An Ode to My Sweet
Year 1948
Alfred Crane couldn’t believe he was back home. It has been 7 years since the last time he set foot in the same old rambling mansion where he used to reside. He couldn’t believe how time flies. Seven years is a long time yet it only seemed like yesterday to Alfred.
“Oh my God! Alfie, you’re home!” Mrs. Fergus, the family housekeeper exclaimed as she came out to meet him in the front lobby. She was accompanied by Johnny, his childhood best friend.
Both Mrs. Fergus and Johnny looked at Dwight with stupefied expressions. Finally, understanding dawned on Johnny. “Of course, how can I forget? You’re the great master pianist, Alfred Crane! I’ve read about you in the newspapers, travelling and performing all over the globe!”
Mrs. Fergus nodded in agreement. “Oh yes, I remember your mom talking about it, Alfie. She’s so proud of you.”
“Speaking of mom, where is she? She’s the main reason why I’m here.” Alfred inquired. “I must speak to her.” At that moment, as if conjured by some bizarre coincidence, Mrs. Crane emerged into the lobby.
“Alfie! Oh my God, my son you’re finally here!” Mrs. Crane engulfed Alfred in a bear hug. At that instant, Mrs. Crane started sobbing.
“Aw come on, Ma. Not now. We need to talk alone.”Alfred gently took his mom by the shoulders and led her to the dining room. “Ma, I was hoping you could come with me tomorrow. I’m planning on getting married.”
Mrs. Crane could only look at her son in disbelief. “What? You just came here and you’re already getting married! For heaven’s sake, Alfie, I haven’t seen you for seven years! Who is this girl that you’re planning to marry? How important is she that you have to come back here after seven years just to tell me that?”
“Ma, please stop being so difficult. I hope you understand how important this is to me. I’ll be marrying Jane Skeffington—she’s an English actress. You must have heard her.”
“Why yes, I’ve heard of her in the newspapers. But I can’t see why you would want to marry an actress! Can’t I at least get to know this girl first? And where in heaven’s name is she? Why is she not with you so I can meet her?” Mrs. Crane demanded.
Alfred sighed. “Ma, you must understand, she’s an actress! You know actresses are very busy people. That’s why it’s important that you come with me tomorrow to London so you can meet her as we announce our engagement to the public. I’m sure you’re going to like her.”
“Oh I won’t be so sure about that!” Mrs. Crane muttered.
“Alfie!” At that moment, time turned to a standstill for Alfred. He has known that voice all too well. Seven years ago, he held that voice so dearly to his heart. He almost forgot that the mere sound of her before would send his heart catapulting pell-mell at breakneck speed.
“Hello, Marianne. It’s been nice to see you.” Alfred roused himself to his most dignified composure.
“Boy, I’m so glad to see you!” Marianne ran across the room and gave him a bear hug. He tried hard not to flinch from her gentle embrace.
“Well, I leave you two alone. Marianne, I hope you could talk some sense into this young man. And Alfie, you better listen to her. If it weren’t for her, this household would have crumbled a long time ago.” Mrs. Crane grumbled and left the room.
“Oh, don’t mind her, Alfie. I just happen to be around when she needs help with the household chores and with some errands. By the way, what does your Ma means by talking some sense into you?”
Alfred pretended not to know and just chuckled. “Honestly, I don’t know with her. Anyway, how are you? How are you and Stephen? You have kids? I guess you must have quite a bunch already,“ he casually inquired, carefully trying to hide the sarcasm from his tone.
Marianne looked at him in stunned silence. “Oh my, don’t you know after all these years? Well, I don’t see how you could have possibly known. You left right before my wedding day. Stephen reported for duty after we got married. As it turned out, he got killed in the war. I must have made it to the world record for turning into a widow from a bride the shortest time possible. As you can see, I wasn’t given enough time to produce any kids.”
Alfred was ashen and went entirely speechless. He never knew. All he could remember was the all-consuming anger he felt when he left home the night before her wedding. The mere thought of her exchanging vows with another man—not just to any man, but to Johnny’s brother particularly was just too much for him to handle. Thus, he left and with that he banished all thoughts –even the slightest memory of her in the world he has set out to seek.
Marianne was amused by his reaction. “I see that you’re deeply surprised. A lot has happened since you’ve been gone, Alfie. I read all about your success and fame in the newspapers. I’m so proud for you. I’ve always known you’re great with the piano. But why didn’t you at least write to me and let me know how you’re doing? You left without a word right before my wedding day.”
Alfred winced and found himself unable to speak. All words seemed to have flown right from his mouth. What could he say? That he left without saying goodbye because he loved her too much and that he just couldn’t stand the sight of her getting married to another man? He looked straight at Marianne and suddenly all the pain he had tried to bury seven years ago came washing down on him like an avalanche.
He remembered her when she was Marianne Douglas then, the so-called new girl in the neighborhood. Her family just moved in from Boston and lived right across the street. One day, he caught her gray Persian cat wandering at their family porch step. Upon returning Kitty—that was the cat’s name—to Marianne, the two of them instantly became good friends—even at school. Knowing Alfred then—very shy, awkward and geeky—no one would have thought that he could wind up with a girl like Marianne.
Inevitably, Alfred fell in love with Marianne and for many months he discreetly hid his feelings from her as he tried slowly to work up the courage to tell her. Unfortunately, the opportunity never came for Alfred. Stephen—his best friend, Johnny’s elder brother—came home after finishing military school on the fall of ’41. He remembered bringing along Marianne and introducing her to Stephen when they came by for the Homecoming party that the Rhodes threw in Stephen’s honor. What happened after that, well—he was too ignorant to know it at that time. He was just surprised one day when an overly excited Marianne came bounding up to him, proclaiming that she was happily in love with Stephen.
That day, Alfred’s world literally shattered into two. And when Marianne and Stephen finally announced their engagement and declared that the wedding would take place three days after, he just simply lost it. On the eve of their wedding day, he left the Crane’s household for good—leaving only a letter to his mom and the lyrics to a song entitled ‘An Ode to my Sweet’ which he composed for months exclusively for Marianne.
“Well, what do you want me to say? That I left without a word because I was in love with you and I couldn’t stand seeing you getting married to another man?” He finally spat out.
Marianne could only gape at him in astonishment. “What! Is that true? I didn’t know. You never told me anything!”
“That’s okay,” he muttered flatly. “What’s the point of letting you know anyway? Would you do something about it? I know that you’ll never be interested in a guy like me then. I would simply bore you to death. I’m not anything like Stephen. I can’t be a hero and fight for this country. Heck, I even considered myself lucky that I was out of this country before the draft began.”
“Oh, Alfie! If only you knew how worried I was! Now I feel awful. It’s me after all who have done this to you. What can I say? I was 17 then. Most girls that age don’t know what they want or even know what they’re doing!” Marianne exclaimed tearfully.
“It’s okay, Marianne. All is forgotten. Past is past.” He replied with such staggering coldness that Marianne bristled at his tone.
Marianne wanted to reach out to Alfred but instantly discarded the thought. She could hardly recognize this man now who only seemed to regard her with cold indifference. “But I mean what I said. I was worried sick when you left. When Stephen died, I had no one to turn to and I grew more anxious for you. I missed you, Alfie. I never thought you would be gone this long.” When Alfred didn’t say anything, she went on. “The lyrics that you addressed to me, do you really mean them? Tell me, why did you come back after all this time?” There was a long awkward silence. When Alfred won’t still say anything, she burst out. “Please! Say something, for heaven’s sake!”
“I’m getting married,” Alfred said quietly. “I came here so I can convince Ma to come along when I go back to London tomorrow so she can meet my fiancée. “
Marianne thought she’s about to faint. “Who’s the lucky girl?”
“Jane Skeffington.”
Marianne felt a sickening sensation settling in at the pit of her stomach. “I’ve heard of her. She’s an English actress, isn’t she? Johnny is right. You are indeed staying here only for a day. I thought I just might be able to change your mind otherwise. How silly of me. Well, I am happy for you. What can I say? You’re famous all over the world. You’ve certainly found your true match,” She said with almost a hint of sarcasm.
Before Alfred could lash out a reply, Johnny poked his head in and beckoned to Alfred. “Hey, Alfie! I’m sorry to bother you two. Come and play for us, will you? Your Ma and Mrs. Fergus are just about dying to hear you.”
Alfred welcomed the interruption. “Sure, I’ll be there in a sec.” Johnny was grateful and disengaged himself from the door. Alfred stood up and before heading out of the room, he looked at Marianne and asked, “I’m just curious though, how do you plan on making me stay here longer as you have mentioned?”
When Marianne didn’t say anything, he finally left and walked to the family hall where the piano stood. Mrs. Crane, Johnny, Mrs. Fergus and Dwight were all gathered there in anticipation.
Alfred took his place by the piano and a feeling of nostalgia swept over him as his fingers touched the familiar keys which he was so accustomed to playing when he was a kid. Strangely enough, it really felt like coming home. “I’m going to play and sing a song entitled, ’An Ode to My Sweet’. I actually composed this song seven years ago to a very special lady who was dearest to my heart then.” And then he started to play, his fingers dexterously gliding across the keys in a slow and graceful rhythm. He sang and his voice was a rich baritone that reverberated throughout the room.
Marianne had quietly slipped into a far corner of the room where she could remain inconspicuous and not be seen by Alfred and the rest. Tears began brimming her eyes and she couldn’t hold it anymore. She cried as quietly as she could while she listened to him play and sing out the lyrics to the song which she had memorized by heart all these years. When Alfred was done, he looked over the crowd and they all applauded wildly. He didn’t notice Marianne leave the room in tears.
--Next Day--
“I can’t believe I let you talk me into this.” Mrs. Crane grumbled as Alfred, Johnny and Mrs. Fergus brought her luggage to the lobby. “It’s been ages since my last trip to God knows where.”
“Don’t worry, Mrs. Crane. It’ll do you a lot of good!” Johnny chuckled.
“Where is Marianne by the way? Isn’t she going to say good-bye to Alfred?” Mrs. Crane glanced furtively around the room.
Mrs. Fergus shook her head. “I’ve already gone to the Douglas’s but Marianne won’t come. Poor thing, she must be distraught by you leaving again. I was advised to give this to you though.” She handed Alfred a piece of paper. Alfred opened it and his hands nearly shook. It was the same piece of paper containing the lyrics of 'An Ode to my Sweet' which he left for Marianne. He couldn’t believe she kept it all these years. The paper was all yellowed and wrinkly with age. The writing was fading as well.
Mrs. Crane shook her head ruefully. “Well, I’m not surprised. You must have seen her, Alfie, when you were gone. She’s always dropping by the house, asking if we received any letter or news from you. You would have expected her to stop when her husband died but it didn’t. Sometimes she would go up to me and we’ll just talk about the things you two have done together. Honestly, it would seem as if she’s mourning more for you rather than her late husband!”
Alfred was astounded and could barely speak. The surprise must have knocked out all the wind from his voice.
Mrs. Crane went prattling on. “That girl was hopelessly in love with you, Alfie. You might not know it but I know it. I was a young girl once too. I knew right from the start that she have made the biggest mistake of marrying Stephen—no offense to your brother, Johnny—and I think she’s aware of that fact too. I mean who could resist the charms of a daring, handsome soldier? If I were sixteen again, I’d definitely accept such a proposal—however outrageous it may seem! It’s youth’s nature to be impulsive alright. No wonder a lot people get married at a young age.” Mrs. Crane sighed. “By the way, Alfie, how did you meet this Jane—“. But Alfred was no longer in sight. Both Mrs. Fergus and Johnny cheered on as Alfred hurried down the porch steps and crossed the street to where the Douglas residence stood.
--After Two Days--
This is how the headlines read in the New York Times:
MASTER PIANIST CALLED OFF ENGAGEMENT WITH FAMOUS ENGLISH ACTRESS. FINALLY WEDS HIS LONG LOST LOVE AFTER PROPOSING YESTERDAY.
Alfred Crane couldn’t believe he was back home. It has been 7 years since the last time he set foot in the same old rambling mansion where he used to reside. He couldn’t believe how time flies. Seven years is a long time yet it only seemed like yesterday to Alfred.
“Oh my God! Alfie, you’re home!” Mrs. Fergus, the family housekeeper exclaimed as she came out to meet him in the front lobby. She was accompanied by Johnny, his childhood best friend.
“My god, Alfie! You look so different! I can hardly recognize you!” Johnny gasped as he engulfed Alfred in a bear hug. “I’m so happy to finally see you, man! It’s good you’ve finally come back home.”
Alfred’s manager, Dwight Lancaster, cleared his throat. ‘’I’m afraid there has been some misunderstanding. Alfred will be leaving tomorrow. You must understand he has a very tight schedule and we just simply can’t afford to cancel any of his booked performances."Both Mrs. Fergus and Johnny looked at Dwight with stupefied expressions. Finally, understanding dawned on Johnny. “Of course, how can I forget? You’re the great master pianist, Alfred Crane! I’ve read about you in the newspapers, travelling and performing all over the globe!”
Mrs. Fergus nodded in agreement. “Oh yes, I remember your mom talking about it, Alfie. She’s so proud of you.”
“Speaking of mom, where is she? She’s the main reason why I’m here.” Alfred inquired. “I must speak to her.” At that moment, as if conjured by some bizarre coincidence, Mrs. Crane emerged into the lobby.
“Alfie! Oh my God, my son you’re finally here!” Mrs. Crane engulfed Alfred in a bear hug. At that instant, Mrs. Crane started sobbing.
“Aw come on, Ma. Not now. We need to talk alone.”Alfred gently took his mom by the shoulders and led her to the dining room. “Ma, I was hoping you could come with me tomorrow. I’m planning on getting married.”
Mrs. Crane could only look at her son in disbelief. “What? You just came here and you’re already getting married! For heaven’s sake, Alfie, I haven’t seen you for seven years! Who is this girl that you’re planning to marry? How important is she that you have to come back here after seven years just to tell me that?”
“Ma, please stop being so difficult. I hope you understand how important this is to me. I’ll be marrying Jane Skeffington—she’s an English actress. You must have heard her.”
“Why yes, I’ve heard of her in the newspapers. But I can’t see why you would want to marry an actress! Can’t I at least get to know this girl first? And where in heaven’s name is she? Why is she not with you so I can meet her?” Mrs. Crane demanded.
Alfred sighed. “Ma, you must understand, she’s an actress! You know actresses are very busy people. That’s why it’s important that you come with me tomorrow to London so you can meet her as we announce our engagement to the public. I’m sure you’re going to like her.”
“Oh I won’t be so sure about that!” Mrs. Crane muttered.
“Alfie!” At that moment, time turned to a standstill for Alfred. He has known that voice all too well. Seven years ago, he held that voice so dearly to his heart. He almost forgot that the mere sound of her before would send his heart catapulting pell-mell at breakneck speed.
“Hello, Marianne. It’s been nice to see you.” Alfred roused himself to his most dignified composure.
“Boy, I’m so glad to see you!” Marianne ran across the room and gave him a bear hug. He tried hard not to flinch from her gentle embrace.
“Well, I leave you two alone. Marianne, I hope you could talk some sense into this young man. And Alfie, you better listen to her. If it weren’t for her, this household would have crumbled a long time ago.” Mrs. Crane grumbled and left the room.
“Oh, don’t mind her, Alfie. I just happen to be around when she needs help with the household chores and with some errands. By the way, what does your Ma means by talking some sense into you?”
Alfred pretended not to know and just chuckled. “Honestly, I don’t know with her. Anyway, how are you? How are you and Stephen? You have kids? I guess you must have quite a bunch already,“ he casually inquired, carefully trying to hide the sarcasm from his tone.
Marianne looked at him in stunned silence. “Oh my, don’t you know after all these years? Well, I don’t see how you could have possibly known. You left right before my wedding day. Stephen reported for duty after we got married. As it turned out, he got killed in the war. I must have made it to the world record for turning into a widow from a bride the shortest time possible. As you can see, I wasn’t given enough time to produce any kids.”
Alfred was ashen and went entirely speechless. He never knew. All he could remember was the all-consuming anger he felt when he left home the night before her wedding. The mere thought of her exchanging vows with another man—not just to any man, but to Johnny’s brother particularly was just too much for him to handle. Thus, he left and with that he banished all thoughts –even the slightest memory of her in the world he has set out to seek.
Marianne was amused by his reaction. “I see that you’re deeply surprised. A lot has happened since you’ve been gone, Alfie. I read all about your success and fame in the newspapers. I’m so proud for you. I’ve always known you’re great with the piano. But why didn’t you at least write to me and let me know how you’re doing? You left without a word right before my wedding day.”
Alfred winced and found himself unable to speak. All words seemed to have flown right from his mouth. What could he say? That he left without saying goodbye because he loved her too much and that he just couldn’t stand the sight of her getting married to another man? He looked straight at Marianne and suddenly all the pain he had tried to bury seven years ago came washing down on him like an avalanche.
He remembered her when she was Marianne Douglas then, the so-called new girl in the neighborhood. Her family just moved in from Boston and lived right across the street. One day, he caught her gray Persian cat wandering at their family porch step. Upon returning Kitty—that was the cat’s name—to Marianne, the two of them instantly became good friends—even at school. Knowing Alfred then—very shy, awkward and geeky—no one would have thought that he could wind up with a girl like Marianne.
Inevitably, Alfred fell in love with Marianne and for many months he discreetly hid his feelings from her as he tried slowly to work up the courage to tell her. Unfortunately, the opportunity never came for Alfred. Stephen—his best friend, Johnny’s elder brother—came home after finishing military school on the fall of ’41. He remembered bringing along Marianne and introducing her to Stephen when they came by for the Homecoming party that the Rhodes threw in Stephen’s honor. What happened after that, well—he was too ignorant to know it at that time. He was just surprised one day when an overly excited Marianne came bounding up to him, proclaiming that she was happily in love with Stephen.
That day, Alfred’s world literally shattered into two. And when Marianne and Stephen finally announced their engagement and declared that the wedding would take place three days after, he just simply lost it. On the eve of their wedding day, he left the Crane’s household for good—leaving only a letter to his mom and the lyrics to a song entitled ‘An Ode to my Sweet’ which he composed for months exclusively for Marianne.
“Well, what do you want me to say? That I left without a word because I was in love with you and I couldn’t stand seeing you getting married to another man?” He finally spat out.
Marianne could only gape at him in astonishment. “What! Is that true? I didn’t know. You never told me anything!”
“That’s okay,” he muttered flatly. “What’s the point of letting you know anyway? Would you do something about it? I know that you’ll never be interested in a guy like me then. I would simply bore you to death. I’m not anything like Stephen. I can’t be a hero and fight for this country. Heck, I even considered myself lucky that I was out of this country before the draft began.”
“Oh, Alfie! If only you knew how worried I was! Now I feel awful. It’s me after all who have done this to you. What can I say? I was 17 then. Most girls that age don’t know what they want or even know what they’re doing!” Marianne exclaimed tearfully.
“It’s okay, Marianne. All is forgotten. Past is past.” He replied with such staggering coldness that Marianne bristled at his tone.
Marianne wanted to reach out to Alfred but instantly discarded the thought. She could hardly recognize this man now who only seemed to regard her with cold indifference. “But I mean what I said. I was worried sick when you left. When Stephen died, I had no one to turn to and I grew more anxious for you. I missed you, Alfie. I never thought you would be gone this long.” When Alfred didn’t say anything, she went on. “The lyrics that you addressed to me, do you really mean them? Tell me, why did you come back after all this time?” There was a long awkward silence. When Alfred won’t still say anything, she burst out. “Please! Say something, for heaven’s sake!”
“I’m getting married,” Alfred said quietly. “I came here so I can convince Ma to come along when I go back to London tomorrow so she can meet my fiancée. “
Marianne thought she’s about to faint. “Who’s the lucky girl?”
“Jane Skeffington.”
Marianne felt a sickening sensation settling in at the pit of her stomach. “I’ve heard of her. She’s an English actress, isn’t she? Johnny is right. You are indeed staying here only for a day. I thought I just might be able to change your mind otherwise. How silly of me. Well, I am happy for you. What can I say? You’re famous all over the world. You’ve certainly found your true match,” She said with almost a hint of sarcasm.
Before Alfred could lash out a reply, Johnny poked his head in and beckoned to Alfred. “Hey, Alfie! I’m sorry to bother you two. Come and play for us, will you? Your Ma and Mrs. Fergus are just about dying to hear you.”
Alfred welcomed the interruption. “Sure, I’ll be there in a sec.” Johnny was grateful and disengaged himself from the door. Alfred stood up and before heading out of the room, he looked at Marianne and asked, “I’m just curious though, how do you plan on making me stay here longer as you have mentioned?”
When Marianne didn’t say anything, he finally left and walked to the family hall where the piano stood. Mrs. Crane, Johnny, Mrs. Fergus and Dwight were all gathered there in anticipation.
Alfred took his place by the piano and a feeling of nostalgia swept over him as his fingers touched the familiar keys which he was so accustomed to playing when he was a kid. Strangely enough, it really felt like coming home. “I’m going to play and sing a song entitled, ’An Ode to My Sweet’. I actually composed this song seven years ago to a very special lady who was dearest to my heart then.” And then he started to play, his fingers dexterously gliding across the keys in a slow and graceful rhythm. He sang and his voice was a rich baritone that reverberated throughout the room.
Marianne had quietly slipped into a far corner of the room where she could remain inconspicuous and not be seen by Alfred and the rest. Tears began brimming her eyes and she couldn’t hold it anymore. She cried as quietly as she could while she listened to him play and sing out the lyrics to the song which she had memorized by heart all these years. When Alfred was done, he looked over the crowd and they all applauded wildly. He didn’t notice Marianne leave the room in tears.
--Next Day--
“I can’t believe I let you talk me into this.” Mrs. Crane grumbled as Alfred, Johnny and Mrs. Fergus brought her luggage to the lobby. “It’s been ages since my last trip to God knows where.”
“Don’t worry, Mrs. Crane. It’ll do you a lot of good!” Johnny chuckled.
“Where is Marianne by the way? Isn’t she going to say good-bye to Alfred?” Mrs. Crane glanced furtively around the room.
Mrs. Fergus shook her head. “I’ve already gone to the Douglas’s but Marianne won’t come. Poor thing, she must be distraught by you leaving again. I was advised to give this to you though.” She handed Alfred a piece of paper. Alfred opened it and his hands nearly shook. It was the same piece of paper containing the lyrics of 'An Ode to my Sweet' which he left for Marianne. He couldn’t believe she kept it all these years. The paper was all yellowed and wrinkly with age. The writing was fading as well.
Mrs. Crane shook her head ruefully. “Well, I’m not surprised. You must have seen her, Alfie, when you were gone. She’s always dropping by the house, asking if we received any letter or news from you. You would have expected her to stop when her husband died but it didn’t. Sometimes she would go up to me and we’ll just talk about the things you two have done together. Honestly, it would seem as if she’s mourning more for you rather than her late husband!”
Alfred was astounded and could barely speak. The surprise must have knocked out all the wind from his voice.
Mrs. Crane went prattling on. “That girl was hopelessly in love with you, Alfie. You might not know it but I know it. I was a young girl once too. I knew right from the start that she have made the biggest mistake of marrying Stephen—no offense to your brother, Johnny—and I think she’s aware of that fact too. I mean who could resist the charms of a daring, handsome soldier? If I were sixteen again, I’d definitely accept such a proposal—however outrageous it may seem! It’s youth’s nature to be impulsive alright. No wonder a lot people get married at a young age.” Mrs. Crane sighed. “By the way, Alfie, how did you meet this Jane—“. But Alfred was no longer in sight. Both Mrs. Fergus and Johnny cheered on as Alfred hurried down the porch steps and crossed the street to where the Douglas residence stood.
--After Two Days--
This is how the headlines read in the New York Times:
MASTER PIANIST CALLED OFF ENGAGEMENT WITH FAMOUS ENGLISH ACTRESS. FINALLY WEDS HIS LONG LOST LOVE AFTER PROPOSING YESTERDAY.
I actually dreamed the plot to this story way back in college. The names Marianne and Alfred were in my dream as well...
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