Unrequited

Beginnings - 1960s/70s

Arianna Fields was a bright girl born into unusual circumstances. Her mother was a beautiful brunette that attracted many men. But she was also a troubled young woman.

While she was still in high school, Bridget Fields met the wrong guy, but she thought he was perfect for her. Good looking but a bad boy. Into trouble, fast cars, and drinking and drugs. They fell head over heels in love, and in her senior year, Bridget became pregnant. Her family was strictly Catholic, and her pregnancy out of wedlock was considered a sin. Since it was 1961, she was sent away to a Catholic boarding school for pregnant girls in an effort to hide her disgrace.

While she was there awaiting the birth of her child, her boyfriend was killed in a horrible car accident. He had been both drunk and high on a then-little-known drug, LSD. This sent Bridget into a downward spiral of depression. Even though she was seven months pregnant, she attempted suicide by slashing her wrists. Thankfully, she was found in time, and her life was saved.

In late April, she gave birth to a beautiful little girl she named Arianna Catherine. Bridget soon returned to her family's home with the baby to recuperate and learn how to be a Mom. But once Bridget was well, she left her small hometown and left her baby girl with her parents while she headed for California. She did not want to be tied to that town or that child. When she got to San Francisco, she became involved in the drug and free love scene, having many anonymous sexual partners. And it was one of those random partners that ended up choking her to death in a cheap motel room. That was how little Arianna came to be raised by her maternal grandmother.

Margaret Fields, known as Maggie to her family and friends, was born and raised in Birmingham, England. She had come to America with her American husband during World War II. Her first child, a girl named Bridget, was born in 1944 while her husband was still fighting the war. Even though his family surrounded her, it was hard for her to be so far away from her own family and friends.

One friend, in particular, kept close contact with her, writing every week. That friend was Eugenie Hart. They had been best friends since Primary school. As Maggie started her family in America, Jean, as she was known, was finding her way in England. When she married Jack Taylor, another neighborhood friend, Maggie flew in to be by her side. Jack and Jean were perfect for one another, and they spent many years as just the two of them. Jean gave birth to their only child, Nigel John, in June of 1960, and Maggie, of course, flew in to see him.

When Bridget was found dead in mid-1962, Maggie was distraught. She had a newborn to care for, and her eldest child was gone. How would she get through the pain? At her husband's behest, she went home to Birmingham to be strengthened by her family and friends. And Jean was the one who brought her around. That trip began the almost yearly trips to Birmingham to spend time with Jean.

Since Jean's Nigel and Maggie's granddaughter Arianna were only two years apart in age, the women decided that the two children should be friends. Maybe they would grow up to be together! Oh, how that would make the friends happy! So, when Arianna was nine, Maggie decided she was finally old enough to see her grandmother's beloved England. Arianna had never flown on a plane before, let alone been out of the country. Everything was new and fascinating to her.

When they arrived at the Taylor home in the Hollywood suburb of Birmingham, they were greeted at the door by a bespectacled, gangly boy. He and Arianna stared at each other, then both blushed, looking away, embarrassed. Yet, that was a start. Maggie and Jean were thrilled.

Within hours, Nigel and Arianna were playing board games on the living room floor together. Nigel proudly showed Arianna the Airfix models he'd built with his Dad, and Arianna was transfixed by his work. The two of them were getting along famously.

As time passed, the yearly trips to Birmingham continued, but as Nigel and Arianna reached puberty, their friendship started to change. Suddenly, Nigel was annoyed by his American friend. She was a bother and a bore.

When he turned sixteen, he became more interested in music and hanging out with his friend Nick Bates, who lived just through the back garden. But Maggie and Jean would not listen to his protests. They wanted Nigel and Arianna to be together, no matter the cost. If they only knew how their persistence would affect the two teenagers entire lives.