Frankie and Johnny

Frankie and Johnny were lovers. It’s been said that their story is the greatest love story of all time. But that was years ago. How often do you find your happily ever after, your lifelong partner, your one true love when you’re only 16 years old anyway? If only they realized it sooner.

Jonathan Kroger met Frances Greenwood when they were freshmen in high school. It was anything but love at first sight. Frances hated Jonathan as much as Jonathan hated a root canal without anesthetic. He was not really the type that would fight a girl, but to put it in his own words, “A dog, I would beat down.”

In front of a large crowd, he said to her, “I want to apologize in advance.”

He took a very hard swing, but she dodged out of the way. Taking a swing at him and connecting, she said, “For what?”

Gasping for air, he said, “Messing up a pretty face.” He tried to take another swing, but she had knocked the wind out of him. He couldn’t even focus. He swung in the wrong direction. She was extremely flattered at the fact that he had just called her pretty. However, she was not about to let go of the chance to teach a lesson. A boy should never fight a girl. Let’s just say that while there were no broken bones, he felt like everything else was broken.

The funny thing is that he really did think that she was pretty. Very pretty he would eventually admit. She didn’t think that he was that bad looking either. They didn’t start dating until the following year. What boy would date a girl who just beat him up in such a public way? What girl would date a boy that she can beat up so easily?

Whatever happened, happened over summer vacation. Starting in their sophomore year, they were full-fledged boyfriend and girlfriend. You could not separate the two of them. They would go everywhere together. Always holding hands. This went on through their Senior year. It was known for years that they would go to prom together. The captain of the football team always goes with the prettiest girl in school. They were crowned King and Queen. That was known well in advance also. They seemed to be the perfect couple. But that quickly came to an end.

“Johnny!” Frances called, “Great news. I’ve been accepted to Harvard.”

Frances, or Frankie as Johnny called her, wanted to study law. Everyone knows that Harvard is the world’s best when it comes to ‘Law School. Johnny should have been thrilled to hear such news. He even tried to pretend that he was. However, his face gave it away. He felt the same way he did when she beat him up freshman year. Maybe worse. He tried to put a smile on to give her some good news. His news explained what the problem was.

“I also have great news”, he said.

The news he had was great at first. Now there was a crackle in his voice. He didn’t sound so happy.

“I’m going to Stanford.”

Johnny wanted to get into Computer Science and Stanford was the best. With a full football scholarship, his future was set. Harvard and Stanford tied in 3rd place for the greatest universities in America. One would think that they would have been happy for each other. But Frankie’s face dropped the same as Johnny’s at his so-called great news. She knew that he had a scholarship. But she assumed he could take it anywhere.

Frankie and Johnny used to go everywhere together. Come next fall, however, they would face a geographical chasm, separated by over 3,123 miles. Stanford and Harvard are on opposite ends of the country. It would take 2 days, non-stop, to drive from one college to the next. They knew that this would likely be the last summer they would ever spend together. They would probably never see each other again.

They wanted to spend as much time together as possible that summer. They tried to make the best out of what little time they had left. They spent time at the beach, the movies, and theme parks. He took her to the zoo. He took her to the museum. They had 92 days. 92 days to do 92 different things together. 92 days to make sure they do not forget each other. 92 days can go by very quickly.

The day came when Johnny headed off to Stanford. Frankie would have loved to come with him, but she was headed off the following day. She still had a lot of packing to do. She handed him a box.

“This is something”, she says, “to make sure you never forget me. Don’t open it until you get to your dorm room.”

They embrace in a long tender kiss with tears in their eyes.

“I have something for you also.”

He hands her a box also.

“This is to make sure that the width of the entire nation does not keep us apart. You can open it now if you want. But it would be better to wait until you get to your dorm room.”

As he gets in the car, they promise that someday they will get back together.

When Johnny arrives at his dorm room, he opens the box to find a digital photo frame with several pictures of Frankie. He laughs, hugs the gift, and puts it on his desk. He looks at Cully, his roommate, and says, “I got her the same thing.”

“You gave her a bunch of pictures of herself?”

Cully’s sense of humor created an instant friend in Johnny.

“You know that’s not going to last”, Cully said.

“What?”

“The frame. Once you meet some of the ladies around here, those girls back home won’t mean a thing.”

“You don’t know Frankie. She’s hard to forget. Let me tell you how we met.”

He told her about the fight. He embellished a bit. He made it seem like she threw the first punch and that he was only defending himself. He made it seem as if the only reason he lost is that he didn’t want to fight a girl. Cully saw right through him.

Cully introduced Johnny to many of the ladies. He did become close friends with some of them. But his heart was still set on Frankie. They had a bond that could not be broken. That is until one of the cheerleaders fell into his arms. Literally. She was standing on a ladder hanging a banner when she lost her step and fell. Johnny just so happened to be standing nearby and caught her. She was the most beautiful creature he had ever seen. He fell in love with her right away.

“Be careful sweetheart. Don’t want to see a pretty thing like you get hurt.”

Why did I say that? He thought.

“Cully! Who is that?”

“What! Have you forgotten about Frankie already?”

“No! It’s nothing like that. I just want to know her name. I want to check up on her. Make sure she’s alright.”

“Sure. That sounds believable. Her name is Nell, but everybody calls her Nellie. Nellie Bly. I would tell you that you have no chance, her being the head cheerleader and all. But with the look she just gave you, I’d say you are already in there.”

Later that same day, Johnny ran into Nellie at the local club. Although he came with Cully, it was Nellie that he spent the most time with. As a matter of fact, they started spending a lot of time together. At first, it was all in the name of schoolwork. He would help her with some things while he needed help with others. At first, the words, “We’re just friends” were heard often. After only a few months, the first kiss happened.

Meanwhile, on the other end of the country, Frankie was driving home from class when she happened to run into Clint Braden, a fellow student in her Constitutional Law class. He was walking across the street while trying to answer his phone. She took her eyes off the road only for a second when she dropped that last bite of hot dog, she had gotten from the stand just a block away. She slammed on brakes making the tires screech and thick black smoke from the burning rubber.

Frankie and Clint had seen each other before but never said anything more than a simple “hello” to one another. Now, fearing that she may have seriously hurt him, she offers to drive him to the hospital. He said that he was not hurt but she insisted. He told her that she didn’t really hit him. He fell as she got close. She picked him up, put him into the car, and drove off. He fell in love with her right away.

When the report came in from the doctor, they discovered that he did have a broken fingernail. That was the extent of his injuries.

“I told you I was ok”, he said.

“I’m studying law. I have to make sure. It would look bad for a law student to be sued in her first year.”

Little by little, Frankie and Clint started spending more and more time together. At first, it was just friendly conversations. Then he started bringing her flowers. Then candy. They still considered themselves friends, but even the most unobservant person could tell that something more than friendship was brewing. He was just waiting for the right time.

One day Frankie and a group of her friends decided to go to the movies. While everyone was going to their seats, Frankie decided to get some snacks. Popcorn, the largest they had, also a super-sized drink, and several different types of candy. Her friends all had candy and other snacks hidden under their jackets. Without even one of them staying with her, she didn’t know how she would carry all of this back to the seat. As it turned out, she didn’t have to. Right behind her in line was Clint.

“Need any help”, he asked with his deep voice.

All she could do was smile.

They sat next to each other and enjoyed the show. They enjoyed each other’s company even more. Before the movie was over, they enjoyed their first kiss.

The love between Frankie and Johnny was becoming a distant memory. While they used to write to each other frequently, that became less and less often. Neither one of them mentioned their new love interest in their letters. Soon, the letters stopped altogether. They both knew that “Frankie and Johnny” was a thing of the past. Now it was “Frankie and Clint” and “Nellie and Johnny”.

After college, Johnny moved back to Chicago where he spent 1 year with the Chicago Bears. He injured his left knee in his first game and never played again. At least he could say that he did play for the NFL. He did start his own computer company and got married to his college sweetheart. They had a beautiful honeymoon in the Maldives. 9 months later, they had their first child. A girl with a full head of red hair. Nellie wanted to name her Theia after the Greek goddess of light. But Johnny had a better name. They named her Frances. As it turned out, that was the name of Nellie's grandmother. She loved the name.

They came to have 2 more children, both boys. The first was Timothy and the other was named Mike. They lived happily in the city of Glencoe. One of the nicest of Chicago’s suburbs. You could call it happily ever after, but tragedy set in when Mike was only 2 years old. Nellie was driving home at night during a rather bad storm. The other driver, who was driving too fast for the current road conditions, lost control of his vehicle. He slammed right into her. Neither survived. What a grim day in the Kroger household!

Frankie was hired by a large law firm in California. To her surprise, Clint was hired by the same firm. This made them both happy. It seemed as if fate was telling them to be together. After working together for 1 year, they decided to tie the knot. They honeymooned in Saint Lucia. They quit their jobs and started their own law firm. Shortly after, their first child was born. A boy. Clint wanted to name his son Clint Braden Jr. after himself. Frankie wasn’t too thrilled about that. She liked the name Johnathan better. Since that was Clint's father's name, he loved it.

They also had 2 more children. Twin girls. Raven and Robin. Frankie had a thing for birds. They lived happily in the city of San Jose. One of the nicest neighborhoods. They also never reached their happily ever after. Clint was away on business in Chicago. He was headed to the airport when it started raining. The light rain soon became a bad storm. Visibility was almost at zero. He dropped his cell phone and it landed under the brake pedal. Unable to slow down, he plowed right into another car. Neither driver survived. The saddest day in the Braden household ever.

The passing of Nellie and Clint caused Frankie and Johnny to sink into a deep hole. Both of them stopped dating. They felt that nobody could ever replace their children’s other parents. The older children tried to encouraged them to get back into the dating world but without success. That is until they both got a letter in the mail.

Dear XXX

Hello. This is Amy Goodwell. I’ve been appointed coordinator of the High School Reunion Committee. It is my hope to see you soon.

It’s hard to believe that it’s been 20 years since we were in high school. It is time for yet another reunion. The 20-year reunion will start on June 5th in the gymnasium of Thornridge High School. It will last 3 days. We are reaching out to people around the world to bring our class together. We would like to see you again. Please feel free to bring any significant others with you. Especially if they went to Thornridge also. You can RSVP for this event at highschoolreunion.net.

It’s been a long time since we’ve seen each other. Please do not stay away. You will receive more notices as that time gets closer.

Yours Truly:

Amy Goodwell

“You should go”, Frankie said to her father.

Young Johnny said the same thing to his mother. They were both just looking out for the happiness of their parents. It’s been a while since either one of them smiled. The kids would love to see that again. While Frankie Kroger did miss her mother, she didn’t think that a new woman in her father's life would be a bad thing. So, she filled out the RSVP for him. Johnny Braden did the same for his mother.

Just 3 days before the reunion, Johnny drives to Dolton, IL to visit his parents. He wanted them to watch the children while he enjoyed the events. They were happy to do so. They haven’t seen the grandkids in a while.

“The Big football star can only visit his parents when he needs something”, his father sarcastically said.

“Dad. I’m sorry. I’ve been very busy.”

The conversation went on. His father didn’t mean any harm. He just wanted to let him know that it was OK to visit more often. It was OK to come by even if it was just to say hello. They lived only 20 minutes away.

Frankie flew in the day before. She was staying in one of the finer hotels in the Chicago area. She also dropped her kids off at her parent's home. The same kind of drama was there also.

“So, how is it that we get a house call from such a big-time lawyer”, her father asked. “Are we being sued or are we able to sue someone else?”

Oddly enough, her parents lived just a block away from his parents.

Johnny walked into the school on the first day of the reunion. Immediately his eyes locked onto the eyes of the woman on the other end of the gymnasium. A woman he thought he’d never see again. Those of his dear Frankie. He wasted no time making his way over to her. They hugged the moment they were close enough to each other.

“I want to apologize in advance”, she said.

“For what?”

She kissed him, leaving some of her lipstick on his face.

“Messing up a handsome face.”

“You can mess it up all you want to.”

For the full 3 days of the reunion, Johnny did not reunite with anyone else. His full attention was on Frankie. It did not take too much before the flames of an old love were relit. From that moment, you could not separate the two of them. They would go everywhere together. Frankie even made plans to move back to Chicago. It didn’t take much to open a branch of her law firm there. Within 1 year the move was complete and a wedding day was set.

One month before the wedding, Frankie seemed a little upset. She wasn’t angry, but more so sad. As it turned out, it was the anniversary of Clint's death. Anyone could understand this would be upsetting. To gain some form of comfort, she went to the house of Johnny’s parents. She figured he would be there. When she got there, she became even more upset. This time it was anger. Right on the dining room table, there were a bunch of love letters written to Johnny by a woman named Nellie Bly. The one on top read:

“My dearest Johnny:

Last night was the greatest night of my life. I am longing to see you again. Until that time comes, here is a little token that will help you remember me and forget the other woman.

Your true love:

Nellie Bly”

Attached to the letter was a piece of cloth with a lipstick print and perfume sprayed on it.

Without waiting for any explanation, she ran out of the house crying. At that point, Johnny came out of the back room to find out what was going on. He saw the letters on the table.

“Oh no”, he said, “I never told her about Nellie. She only knows that I’m not with the kid's mother anymore.”

Unknown to Frankie, it was the anniversary of his ex-wife’s death also. It was unknown to either of them the identity of the other driver. It was only known that 8 people were hurting that day. 6 kids and 2 adults.

The 6 children had become very close. They talked about the death of their parents. Frankie Kroger was the one who brought the letters out. She was the one who had the strongest memory of Nellie. She shared them with Frankie Braden's children. She never got the info. What she got was a gun.

“Where is Johnny”, she asked when she returned.

“He went looking for you”, his mother said. “He wanted to explain….”

“I don’t need any excuses.”

Without listening to anyone she ran out of the house again. As she was driving off, Johnny was coming back. She almost hit him with the car. She did hit a branch that happened to be in the street. She thought it was him, for he fell as he jumped out of the way. She jumped out of the car and fired the gun. Johnny lay there motionless as the rest of the family came out of the house due to the sound of the gunshot.

“You’re supposed to be my man”, she said. “Why are you doing me wrong?”

She aimed the gun at him again.

“Who is Nellie Bly?”

She was just about to take another shot when she heard her son’s voice.

“Mom!”, called Johnny Braden. “He’s not cheating on you.”

“The letters are old”, Frankie Kroger said. “They’re from my mom. Today is the anniversary of her death. I pulled out these old letters.”

Frankie Braden started crying. She was sure that she had killed her one true love. But that’s when Johnny started moving. Now, fearing that she may have seriously hurt him, she offers to drive him to the hospital. He said that he was not hurt but she insisted. He told her that she didn’t really hit him. Apparently, he had knocked himself out when his head hit the ground. The bullet didn’t even touch him. When the report came in from the doctor, they discovered that he did have a broken fingernail. That was the extent of his injuries.

“I told you I was ok”, he said.

She laughed. She told him that something similar happened with her late husband. They both talked about the love they lost. It helped to ease the pain. They came to learn the connection between the two. Now it seemed as if fate was at work again. It brought them back together.

The wedding was beautiful. They honeymooned in Hawaii. They stayed in a 5-star beachfront hotel where they were waited on hand and foot. They were treated like kings and queens. Regardless of how nice either of their first honeymoons were, this was that much better. They were able to enjoy a full week of paradise together. The kids were with them but not in their hair. They were not even in the same wing of the hotel.

Frankie and Johnny were lovers. It’s been said that their story is the greatest love story of all time. How often do you find your happily ever after, your lifelong partner, your one true love when you’re only 16 years old anyway?

But that’s exactly what they found. Happily ever after.