Runaway Bride? Yes. Golden Girl? Yes ... until I ran away!

So many of us avoid using the "L" word in our youth, fearing that once we've declared our love for someone, if it's not eagerly reciprocated, that relationship is over! Knowing that, I devised a rather ingenious plan to test the depths of Jennifer's feelings for me first, and thus her likely response, before I declared my love for her. I suggested we "play act" a romantic drama in which she was lady Jennifer, a princess, and me Sir Ian, a knight of the realm from legendary King Arthur's round table, way back in history. Sir Ian was charged with her protection, but they fell in love; something they'd have to keep secret as their "illicit love" wouldn't be allowed to continue! In this romantic drama we could declare anything to each other whilst still retaining "plausible deniability", we were just acting, after all? As you'll read in the novels (V3) it quickly became very intense! Just 6 months later I had to declare my love for Jennifer in real life, in a meaningful way and in a BIG hurry, or risk losing her forever. It's surreal how fantasy often precedes reality!
Here's a short video teaser, made from photos of young Jennifer & me, to set the "proverbial stage"

My eventual declaration of love was, quite literally, a "Hail-Mary" pass ... a love-letter dropped from a departing train, which I saw Jennifer catch, but never got a reply to.

It seemed I was too late to win her heart? The novels explain this in much more detail.
Play-acting: ("Prince Charming" V3, p178-184) and Real-life: "P.S. I Love you!" V4, p154-178)

Daddy's Girl? - Yes, until I said "NO" to mother!

Sequels

Part-1: Outcast (VIDEO Below)

6 forced farewells later, fast forward from Christmastime 1971 to the Christmas of 1978, in Cold & Snowy Canada