BLURB
Romance after age 60, and with your ex? You bet! Romantic miracles can happen. If you don’t believe that, just check out It Had To Be Us. You’ll laugh and cry with Harry and Elizabeth as they try to re-discover their lost love. This heartfelt romantic memoir — told in a “He Remembers,†“She Remembers†format — proves genuine love can survive any of life’s problems.
EXCERPT FROM CHAPTER THREE
HARRY REMEMBERS:
I’m back home now. My depression is deepening. I can’t eat. My thoughts of Elizabeth keep me awake all night. Tuesday morning I call her and tell her how desperately I miss her. She replies that she has the same feeling. I’m back on the golf course with my friends, but I’m not really there. I have a problem. I force myself to eat. That night I sleep only a few minutes each hour. I lie awake thinking of her.
Wednesday morning I call her in Las Vegas. Bridget answers. She tells me Elizabeth has already left for the train station. Oh well, I’ll be talking to her at 7 tonight. I discover today that I cannot get back into my routine.
I don’t want to get back into my routine.
I only want to be with her.
It’s 7 p.m. Pacific time, but no call. Well, I’m not going to call her. Somebody has met her at the train station and she is with him. At 7:40, I call her. I reach her answering machine and leave a message. I am seething inside and angry at myself for not believing in her. At 9 p.m. she calls. She tells me the train was delayed because of an accident. She also reports that when she got home she noticed a light upstairs and thought a prowler was in her house. When she ran upstairs to check, she fell and hit her nose on a step and is in much pain.
We talk of our love for each other and agree that I will call her in the morning. After we hang up, I begin to worry. Doesn’t she know that if you think an intruder is in the house, you call the police? You don’t go in. She needs someone to watch over her. Now!
I know I should be at her side. I need to be with her. I’m still clinging to the idea of these wonderful vacations together. I tell her I won’t be through with golf league business until October and I could meet her in Denver then, but if she wants me to come to her now I will. I desperately want her to tell me to come to L.A. She says I should do what I feel is right.
The only thing I want is to be with her every day, every hour. I call her back and tell her I can’t go on this way. I need to be with her and can I come out now? She says she feels the same way, and of course, I can come to her.
My van is packed and ready to go. I call Elizabeth and tell her I’m on my way and will be with her Tuesday night.
I cannot sleep. I leave for Los Angeles. The highways are icy all the way to Santa Fe. I can only do 30 miles per hour safely. I have become sleepy and almost lose control. I stop at Raton and try to sleep. I leave the car running with the heater on. I start to think what if the exhaust links and I die without seeing her again. I move on. It is foggy now and I barely execute a turn, so I stop but cannot sleep. I move on.
BIO
Harry and Elizabeth Lawrence live in the same Colorado town where they were born in the 1930s. They raised a son and daughter there and have seven grandchildren plus one great granddaughter. A retired engineer, Harry spends his mornings on the golf course and most afternoons and evenings watching — or talking about — movies with Elizabeth, who says Harry makes her laugh every day, and that’s one of the reasons she wanted to spend the rest of her life with him. Elizabeth is a retired educator now engaged in a second career as an entertainment journalist. Her film reviews appear in various outlets, and she also hosts a radio talk show about — you guessed it – movies.
- About the Author
- Posts in the Past
“It Had To Be Us” is a special book. It deals with life and love’s unpredictable ways. It show us how people gain wisdom and evolve over time. The story of Elizabeth and Harry having been married, divorced and then coming back together is unique. It is indeed a heartfelt romantic memoir that captures our attention and makes us think.
A terrific timeless love story.
Wow! This is such a tender live story! It opens my heart, reminding me of how true love can be.
Thanks so much, George and Nancy, for your comments about IT HAD TO BE US. My husband and I are very happy you enjoyed our award-winning romantic memoir.
So sorry I forgot to add the link for more information about IT HAD TO BE US. Here it is:
http://www.bettyjotucker.com/IthadtobeusLaunch.html
What a marvelous and inspiring story about second chances, and that it’s never too late to once again come together with a long-lost love. Were you always secretly in love with each other when you were apart?
I’m so proud of Betty Jo and Larry and privileged that my company, SP Press, published the book. The story has expanded and become a treasure to many!
Thanks also, Judy Joy Jones and Diana Saenger, for your supportive comments. JJJ, you are always so enthusiastic about our book. And, Diana, our romantic memoir wouldn’t have seen the light of day without SP Press. Larry and I appreciate you so much!
Hi, Misha! Thanks for your comment about IT HAD TO BE US. And your question is a good one, for sure. While my husband and I were apart, I don’t think either one of us thought it would ever be possible to get back together. But I believe our love was still there despite all the pain and suffering we both went through.
I read It Had To Be Us a long time ago and remember thinking how could anyone leave this wonderful cheerful delightful woman, even for a minute!
I had the honor of reading this lovely novella and I can tell you that it was a genuine romp from the opening to the end. It is very rare to read something that is so relatable to so many and yet portrays a genuine love story that has prospered through the times. It reads as smoothly and gently as the co-author speaks on her weekly show. Reading this was a joy and I recommend it highly.
LOL, Francine — you are so nice! But in the interest of full disclosure, I have to admit “Elizabeth” has some serious flaws. Thankfully, “Harry” now sees them as merely eccentricities.
Thanks, Morgan, for reading IT HAD TO BE US. My husband and I are so happy you enjoyed our romantic memoir. Thanks also for mentioning my radio show!
What fun this book is! The He said/She said style is delightful and so revealing of the vast differences between the way men think vs. the way women think. I also loved that this story affirms the fact that love is love no matter our age, and we all act like teenagers when it happens at any point in our lives. I highly recommend this charming love story!
Thanks to you, Denise, for publishing the extended Kindle e-Book version of our romantic memoir. It was fun to add a humorous honeymoon adventure plus over 20 reviews of our favorite romantic movies.
Betty Jo Tucker is an incredible lady with all the right tools of not just an author, but a critic as well!!! She has insight, “outsight” hehehe, and can really draw you into everything she has written, cause she IS the best!!!
Thanks for your kind words, Kat. Coming from another Wackette, they mean a lot to me!
Betty. Love your story. It reminds us that to love again is always possible, even with your former husband. When it comes to love, age doesn’t matter.
Thanks for sharing your story.
Sharon