It’s February already and, just in time for Valentine’s Day, we have a “twofer”.
First, a true love story, followed by a related song for Battle of the Bands. Here we go!
Hosted by Arlee Bird and Guilie Castillo-Oriard.
Co-hosts:
Denise Covey / Yolanda Renee / Elizabeth Seckman / Alex Cavanaugh.‘This is a blog hop to celebrate love: lost, or found, or—both? Whether in short fiction, or a brief essay, or poetry, or even via a song, tell us a love story.
Whether it’s of loss or a happily-ever-after is up to you—as is the genre. Sci-fi, thriller, comedy, memoir—it’s all good. “Love” is, after all, so much more than just “romance”.’
~~~~~~~~
PROLOGUE
FADE IN:
EXT: Parking lot of the local hangout, an Italian espresso bar/billiard parlour.
It’s a sunny and mild Sunday afternoon in March 1971.Several males and two females are engaged in conversation,
surrounded by the latest muscle cars of the era.LAURA, a lanky short-haired blonde, is grieving the recent breakup of her relationship.
DANIELLA, of average height and build, with long auburn hair, is a free agent,
juggling several suitors and taking none of them seriously. She too has had
her heart broken recently and is determined not to get serious with anyone.A black Camaro pulls up and two males get out.
FEDERICO, the mustachioed driver is of medium height and slight build,
with light brown hair in a fashionable “shag” haircut.ANTONIO, slightly shorter and more muscular, is clean shaven,
with a swarthy complexion, hazel eyes and dark, shoulder-length hair.They join the group.
FEDERICO
Meet my old friend from Italy. We used to play soccer together.LAURA
Hi. What’s your name?ANTONIO replies and LAURA pulls a sour face.
That is also the name of her despised ex-boyfriend.
DANIELLA laughs (at LAURA).ANTONIO grabs her arm, scowling.
ANTONIO
(in a heavy Italian accent)
What’s so funny ’bout my name?DANIELLA pulls her arm away, thinking “what an asshole!”
They glare at each other.FADE OUT
This is a true story. Names have been been changed to protect the innocent and the guilty.
~~~~~~~~
I met the love of my life 45 years ago. He had moved here directly from Italy a few months earlier and barely spoke English. We took an instant dislike to one another, which made for an awkward situation, as we shared the same social circle.
Slowly, we became platonic friends, but our relationship took a more romantic turn when he asked me out on a date, that October. One night and we were both completely besotted!
Life was wonderful until the following spring when my mother informed me that she and I would be going to Germany that summer, to visit her parents. Imagine my devastation! (We lived in Canada.)
Crying and pleading didn’t work, so off we flew. Misery and longing overwhelmed me. My boyfriend wrote letters (difficult for him, in broken English), but the contents were disturbing.
His relatives, (old-world Italians), were trying to turn him against me. Fortunately, he did not believe for one minute that I was “partying, getting drunk and screwing around”, per their accusations. (Well, there was a little partying, but only with family.)
We wanted to stay together, so that fall, I informed my parents that I wouldn’t be following their plan for college. (A big fight ensued but it was my life, after all.) I found a job to earn my keep. Nothing glamorous; cashier at a bakery, but it gave me some independence.
A few months later, my sweetie and I rented an apartment. What fun to set up housekeeping together! We decided to get married in the summer and picked the first weekend of August, almost two years after that famous first date.
Of course, there was opposition from all sides. One of his aunts even put a curse on us! My parents came around when they saw we were going ahead without them.
The years passed quickly and our marriage had many ups and downs. Two stubborn “Alpha” types under one roof can be volatile and we came to the brink of divorce a couple of times.
Ultimately, dedication to the relationship won out. After more than three decades, complacency had set in and I’ll admit we were taking each other for granted.
A series of prolonged absences over a two-year period gave us renewed appreciation for each other and now we’re happier than ever.
- My parents moved to San Diego, California in 1974. In August 2010, my father was diagnosed with lung cancer. For the next two years, I flew back and forth eight times for one to two months at a stretch, dealing with his illness and death, relocating my mother, emptying and selling the house, etc.
- I was completely on my own and under severe stress! My husband and a couple of friends kept the dog business going in my absence and he did a wonderful job calming my frayed nerves whenever I had a meltdown.
Young lovers can often be sappy and we were no different. For this week’s Battle of the Bands entry (Feb. 1, 2016), I’m featuring a song that we danced to on our first date. It became “our song” forevermore.
BATTLE OF THE BANDS (BOTB), hosted by Far Away Series and StMcC Presents Battle of the Bands. is where you listen to different recordings of the same song and vote for the one you like best.
Two “Battles” per month, on the 1st and 15th. Votes will be tallied and posted the following week. (See below for further details.)
Please excuse the bare-bones post. I never finished this part before getting sick and just don’t have the energy to do it justice.
For the second time, I’m including the original artist as part of the contest. Here we go!
BABY I’M A WANT YOU
HISTORY:
“Baby I’m-a Want You is a popular song written by David Gates of the American pop-rock band Bread. The single was released in October 1971 and became the title track for the album of the same name, released in January 1972. It was one of Bread’s highest-charting singles in both the U.S. and U.K.
R& B Band, The Moments recorded a cover version in 1973, for their album “My Thing”.
VOTE NOW!CONTEST CLOSED
These are the other BOTB regulars and semi-regulars.
Angels Bark / Book Lover /Cherdo On The Flipside / Curious as a Cathy / DC Relief BOTB / Far Away Series** / Holli’s Hoots & Hollers / J.A. Scott / Janie Junebug Righting & Editing / Jingle Jangle Jungle / Mike’s Ramblings / Novel Brews / Quiet Laughter / Sound of One Hand Typing / StMcC Presents Battle of the Bands** / Tossing It Out / / Your Daily Dose
**HOSTS
As always, “Sharing is Caring”. Spread this musical joy all over your social networks.
Hashtag is #BOTB
Until next time.
ROCK ON!
I can’t make the usual rounds or reply to a lot of comments, so if the admins want to remove my post, it’s perfectly understandable. Pneumonia sucks!
POSTSCRIPT FEBRUARY 22:
I’m finally on the slow road to recovery! Thanks everyone for your good wishes; they helped a lot. This pneumonia really kicked my ass and also triggered a massive asthma attack, which landed me in the hospital for nine days.
It was never my intention to use Bread’s original version in the BOTB contest, because I knew they would decimate the competition, but I hadn’t finished researching when I got sick and only had The Moments’ rendition at the ready. As predicted, Bread won the contest, 19 votes (including mine) to 2.
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Dog Mom and (retired) Canine Innkeeper in suburban Toronto, Canada, known as The Doglady. Former corporate workaholic. Writer, photographer, digital creator. Animal lover, music fanatic, inveterate traveller. Eternal hippie/rockchick. History, literature and cinema buff. Hockey and soccer fan. Dedicated night owl. German/Canadian binational, multilingual. Let me entertain you!
36 thoughts on “LOVE AND BREAD | #LostnFound2016 + #BOTB”
Nice story………..
I like the song version by Bread best.
That’s the way I remember it being done.
The other version by The Moments is beautiful also
Thanks for coming by, Lorelei. Everyone chose Bread, with two exceptions. I had intended to find another cover version for the contest but ran out of steam. I was seriously ill at the time. All better now!
Thank you so much Debbie for sharing your story. Yes marriage is never easy but love keeps us strong.
Keep Blogging …
Red gets Bold
Love conquers all! I’m glad you enjoyed our story. Blogging is taking a backseat at the moment, as I’m struggling to recover from a nasty bout of pneumonia, but thanks for dropping in.
You’re still sick? Well, I hope you feel better soon! I hate being sick and can’t imagine!
True story, wow! Lots of drama, but very cool that such a lasting relationship came out of it. Really, inspiring. Mine and me are in a sort of rough patch right now, but we’re trying to work it out. Lots of just.. life stress, unfortunately. Fortunately, no family curses!
As for the songs… Voting for Bread! Hope to see you back here soon!
I might be too late-busy week! I hope you are slowly feeling better and out of the hospital. I have been thinking about you and sending you health vibes your way. This is a great love story and reminds me of my mom and dad. My mom was married still to an awful man when my mom and dad met. Despite a 15 yr age difference and my mom being German, they fell in love. My mom was parted from my dad for 6 mths when she became ill with her thyroid. She moved back to Germany because she was still under her dad’s health care. While there, she actually got pneumonia but was so sick they called in the minister for last rights! My dad and mom wrote to each other and she came beck to him. His family(brothers and cousins) tried to say she was a whore and even hired a P.I. (she was German and worked in Toronto so… that was their thinking). In the end they had 27 years together. When it’s meant to be, it’s meant to be. Oh and as for the battle-I prefer The Moments because it felt more romantic and slower which worked better to me
Your story does resemble the movies. Lots of drama. I’m glad that it turned out well in the end.
Bread is mellow, The Moments get my vote
What a great story. I’m sure you’ve heard the old adage that the opposite of love is not hate, but indifference. Sounds like there were sparks from the start. It just took a while for them to turn into something of the happy kind. But… ooh… when the tide turned:)
I like the version from The Moments okay, but it doesn’t compare to Bread. That is probably my favorite song of theirs. (And I KNOW you like it, too!)
What a great love story. I think everyone has ups and downs, it’s the hanging in there that makes the difference.
I love that song. I’m going to have to stick with Bred- tough to top the original.
Debbie, true love won out it the end. Now, that’s a happy ever after! That’s so funny that you guys didn’t like each other in the beginning. This really sounds like a script from an old movie and you know from the start that the two unlikely people would wind up together. That you and your hubby! Great tie in song for this battle. The Moments did a nice job on their cover, but I can’t think of anyone better to sing it then David Gates. Give my vote to Bread!
You showed a lot of determination writing this post while fighting pneumonia. Nice job, but now go lie down!
Great story. A relationship that can weather the storms is one that gets better with time. My hubby and I have been married for almost 47 years, and our marriage is better than ever.
Oh yeah, the song. I vote for the version by Bread.
Great story. The two of you surely had a lot of obstacles to overcome. Maybe that’s what made you strong together.
Great song choice. I have to vote for Bread, although I have always thought that was one of the strangest names for a band. The Moments gave it a good try, but I thought their version was way to slow.
As for not making the rounds this time, no worries as far as I’m concerned. I did a dance with pneumonia right after the first part of the year and although I’m back to work and all that jazz, I still have a cough and would like an afternoon nap. Take care of yourself and try to feel better. Blogging should be the least of your worries.
It’s a good song choice today. Thanks for sharing. I like the original Bread version the best. Yes, it’s supposed to be a slow song, but the other version seemed to drag.
I really liked the version by The Moments, although it was a little draggy, even for a slow song like this. When all is said and done, I still love the Bread version, and that’s the one I’m going with.
I think you and I have talked about this before, but it always seems to be a good omen when your parents and everyone in your family does not want you to marry the person you love. Mary and I just passed 38 years…
Moments do an interesting cover, but my heart will always love Bread. Can I say their version feeds my soul, (smile)?
Loved your story, especially because it ended happily.
Oh, absolutely, Bread!! Now it will be on my mind all day:-) Your story is inspiring and proves that you just can’t tell a heart how to feel. I’m glad you shared and I do hope you feel better soon!
Bread of course! It holds a special place in my memories too!
Your story of love found, almost lost, and commitment shows the truth of a long relationship. It has it’s ups and downs but it’s the commitment that makes the difference. It’s sometimes too easy to walk away, but recalling those lovely first memories should pull you back for one more try. It’s worked for us, more than once. A marriage is something you work at, always.
Thanks for sharing your story. I do hope you are feeling better now, but with pneumonia it does take a while!
You two certainly fought hard to be together. Glad you’ve weathered the storms and are still in love.
Debbie, I love-love-love this story! Talk about non-love-at-first-sight But… yeah, life sometimes holds its cards close, and surprises lurk everywhere. I’m sorry you had such a tough time with your families—families can suck. But you persevered, and triumphed, and—wow, look at you guys. What a fabulous, fabulous relationship. No, of course nothing is all roses forever. It’s the tough times that forge the strongest bonds. Kudos to you. To you both
I’m voting for Bread. I must confess this song was never one of my favorites, but… now that I can put it in the context of your awesome love story, it seems to have acquired a certain glow
Excellent battle, Debbie. And excellent post for the Lost & Found hop… I’m so glad you made it, pneumonia and all. And I hope you’re feeling better. Don’t worry about replying or visiting… The posts aren’t going anywhere. Just focus on getting well.
Hi, Guilie; I’m finally getting back to this post. Glad you enjoyed our story. You’re right – it was the tough times that cemented our relationship.
How cool that you like Bread’s song better now! It was not my intention to use them in the contest, but I ran out of time and went with what I had. Needless to say, they won by a landslide; 19 votes to 2!
Getting better day by day, so I’ll try and make some return visits.
I’m so glad you fought for the relationship. We had some opposition to begin with, but it only lasted until our first son was born–then everyone was smitten and knew that we’d made the right decision. (People are funny with their opinions.) Here’s to outlasting the critics!
I’ve never been one to be governed by other peoples’ opinions. Glad to know your opposition was short-lived. Hubby’s aunt hated me until she died! I’d like to say our luck changed after that, but don’t believe in curses. LOL
Thanks for coming by. Apologies for the late response. I was too ill to participate initially.
Hi,
You have an amazing story. I could picture it as I was reading what happened. As for the two songs that you offered us to vote on, I chose the first version of Baby I Want You because I like the acoustic guitar at the beginning of the song and throughout.
Shalom,
Patricia
Welcome to The Den, Pat. Please excuse the late response. Pneumonia really puts a crimp in things like blogging.
I’m glad you enjoyed our story. We are amazed that so much time has passed and we’re still here.
Most people preferred the first version of the song. The final tally was19 votes to 2.
Thanks for dropping in and hope to see you again. Cheers!
I loved hearing about your early meeting with your future hubs and how it didn’t go that well. Loved the dialogue scene. Despite all the obstacles of family against you, your love won out and you are still together. Congrats! True love goes on. You guys are an inspiration of lasting love despite the ups and downs of life.
As for the song, I haven’t listened to the Moments version of the song yet but I vote for Bread’s original version hands down. That album was a favourite as a teen and I spent many an angsty moment listening to Bread. I still like them. I will take a listen to the Moments but I know I won’t like it as much already, but for the sake of the contest, I will listen. Sigh.
Sure hope your pneumonia takes a hike. I feel badly for you being so sick. I have had pneumonia and it takes so much out of you. Hope you’re feeling better, Debbie.
You’re right, Cathy. True love triumphs in the end. Trouble is, so many people cut and run at the first sign of trouble. A solid relationship is worth fighting for!
I didn’t want to to use the Bread original in the contest because I knew they would win by a landslide (it was 19 votes to 2), but that’s all I had when it was time to publish.
Yes, pneumonia really wears you down and I’m fighting hard to get back to normal. One day at a time. Sigh…..Thanks for your good wishes.
I love how you start your piece with a scene from your first meeting. Great visuals! The first thing that struck me was the setting: an Expresso bar AND a billiard hall? Wow! What fun. Being a bar-chick, I never considered that pairing. ?
What a great love story! The cards seemed stacked against you with the families being so against the relationship…but your love proved them all wrong. And shame on that person for putting a curse on your love! Good thing you didn’t believe in curses…
I love a happy ending and your love story is certainly that!
As for your battle: Bread has always been a favorite of mine but boy, the Moments sure do a nice version of that song! In the end though, my vote goes to Bread. What a great First Dance song!!
Excellent post! I sure hope you get to feeling better real soon. Be careful and take really good care of yourself: pneumonia is hard to shake and relapse is frequent. Lots of rest!! Talk soon. <3
I agree with you wholeheartedly! Stay home if you're sick! And keep those germ-laden kiddos home too. I do hope you get to feeling better soon. Bronchitis is no fun. Take good care of yourself. And good luck with your A-Z posts!
Michele at Angels Bark
Hi, Michele; I’m finally getting back to this post! Espresso bars with pool and foosball tables are common around here, usually with Italian or Portuguese owners.
Yes, we certainly went through a lot and came out the other side, smiling. Whenever anything bad happened (and we had a lot of bad luck! ), we would joke that hubby’s aunt was at it again.
I’m trying my best to get back to my old self, but it’s taking awhile. A relapse would be horrible, so I am being careful.
I wasn’t going to use The Bread original in the contest but had to go with what I had. Needless to say, they beat out the competition 19 votes to 2.
Oh, that Bread song… it never leaves me… I would vote for that over any recording… The guitarist, James Griffin, was probably the most famous person to graduate from my high school. His musicianship on this and many other Bread recordings will stand the test of time, as his legacy remains intact.
How cool that the Bread guitarist is from your school! This song obviously holds special meaning for me as well.
Needless to say, Bread slayed the competition, 19 votes to 2. It was not my original intention to use it in the contest, as I knew that would happen, but I was forced to take shortcuts.
Debbie, what a heart-warming real-life love story. Sounds so funny now with the parental opposition, but it was a reality then more than now. And please get well. Pneumonia is no friend!
Denise
Thank you, Denise. I’m slowly getting better but this has been a frightening experience!
You’d be surprised how narrow-minded some cultures still are when it comes to marrying outside your ethnic group.
Wonderful story. There is so much there–kind of a summary for your one day book. It’s a great story and ends well. The best love is the love that lasts.
I’ve gotta say I’m a sucker for Bread and their style of music. I’ve always liked listening to their songs. As for this pairing,
The Moments do an okay version of the song, but no way they can out do Bread.
My vote goes to Bread.
Arlee Bird
A to Z Challenge Co-host
Tossing It Out
Finally made my way back to this post! I’m glad you enjoyed our story, Lee. It is somewhat unusual, in this divorce-prone society.
It was never my intention to use Bread’s original version as part of the contest, but I didn’t have the stamina to keep searching for covers and went with what I had already. No surprise, they won by a 19 to 2 margin.