What Married Men Know
One in a series of old love letters that I bought at the flea market and am now transcribing for my nosiest friends.
See the archive for every Love Letter to Karen published thus far.
Oct. 22, 1960
Dearest Karen,
Bonjour, mon Cherie. Comment allez-vous? Auch, wie sie in ein anderen. Brief gesagt haben.
French and German this time! This translates as: “Hello my dear. How are you? Also like them in another. Letter said.” 👀
We won our football game! 10-8. We started off like great guns, but after that we didn’t look as good. Penn State’s touchdown and run for the extra two points shouldn’t have happened. We goofed. We got a touchdown and a field goal early in the first quarter, but after that began to tail off. The second half we looked sick when compared to the first half. Penn State scored in the fourth quarter and Illinois muffed its chance for another touchdown. No sterling plays by either team. We won anyway, that’s what really counts. Too bad it wasn’t a conference game.
My mother brought me more food.
Side note: my mother never brought me food (and for that I am grateful because she was a bad cook).
I can really feast for the next couple of weeks. Actually it will probably last only this week. Not because there’s so little, but because the hunger I’ve been saving for two or three days will make itself “abundantly obvious.”
Weeks? What kind of food did she bring?
So how’s the world been in your half? Mainly, how’s the work been? This is important because I’m going to haunt you over next weekend. One cannot study while being haunted.
One of the guys I roomed with first semester last year is down here visiting a buddy of his this weekend. The guy (the visiting one) flunked out the end of last semester as did his girl (?) (fiance(?)).
LOVING all the implied judgments!
The university was and still is better off without him, but that’s not the point. He’s getting married next March. I think his attitude toward it is one of a little boy looking forward to new adventure, full of hidden pleasure.
Russ thinks the drop-out wants to have sex! Hmm, I'd assume a couple of dropouts were already doing it.
He enjoys the prestige involved and the opportunity to say he’s entering into the final achievement of responsibility, although he doesn’t look at it that way. She compliments his ego and he can talk about things all married men talk about.
What does Russ think married men talk about? I know a few, and they always seem to go on about home improvement, the yard and the garage. Sometimes work or sports. For some reason Joe Rogan's podcast seems to come up a lot, too.
He can use marriage as an excuse for evading true responsibility. He can blame “love” for interference in his ambitions and elimination of his desire to succeed. He knows people congratulate and admire the future groom and this pleases his ego. Therefore, he wants them. He wants all the untried “formalities” and informalities of getting and being married. It’s all one big, happy fling and he is curious about the intricacies and “intimacies”involved in his circumstance.
Russ is the most 1950s person who ever lived.
She may love him. She definitely does, for some unholy reason, although possibly not enough to marry him. She may be making a mistake in judgment.
Her love is a novelty to him, though. He finds it pleasant and stimulating. He enjoys her affection and brags about her affectionate action both excessively and colorfully.
If only we had one of that guy's letters!
Without her presence and physical stimulation his desires take the form of lust.
Her father also owns a small but successful company of his own and being quick to take the easy way out my former “roommate” sees in this a future of money with no work attached. He sees an inherited interest in the company.
To him, love and marriage are entertaining facets of existing and he will exploit them to their fullest. The marriage will last until her father wills her and her husband an interest (probably half as there is only another daughter in the family.), and then his “ardor” will subside and life will grind on for the two of them until death or divorce separates the impossible pair.
This is the most I have liked Russ since I undertook this folly.
She seems to have the idea she will completely “remodel” him. Certainly a certain amount of change and compromise on the exterior personality characteristics is always present. But one cannot change basic personality characteristics. Nor will a girl succeed in accepting him as a first husband. All in all, this marriage will be “interesting.” The guy is a total loss.
A "total loss!" I love it. And I wish he’d used their names so I could Google up what happened to them!
And now, until tomorrow, goodnight, Sleeping Beauty. See you soon, Sweetheart.
Love ad Infinitum,
Russ
Russ sounds such a lovely chap...I find it hard to believe the recipient of these letters stuck with him...!
Just so wonderful! Love reading these.