Two For The Road

He was in Brazil sometime in 1967/68 when he first saw "Two For The Road". He was far away from the gal he married a decade earlier. She was getting a bit worn down with all the children they had seven in nine years of marriage. It was like having a bunch of twins all the time, somebody was always in diapers. But he missed them all, all of the noise, the house full of life, both of them, he and she, always tired. He was working at a full time job and doing some tax work and some write ups on the side while he was going to night College. She was just trying to keep her sanity as her six boys and one sweet little girl were always planning and succeeding to drive her out of her mind. He was in Brazil on a business trip for a fledgling motion picture company. Brazil was fraught with temptation, even the air smelled of sex and temptation and everyone he met thought he could help them get ahead in the business. This meant a lot of eating great food, drinking great wines and liquors, and trying to keep the young starlets from tempting him a little too much. But as the nights came to a close he struggled to his bed, ALONE! Alone and missing her more than ever.

He knew that at home his friends, which many might not have been friends, were trying to bed his beautiful wife and they were tempting her as she was alone with seven screaming kids taking up all of her time while all she craved was maybe an hour of some adult talking to her, caring about her, which would be a turn of something since she only had the kid's talk and her caring for them. He knew that a friend of his cousin had already came on to her, that a cousin did also, and one of the neighborhood Lotharios that lived around the block made his move. She always kidded about the garbage men coming on to her, calling them "The Romeos of The Road".


One time they were invited to a big shots home for a private screening of "West Side Story" and after a few drinks after they were invited to spend the night in the same bed as this guy and his wife. Needless to say they left rather suddenly and never accepted the invitations for private screenings. She even attracted the female person who thought she was so beautiful. One night after a private screening at Gulf & Western they were with a party at The Playboy club on 59th. Street in New York City and this beautiful Lesbian cornered her as we waited at the bar and propositioned her right in front of him. He laughed heartily, and she fumed but hey she was beautiful and he understood the animal smell that laid under that beatific expression. And of course this was all some 40 to 45 years ago.

Back in Brazil he saw "Two For The Road" and his body ached for his gal as he watched Audrey Hepburn and Albert Finney go through their various stages of love, young and hot, young and struggling, slipping into middle age with success in business and gathering wealth but drifting far apart as they forgot who they were and why they loved each other. Life became such a success that they lost each other for a moment even cheating on each other but they eventually come back together because they "loved" each other. The musical score was composed by Henri Mancini and held a hauntingly sound of love lost and found again.


That was then but this is now some 45 years later. All those kids are grownup and have kids or worries of their own. His beautiful wife left him after some years with a progressive illness. This is when he found out the term "progressive illness" meant 'getting worse and worse till death". But he saw this film, DVD, advertised on Amazon and he knew he had to buy it a see it again. Back then Audrey Hepburn was alive, vibrant and beautiful, Albert Finney was a hunk, heart throb, while today he is a big blob. Ah, yes, Time doth rob all of us. As he watched the movie begin and he heard the opening strains of the score he floated back in time to his days in Brazil where he first saw this wonderful  movie, which was cutting edge back then and only slightly dated now. Audrey was Joanna and Finney was Mark Wallace once again. They were young and having a great time falling in and out of love again and again. A great line in the movie came up a few times. Joanna and Mark were young and going up to their room to make love when they would see this elderly couple eating but saying nothing. They would ask each other this question, "What kind of people would be in a great place eating great food and say nothing?", looking at each other they would answer and laugh, "Married people.". You know something? Sadly Mark and Joanna were right.

The movie came to an end. He put on some Brazilian music, Jobim, the great guitar work and the breathless vocals, "Meditation", Sinatra, "Ipanema" and for the moment Joanna and Mark Wallace lived again and so did he and his gal.