Coming soon--Sweet Bitterness

 

Coming in January 2022

First love can be wonderful—albeit at times tortuous. Rarely does it last, and at times is so painful it brings nothing but heartache. Often it is the girl who has a passion but in the case of twenty-year-old Tony, his feelings for seventeen-year-old Melody become what can probably be termed an obsession. An obsession that stays with him as years pass and their lives go in different directions.

Sadly, often a third party steps into the mix, diverting the course of the lives of young lovers. In Melody’s case, it is her father who shatters the hopes and dreams of this pair. Not only is Melody’s parent an overbearing and obstinate man but he happens to be an unprincipled police inspector who does not hesitate to use the power his position entitles him to exercise.

Shattered by the events that ensue, Tony takes off to the other side of the world and makes a successful life in Australia. Always the dream of returning to England and claiming his lost love stays with him. Many obstacles crop up, making his dreams seem impossible. Meanwhile Melody is left to face a loveless life forced on her by her father where escape to happiness drifts further away as the years pass.

The local dancehall contained the usual Saturday evening crowd. For a while, Tony watched a vision of perfection as she danced—not with everyone who asked her, he noticed. The two mates he came along with had disappeared, probably gone off with the girls they danced with earlier, but Tony suddenly had no desire to hold anyone in his arms but this raven-haired beauty with the figure of a goddess. Dare he ask her—his world tilted when she accepted his offer. Above average height himself, she reached his chin and felt like a delicate porcelain doll as he pulled her as close as he dared.
After dancing without speaking, apart from exchanging names, the bandleader announced that they were taking a break, so Tony asked tentatively, “Can I interest you in a drink?” To his great delight, she accepted with a nod.