Love Story

Preface:

On March 1, 2012 I went to The Vantage at Cityview Retirement Community near TCU's campus to transcribe the love stories of the elderly couples there. This is the story of Joni and Jim Roantree.

The Engagement

While courting Joni, Jim asks her to go sailing with him on Long Island Sound in New York every Saturday or Sunday. Since she knows nothing about his favorite sport, he has to teach her everything. At this time, he owns a Lightning, which is a nineteen foot daysailer with an open cockpit and center board. He turns out to be a devoted instructor. Jim teaches her about the wind, the sails, and the structure of the boat. Three months after they meet, he feels that Joni is ready to be responsible for handling the large forward sail called the spinnaker.

One sunny, cold, and windy Saturday in October 1954, they were sailing in the stiff breezes and cold, choppy waters. After taking the spinnaker down, Jim realizes that there is a problem. He asks his "spinnaker girl" to go up on deck to see what was wrong. At this point the boat is heeling over, so as Joni is crawling forward to release the spinnaker guy, she loses balance and falls under the jib sail overboard. She takes a deep breath and as she surfaces she sees the wire shrouds go by. She is lucky enough to grab hold of one. With the help of the rest of the crew, she finds herself back in the cockpit.

What a sorry picture stands in front of the boys. Joni looks like a drowned puppy with wet stringy hair. She is shaking because of the cold wind hitting her drenched clothes. Jim is enough of a gentlemen to ask her if she would like to return to the Plandome Club to change her clothes. She realizes though, it would mean dropping out of the race because the boat would miss the last mark. Without hesitation, Joni answers, "No, thank you. Let's finish the race."

As Jim relates the incident later on, he knew then and there that Joni was the girl for him. It took strong winds and high seas to find the girl for Jim. One week later, on Halloween Eve 1954, Jim asks Joni to be his wife for now and forever. Without hesitation she accepts his proposal and we announce our engagement. They were married the next spring May 7th, 1955.

Portfolio Introduction

During my junior and senior year English classes I learned how to write. I became versed in the five paragraph structure: an introduction, three body paragraphs, and a conclusion. I got the hang of constructing a thesis sentence. I developed a deeper vocabulary so as to better express my thoughts and opinions while demonstrating critical thinking. These are all very practical skills that have provided me with a solid foundation and the tools to be a competent writer. Literature & Civilizations II, however, taught me who I am as a writer.

Through this class, I found out how to make writing the most appealing to me – by making it funny. I've always thought of myself as a humorous person, and I want that to come across in my writing. One of my filmmaking teachers in high school told me “if you have fun making it, they'll have fun watching it.” I feel like this aphorism has applications that extend to writing as well. Another aspect of the writing in this class that made it enjoyable was its public setting. I knew that whatever I was putting out into the world, my friends and classmates could see it. I was motivated by the positive feedback I received from peers. The most fun I had as part of this class, at least outside the classroom, was filling my blog with self-aware humor in hopes that one of my classmates would see it, get a kick out of it, and try to one-up me.

I also discovered how essential the planning process is to my writing. I'm a big fan of order and organization. If a don't have an outline for how to go about writing, it all becomes a giant mess. Whether I'm writing an argumentative essay for religion or a more informal blog for this class, I feed off of a sense of structure.

My favorite piece of writing that I created this year was not made as part of this class, or any class, instead it was extracurricular writing. I spent an incredible amount of time working and reworking the composition of my Neeley Fellows cover letter, and because of that it was also one of my biggest learning experiences. One problem that I had repeatedly was that I would spend far too much time internally deliberating the merits of this phrasing versus that phrasing without getting a single word on the page. Before this class, there was hardly ever a revisions phase in my writing. By the time I reached the end of my paper, I had usually spent so long weighing the benefits of different sentence structures, that my writing was pretty much how I wanted it to be. Unfortunately this frequently led to my writing style feeling stale or too formulaic. What I learned to do as part of this class was treat my writing like a conversation, literally. I found that when I talked through my papers as if speaking directly to someone, my brain would naturally find the best words or phrasing for the current situation.

But just because my cover letter was my favorite piece of writing, doesn't mean I'm not proud of what I produced in this class. I'm really happy with how my coming-of-age sketches turned out. I don't feel like a single one of them was written to take the easy way out. I chose six of my truest, most exciting life experiences – both highs and lows from my life – and expanded upon them in meaningful ways. I could've written simple sketches, but I chose not to – yes I could probably write an enjoyable story about a pet or a favorite TV show, but how would that help me in the long run? Some of these were old memories from when I was too little to be extrapolating significant meaning from them. In this way the coming-of-age sketches helped remember just how I've gotten to where I am today. Some of the situations I wrote about occurred so recent that I hadn't gotten a chance to reflect on my feelings about them yet, and in this way the coming-of-age sketches enabled me to derive meaning from my first year in college and how it's shaped me.

Thank you for the opportunity to be a part of this class. It truly was a growing experience.

Final Coming-of-Age Story

An old proverb about family reads "a tree is known by its fruit." If this adage is true, then I propose my family tree was designed Dr. Seuss - a large, crazy, and unique tree.

Chapter 1: The Parents

In which our hero begins an exciting new adventure

My mother is a self-employed accountant and works out of our house. One typical day when my dad was at work and I was at school, two people arrived on our front porch and knocked on the door. They were Mr. and Mrs. Crowley, two location managers working on an upcoming film production in Austin, Texas. They confronted my mom and asked her what she thought about the idea of shooting part of the movie in our house. Initially she was very skeptical, and told them to wait while she called my dad. She telephoned him at work asking for his advice.

“If they seem legitimate, invite them in and talk it over.”

She did just that. It turns out that as a child, John Crowley went to the same elementary school that I did, not more than three blocks from house. He know the neighborhood really well as a result, and thought the location, and more specifically my house, would be a perfect place to film the movie. After one more meeting with the Crowleys, this time with my dad present, my parents agreed to the whole process.

I'm fairly certain that at that point time sped forward a couple weeks, and before I knew it the film adaptation of the book How to Eat Fried Worms was being filmed at my house. The many weeks they spent filming the movie were some of the best of my life. Amazing experience after amazing experience just kept coming.

I got to meet celebrities like Tom Cavanagh, who played J.D.'s brother on the television show Scrubs, and Hallie Eisenberg, that one girl from the Pepsi commercial and also the sister of Jesse Eisenberg (star of The Social Network and Zombieland). I also had the opportunity to be in the movie as well. It was really cool to be an extra in the movie, and it was easy money too. At one point I also got to be a hand model in one the scenes, which can be a surprisingly lucrative career for a middle schooler. During the shooting, the camera crews discovered that the main hallway of our house was too narrow for a full camera rig to be able to comfortably film in. Because of this, the film company ended up building a replica of my house in a studio in north Austin. I remember going to visit the set and absolutely loosing it. It was as if the world's largest printer had spat out an exact copy of my house, with all the little details from my room specifically included.

I can probably talk about the whole experience for days, but what I really valued was how it changed the way I connected with my family. How often does something crazy and unexpected like a movie being filmed in your house happen? While the movie was being filmed in our house, we were temporarily moved to a rented house. I was oddly happy about our “new home” being two stories tall, and I made sure to thank the film company for the upgrade. The whole filming process brought everyone closer together. Every new day was an exciting adventure and we all got to be involved in a once in a lifetime opportunity. My favorite memories came from swapping stories with my parents about which important movie person they had met that day and talking about what cool opportunities life had in store for the following day. I was completely and utterly happy.

Chapter 2: The Cousins

In which our hero learns of the wonder of animation and the danger of alcoholism

Every year my aunt Karen throws a Fourth of July party, and this year was no different. It was the summer after I had finished fifth grade, and I was excited to see all of my cousins in one place. Although I am an only child, my mother was one of nine children, so fortunately I have eighteen cousins who have always acted as my pseudo brothers and sisters. My aunt's backyard was the perfect place for us to play. There was a large expanse of grass for running around, a trampoline to jump on, a tree house to climb, a hammock to swing on, and a pool to swim in – the possibilities were endless.

I eagerly awaiting the arrival of my two cousins, Ben and Natalie. They were my only two cousins who were simultaneously close enough in age and proximity to Austin to play with. I had always looked up to Ben because he was a few years older than me, and in my eyes, possessed infinite wisdom. I consistently enjoyed spending time with Natalie because we were born within a couple months of each other and generally liked the same things. I knew that they would both be late, however, because that's how it always was with them; I don't think I ever once saw my aunt Maureen and my uncle Stephen, their parents, arrive on time for anything. I ran around the house absentmindedly until they came, completely ignorant to anything the adults were concerned with. My aunt's house was the perfect place for them to play. There was beer to drink, margaritas to drink, wine to drink, liquor to drink – the possibilities were endless.

Eventually my two cousins showed up and we had our usual good time. We swam, played, and laughed until we were too tired to do so any longer. Our family gatherings were always potluck style events; everyone brought something to contribute. We had the usual fare: hot dogs, hamburgers, and barbeque. Once it got dark, we lit sparklers, danced around and celebrated our nation's independence. Hooray. My cousins suggested that we go inside for dessert, and I followed them thinking it to be a splendid idea. I was excited because my aunt Maureen had brought along some toffee ice cream, and this would be the first time I would be able to have any since I got my braces off. We couldn't find any in the freezer, so we asked my aunt Maureen where it was.

That's when things started to get out of hand. Ben, Natalie, and I were standing in the kitchen when my aunt Maureen started chastising my uncle Stephen. It appeared that he had forgotten to pick up any toffee ice cream. Chastising turned to yelling, and from there everything escalated very quickly. I tried to speak up.

“It's really not that big of a deal. We have ice cream at home.”

I didn't know why neither of them seemed to notice me or listen to what I had said. We could still hear them arguing as my father dragged the three of us out of the kitchen and my mother mother grabbed all of our things and headed towards the door. I didn't really think much of it at the time. An impromptu cousins sleepover at my house seemed like an awesome idea.

When we got home, my parents did everything they could to lighten the mood. We ate ice cream, strawberry not toffee, and played board games for a while. The last thing we did was unfold our couch and transform it into a bed. Because I have a such a small family, we hardly ever had to do this, and I considered it to be a special occasion. The five of us laid on the newly made bed and watched the Lion King until we fell asleep. The Lion King is still my favorite movie, not just because it's one I enjoyed watching as a kid, but because it reminds me of a time when my family was truly there for one another and I honestly felt like I had a brother and sister.

Chapter 3: The Great-relatives

In which our hero discovers new connections

My phone vibrated in my pocket accompanied by a horrible siren ringtone which served as a warning that one of my parents was calling. I answered and heard my mother's voice. I could immediately tell she was upset from the way her voice was shaking.

“Your great-aunt Dorrace passed away last night.”

I didn't really know how to react. I had only met my great-aunt Dorrace a handful of times, and I don't often get the opportunity to see that side of my family much. I asked my mom how she was feeling about everything, and how she was taking the news. She said she would be fine, but that it might take a while.

“We will be coming up for the funeral is this weekend in Fort Worth. We'd love it if you came.”

“Of course. I'd be glad to. I can't to wait to see you both.”

Saturday came more quickly than expected. I woke up early, put on my Sunday best, and met my parents just outside my dorm. I was astonished at just how close the church was to campus. We turned just off Hulen and pretty soon we were on our way inside. We waited in a small room exchanging solemn hellos. As the service began I couldn't help but look around. I hardly ever go to church, and I hadn't been to funeral in eight or ten years. I have been fortunate enough to not encounter death much in my life. Once it was over, we left the building, filed into our cars and began the motorcade. After the burial ceremony we attended the reception at a relative's house.

I had never seen so many distant family members in my life. There were cousins of the first, second, and third variety. People talked to one another and exchanged stories about Dorrace and her husband Kirksey. I was surprised to learn that he had actually taught at TCU as an economics professor and also worked as a drill instructor for ROTC during his time at the university. I made my way through the kitchen, living room, dining room, and eventually touring the entire house talking with people. It appeared that for every one face I managed to recognize, there were two other three other new faces that I had yet to meet. By the time the whole ordeal was finished my palms and my back were sore from all the handshaking and bear-hugging that had transpired.

As we made our way out of the house, I felt a strange sense of duality. I had lost a relative, yet the funeral was not a lamentation of death, but rather a celebration of her life. Although Dorrace's candle had burned out, I met so many others that day that lit anew. At first I didn't know if it was cognitive dissonance or what exactly, but I felt simultaneously sad and happy.

The Conclusion

I believe if you were to slice me open, in one fell swoop, horizontally across my abdomen you could study me dendrochronologically. Just as a tree records its growth in yearly rings, I too reflect my changes internally. I started my life as a part of a very tight knit circle, my immediate family – mom, dad, and I – but over time my circle has grown. That circle is continually expanding, even now as it encompasses aunts, uncles, cousins, grandparents, great-aunts, great-uncles, and so on and so forth.

The Party (Coming-of-Age Sketch)

Last week, during dead days, several of my friends and I decided to treat ourselves to a night of fun instead of studying. We ventured to a house party just off of campus, walked around the side, opened a steel gate, and let ourselves in. You never would have guessed it from the unassuming outward appearance of the single story residence, but there was a huge gathering inside. The night began well enough, and everyone was having a good time. We passed people playing games outside as we made our way to the back door of the house. As we entered, we quickly realized that someone had gotten a bit inventive with the smoke machine. None of us could see more than three feet ahead of ourselves in any given direction.

Toward the end of the night, as the party was dying down, I walked out the back door to reconvene with my friends after having gone to the bathroom. They were all sitting down in a circle of lawn chairs as I approached them. What I saw next really disturbed me. I watched as my friend Kate point at Jake, my fraternity brother, and call him something unintelligible that I couldn't hear because I was out of earshot. In response, I witnessed Jake reach out and slap her. The whole incident, maybe ten seconds in length, seemed like an eternity. I could feel time slow down as my heart sank.

Everyone sprang into action. Just as suddenly as it had slowed, now time was moving in fast forward. I ran to join two of my other brothers as we worked to corral Jake. Everyone else gathered around Kate to make sure she was okay. Before I was able to take notice, the girls up and mobilized, leaving the party with haste. Largely by ourselves at this point, we asked Jake what the hell had happened.

He said that Kate had teasingly called him a name or something to that effect, and in retaliation he “playfully” hit her. With a unanimous “What?! You never ever hit a woman!” from the three of us, we proceeded to confront Jake about the error of his ways. Obviously not in his right mind, he attempted to make his faulty case, claiming that women always ask to be treated the same as men and he was doing just that. Always a stubborn one, it took a long time to talk Jake down. Ultimately he owned up to his wrongdoing, but that wasn't anywhere near the end of the conversation.

Jake started opening up a little bit and the whole incident boiled over into a different set of emotional issues entirely. At this point, my other brothers took their leave, and I was left to console him by myself. We talked about a lot of things: he talked about how he wasn't a man of principle, how he knowingly continued to make the wrong choices, how he didn't feel like one of our brothers, and how he always pushed people away who tried to connect with him. We spent hours talking. I broke it down to him like this: even if he didn't care enough about himself to clean up his act, I did. I told him that I was there to hold him accountable, and even if he didn't see any good qualities within himself, I did, excluding the incident that night, of course. I walked him to his dorm and then went right to see Kate in her dorm.

We sat in her room and I asked her about what was going through her mind. She was definitely still shaken up. Kate said that he didn't physically hurt her. The slap, however inappropriate, was not hard enough to cause any damage. She said she might have thought the whole thing to be playful if she wasn't so scared. Then Kate told me about how she had been in an abusive relationship her junior year of high school. She said that when Jake reached out at her that night it brought back up all these old feelings that she thought she had overcome. I told her it wasn't her fault, listened to everything she had to say, and acted as a shoulder to cry on. It was four in the morning by the time I left her dorm.

Prior to this night I would have labeled myself a cynic and a misanthrope at times, mostly caring for myself and not being a big proponent of sappy emotional understandings. However, this was a real growing experience for me. I had never really envisioned myself as someone else's counselor, but I learned that sometimes all it takes is for you to listen. People just need a friend to hear them out.  

The Funeral (Coming-of-Age Sketch)

It was Thursday afternoon as I was leaving my From Rock to Bach class and heading to the Rec center. It was a particularly nice February afternoon and I decided to celebrate by grabbing myself a smoothie. My phone vibrated in my pocket accompanied by a horrible siren ringtone which served as a warning that one of my parents was calling. I answered and heard my mother's voice. I could immediately tell she was upset from the way her voice was shaking.

“Your great-aunt Dorrace passed away last night.”

I didn't really know how to react. I had only met my great-aunt Dorrace a handful of times, and I don't often get the opportunity to see that side of my family much. I asked my mom how she was feeling about everything, and how she was taking the news. She said she would be fine, but that it might take a while.

“We will be coming up for the funeral is this weekend in Fort Worth. We'd love it if you came.”

“Of course. I'd be glad to. I can't to wait to see you both.”

Saturday came more quickly than expected. I woke up early, put on my Sunday best, and met my parents just outside my dorm. I was astonished at just how close the church was to campus. We turned just off Hulen and pretty soon we were on our way inside. We waited in a small room exchanging solemn hellos. As the service began I couldn't help but look around. I hardly ever go to church, and I hadn't been to funeral in eight or ten years. I have been fortunate enough to not encounter death much in my life. Once it was over, we left the building, filed into our cars and began the motorcade. After the burial ceremony we attended the reception at a relative's house.

I had never seen so many distant family members in my life. There were cousins of the first, second, and third variety. People talked to one another and exchanged stories about Dorrace and her husband Kirksey. I was surprised to learn that he had actually taught at TCU as an economics professor and also worked as a drill instructor for ROTC during his time at the university. I made my way through the kitchen, living room, dining room, and eventually touring the entire house talking with people. It appeared that for every one face I managed to recognize, there were two other three other new faces that I had yet to meet. By the time the whole ordeal was finished my palms and my back were sore from all the handshaking and bear-hugging that had transpired.

As we made our way out of the house, I felt a strange sense of duality. I had lost a relative, yet the funeral was not a lamentation of death, but rather a celebration of her life. Although Dorrace's candle had burned out, I met so many others that day that lit anew. At first I didn't know if it was cognitive dissonance or what exactly, but I felt simultaneously sad and happy.

The Lion King (Coming-of-Age Sketch)

Every year my aunt Karen throws a Fourth of July party, and this year was no different. It was the summer after I had finished fifth grade, and I was excited to see all of my cousins in one place. Although I am an only child, my mother was one of nine children, so fortunately I have eighteen cousins who have always acted as my pseudo brothers and sisters. My aunt's backyard was the perfect place for us to play. There was a large expanse of grass for running around, a trampoline to jump on, a tree house to climb, a hammock to swing on, and a pool to swim in – the possibilities were endless.

I eagerly awaiting the arrival of my two cousins, Ben and Natalie. They were my only two cousins who were simultaneously close enough in age and proximity to Austin to play with. I had always looked up to Ben because he was a few years older than me, and in my eyes, possessed infinite wisdom. I consistently enjoyed spending time with Natalie because we were born within a couple months of each other and generally liked the same things. I knew that they would both be late, however, because that's how it always was with them; I don't think I ever once saw my aunt Maureen and my uncle Stephen, their parents, arrive on time for anything. I ran around the house absentmindedly until they came, completely ignorant to anything the adults were concerned with. My aunt's house was the perfect place for them to play. There was beer to drink, margaritas to drink, wine to drink, liquor to drink – the possibilities were endless.

Eventually my two cousins showed up and we had our usual good time. We swam, played, and laughed until we were too tired to do so any longer. Our family gatherings were always potluck style events; everyone brought something to contribute. We had the usual fare: hot dogs, hamburgers, and barbeque. Once it got dark, we lit sparklers, danced around and celebrated our nation's independence. Hooray. My cousins suggested that we go inside for dessert, and I followed them thinking it to be a splendid idea. I was excited because my aunt Maureen had brought along some toffee ice cream, and this would be the first time I would be able to have any since I got my braces off. We couldn't find any in the freezer, so we asked my aunt Maureen where it was.

That's when things started to get out of hand. Ben, Natalie, and I were standing in the kitchen when my aunt Maureen started chastising my uncle Stephen. It appeared that he had forgotten to pick up any toffee ice cream. Chastising turned to yelling, and from there everything escalated very quickly. I tried to speak up.

“It's really not that big of a deal. We have ice cream at home.”

I didn't know why neither of them seemed to notice me or listen to what I had said. We could still hear them arguing as my father dragged the three of us out of the kitchen and my mother mother grabbed all of our things and headed towards the door. I didn't really think much of it at the time. An impromptu cousins sleepover at my house seemed like an awesome idea.

When we got home, my parents did everything they could to lighten the mood. We ate ice cream, strawberry not toffee, and played board games for a while. The last thing we did was unfold our couch and transform it into a bed. Because I have a such a small family, we hardly ever had to do this, and I considered it to be a special occasion. The five of us laid on the newly made bed and watched the Lion King until we fell asleep. The Lion King is still my favorite movie, not just because it's one I enjoyed watching as a kid, but because it reminds me of a time when my family was truly there for one another and I honestly felt like I had a brother and sister.

The Fun Fact (Coming-of-Age Sketch)

As the last couple weeks of summer came to a close, TCU began to take over my life. I went to orientation, attended Frog Camp, Frogs First, Howdy Week, and the like. Eventually, I wouldn't even have to think when introducing myself because it became second nature.

“Hi. I'm Paul Elliott. I'm a freshman Pre-Business major from Austin, Texas.”

I must have played dozens upon dozens of icebreakers after I left home college. Regardless of what kind of activity we were ever asked to perform in order to get to know one another, we always had to introduce ourselves. I guess it's an unspoken rule that when doing an icebreaker, one must provide everyone with an interesting fact about themselves. Sometimes you'd be asked for a favorite color or favorite food, but without fail, a “fun fact” was always required of you. Fortunately for me, I have had a go-to fun fact since middle school.

My mother is a self-employed accountant and works out of our house. One typical day when my dad was at work and I was at school, two people arrived on our front porch and knocked on the door. They were Mr. and Mrs. Crowley, two location managers working on an upcoming film production in Austin, Texas. They confronted my mom and asked her what she thought about the idea of shooting part of the movie in our house. Initially she was very skeptical, and told them to wait while she called my dad. She telephoned him at work asking for his advice.

“If they seem legitimate, invite them in and talk it over.”

She did just that. It turns out that as a child, John Crowley went to the same elementary school that I did, not more than three blocks from house. He know the neighborhood really well as a result, and thought the location, and more specifically my house, would be a perfect place to film the movie. After one more meeting with the Crowleys, this time with my dad present, my parents agreed to the whole process.

I'm fairly certain that at that point time sped forward a couple weeks, and before I knew it the film adaptation of the book How to Eat Fried Worms was being filmed at my house. The many weeks they spent filming the movie were some of the best of my life. Amazing experience after amazing experience just kept coming.

I got to meet celebrities like Tom Cavanagh, who played J.D.'s brother on the television show Scrubs, and Hallie Eisenberg, that one girl from the Pepsi commercial and also the sister of Jesse Eisenberg (star of The Social Network and Zombieland). I also had the opportunity to be in the movie as well. It was really cool to be an extra in the movie, and it was easy money too. At one point I also got to be a hand model in one the scenes, which can be a surprisingly lucrative career for a middle schooler. During the shooting, the camera crews discovered that the main hallway of our house was too narrow for a full camera rig to be able to comfortably film in. Because of this, the film company ended up building a replica of my house in a studio in north Austin. I remember going to visit the set and absolutely loosing it. It was as if the world's largest printer had spat out an exact copy of my house, with all the little details from my room specifically included.

I can probably talk about the whole experience for days, but what I really valued was how it changed the way I connected with my family. How often does something crazy and unexpected like a movie being filmed in your house happen? While the movie was being filmed in our house, we were temporarily moved to a rented house. I was oddly happy about our “new home” being two stories tall, and I made sure to thank the film company for the upgrade. The whole filming process brought everyone closer together. Every new day was an exciting adventure and we all got to be involved in a once in a lifetime opportunity. My favorite memories came from swapping stories with my parents about which important movie person they had met that day and talking about what cool opportunities life had in store for the following day. I was completely and utterly happy.