Please Allow Me to Introduce Myself - PART XI

My first date with Mona ended on a high note.  We went out on that Friday night (January 18, 1974) and I was immediately invited to her sister’s engagement party (January 19, 1974), which was held above the Marlboro Fire Department on Saturday evening.  I took my sudden invitation to be a good sign and was very excited about going.

Mona had a friend, Susie Rubenstein, who lived on Long Island and was notorious for trying to steal her boyfriends.  I didn’t know until after the party that Mona was afraid that Susie would strike again and try to catch my eye.  True to form, that’s exactly what Susie attempted to do at the engagement party. This girl was all over me from the first introduction.  I was so not interested in Susie, because I was totally under Mona’s spell.  It was very flattering to have been noticed by Susie, but I was more intent on being Mona’s very attentive boyfriend.  It didn’t take long for Susie to get the message that there wasn’t any interest on my part.

The engagement party was very nice and it marked the beginning of a very important phase in my relationship with Mona.  From that night going forward, I didn’t miss being with Mona for more than a day or so, here and there.  That’s what made our relationship special, I think. And, I thank my driving license for this.  There is no doubt that sixteen year old girls can love their boyfriend’s car as much or perhaps more than their boyfriend, himself.  When the girlfriend is
especially pretty, the boyfriend doesn’t mind playing second fiddle to his car.  It is definitely an enabler.

Mona and I went everywhere together; sometimes alone and at other times with family or friends.  I felt quite comfortable with her family – especially when her mom made her signature chicken soup; so infused with the taste of dill.  Best Jewish love potion I ever had.  I think her mother made that soup it to entrap me.  Call it conditional love.  I had to take the daughter to continue getting the soup.  I beat Jerry Seinfeld to the "Soup Nazi" by about thirty years.

Her mom liked me a lot.  It didn’t hurt that she didn’t drive and had my car and me around for short trips to the stores.  And Mona’s parents also had me on hand to help with household chores.  Just to be with Mona, I was always willing to put my best foot forward with her family and satisfy them any way I could.  Nothing was too difficult or inconvenient.  Mona’s parents appreciated my helpful contributions and always included me in their family plans.  I even attended many family events with them. They readily accepted me into the family.

I could never get enough of Mona and would always try and position myself to be with her.  In fact, I remember my trademark line, which I often used on her dad – perhaps too often.  You see, her family lived in Marlboro (NJ), a few miles from my house.  To get to Mona’s house, I used to take the back roads, which were dark and winding.  Often, there was heavy fog in the area and it was difficult to see the roads, especially at night.  I usually made it seem worse than it was and always succeeded in convincing Mona's dad to let me sleep over. 

I would sleep in Mona’s room and she would sleep in her sister Allison’s bedroom.  When her parents went to bed, Mona would “visit” with me in her room. I suspect that her parents knew what was going on, but they never said a word.  That worked out well for the both of us.  Nothing beat cuddling under the blankets with Mona and getting err….rather intimate.

Mona was very pretty and many guys were interested in her.  I tended to be a jealous boyfriend and was a bit “overprotective” of her. Hindsight being 20/20, I was too intent in trying to “own” her and she sometimes felt suffocated.  I was seventeen and very much in love.  She was a little younger than me (a year and one half) and wanted more space.  I understand this much better, all these years later.

Mona and I were especially committed to one another for the first three or four months of our time together.  After that initial period, my commitment to her might have remained a little stronger than her commitment to me.  Some other boys came around to see her and she would often “sneak around” to be with them, without letting on. She even tried to cause a riff between my friend Bruce Canell and me by calling his house late at night and trying to flirt with him.  His father was a bit disgusted by this and I didn’t find out about it until much later. 
Yes, she was an operator. I wasn’t happy about what I was seeing, but I
remained in denial; mistakenly blaming Bruce instead of the main culprit, Mona.

I think Mona enjoyed being the cause of infighting.  It flattered her that boys were fighting over her. She was only fifteen and a half and liked all of the attention she was getting. 

In any case, I was totally unwilling to break off with her and she knew what buttons to push to keep me around to suit her needs. Sometimes, we were very close and other times she kept me at arms distance.  It was her game to call and
she played it very well.

I took Mona to my high school senior prom in June of 1974.  She looked gorgeous that night.  Her long blonde hair and beautiful blue eyes were radiant in her white prom gown.  I was so proud to show her off to my Ranney School friends.  That night was one of the best of my young life.  When we got home to her house, after the prom, we had a very romantic evening.  I suppose THAT night was her gift to me. She was all mine.

During the duration of our romance, college determination letters began to roll in.  Rider was a no and I wasn’t surprised given their dislike of my headmaster.  My safety schools, Stockton State and Ramapo were both a yes.  The last letter
received came from Syracuse University and it was an acceptance.  This came out of left field.  My parents and I never considered that Syracuse would accept me, but they did.  I was euphoric!  My parents were perplexed about meeting the tuition – about $6000 a year back then (today, it about $43,000).

How wonderful was this surprise. The college acceptance thing was out of the way by March.  The rest of my high school senior year was pretty much a coasting situation.  My hardest classes were already out of the way and the remainder of my time was devoted to other pursuits, including loving Mona and spending more and more time with her.  I was willing to accept the baggage that came along with the relationship. I couldn’t break free from my love for her.

On June 12, 1974, I graduated from the Ranney School.  There were 27 graduates in my class and the ceremony was to be outdoors on the lush Ranney Campus.  But, at the last minute, clouds rolled in and the ceremony was moved to a local Synagogue in Tinton Falls.  Sure enough, as the ceremony got underway, indoors, the sun began to shine, outdoors.  Perhaps, that was an omen for a bright future, as my parents said to me on that day.

After the ceremony was over, mom and dad took me to lunch at exclusive "Shadowbrook," in Shrewsbury, where we enjoyed a lavish buffet complete with prime ribs, lobster and many wonderful entres and desserts.  It was a memorable day.  There I opened my gifts.  Mom and had gave me a pocket watch and Mona sent along an engraved sterling ID bracelet with the enscription "To Marc, Love Mona."  She was in school that day and couldn't attend with my family.

To further celebrate our graduation, Marty Anton, Mike Kellner, Gene Briggs and I planned to spend the next day at Freehold Raceway.  We all went together, lost our shirts, but had a great time.

As summer was approaching, I needed a job.  The money I would earn would be accumulated as college spending money in the fall.  So, we called on our family friend, Monmouth County (NJ) Freeholder Theodore “Ted” Narozanick.  Ted was a
former Mayor of Englishtown and the head of personnel for the county.  If you needed a job, you saw Ted.

Ted lined me up a porter’s job at the John L. Montgomery Home in Freehold.  It was a senior residence for the indigent.  When Itoured the facility, I was immediately depressed at what I saw.  There were elderly and disabled people in
very bad shape and the place smelled of urine and neglected old people.  I have never had a strong stomach for that sort of thing and I turned the job down.

A day later, Ted called me about another available summer job.  This one was as a clerk with the Monmouth County Jury Commission.  There, I would be working for Charles Anderson Jr. the department supervisor.  “Charlie” Anderson was a tall and lanky middle-aged man, who was noticeably nervous and quirky.  He was a very pleasant and gentle man, who exemplified civil servants.  I enjoyed
working for him.  He was very nice to me.

My job at the jury commission was processing and filing juror responses.  These were the cards that people, summoned for jury duty, needed to complete so as to confirm their upcoming jury service or – in many cases – they were used to try and get them off the hook.  Reading these cards was quite interesting and often comical.  One fellow wrote a long note asking for help to escape “brainwashing experiments” he was undergoing at nearby Fort Monmouth. 
Some people made the strangest excuses to be excused from jury duty. I
suppose some of these people were also just plain nuts.  We saw all of the cards and read all of the excuses. 

My mother’s friend Pearl Koenig from Freehold was working with me.  She was a very happy go lucky lady, who laughed all the time.  Mr. Anderson called her “Mrs. K-nig.”  That mispronunciation of her name used to create laughter in the office.  It was all good natured fun.  I loved working in that office.

Each day I would spend my lunch break going shopping to buy something nice for Mona with my pay. Often, I go right to her house and bring these gifts to her.  For part of that summer she was laid up from plastic surgery on one of her feet, which had a congenital birth defect.  Mona wanted the soundtrack from the popular movie “American Graffiti,” so that was one such gift I bought her. 

That August was also the time of her Sweet Sixteen.  Her parents made her a beautiful party at the “Trotters and Pacers" diner on Route 9 in Freehold. My parents were also invited.  That is one night I would rather forget.  Mona ignored me much of the evening and spent most of the time in the parking lot flirting with some of the other boys that were invited.  Mom and dad were embarrassed for me.  I was embarrassed for myself. I couldn’t wait for the evening to end.

Later that month we were notified of “Move In” day for freshman at Syracuse University and it was time for me to start packing.  Desly and Harvey had also announced their engagement.  Grandma Pearl’s Alzheimer’s was getting much worse and mom and dad were facing separation anxiety related to my leaving home.  It was a very hectic time for the LeVine family. To be continued…