelity Neighbourhood"

■"Forest Bathing"

■"Enjoy Ramen!"

■"Sex, Violence, Love"

■"Halifax to Vancouver"

■"A Thread of Destiny"

■"Fujiyama Geisha"

■"Beaver Lake"

■"God is Near!"

■"Holy Cow@Rose Garden"

■"Vancouver Earthquake"

■"Birthplace"

■"KIFF"

■"You Love Japan, eh?"

■"Eight Bridges"






Hi, I'm June Adams.

Gone with the Wind, first published in 1936, is a romance novel written by Margaret Mitchell.


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Mitchell received the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction for the book in 1937.

The story is set in Clayton County, Georgia and Atlanta during the American Civil War and Reconstruction, and depicts the experiences of Scarlett O'Hara, the spoiled daughter of a well-to-do plantation owner, who must use every means at her disposal to come out of the poverty she finds herself in after Sherman's March to the Sea.

The book is the source of the 1939 film of the same name.

Margaret Mitchell began writing Gone with the Wind in 1926 to pass the time while recovering from an auto-crash injury that refused to heal.

In April 1935, Harold Latham of Macmillan, an editor who was looking for new fiction, read what she had written and saw that it could be a best-seller.

After Latham agreed to publish the book, Mitchell worked for another six months checking the historical references, and rewrote the opening chapter several times.

Mitchell and her husband John Marsh, a copy editor by trade, edited the final version of the novel.

Mitchell wrote the book's final moments first, and then wrote the events that lead up to it.

Gone with the Wind is the only novel by Mitchell published during her lifetime.

ところで、愛とロマンに満ちた

レンゲさんのお話をまとめて

『レンゲ物語』を作りました。

もし、レンゲさんの記事をまとめて読みたいならば、

次のリンクをクリックしてくださいね。

■『愛とロマンのレンゲ物語』



■『軽井沢タリアセン夫人 - 小百合物語』

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