A Sad Goodbye
They said goodbye to each other as a young boy and girl with tears in their eyes. That summer had meant a lot to them, but they were aware of the sad truth.
Those long nights spent in the village greens, all those conversations and laughs together, would soon turn into a distant memory that both of them would treasure forever. Little did they know that their love story was far from over.
Norwood And Joyce
Norwood Thomas and Joyce Durant Morris first met in 1942. He was 21 years old, and she was 18. They first saw each other in a pub in Reading, a town near London.
Joyce used to live in London, but she moved with some relatives to the small town, as WWII was at its crudest moment, and it might have been too dangerous to stay in the city. She didn’t know that she would meet someone who, at some point, she’d believe to be the love of her life.
Reading, Berkshire
Back then, Norwood was a young American soldier destined in England; just one of many other kids in their early 20s, or even late teens, that had been sent to Europe to fight Germany.
After some weeks of intense activity in London, Norwood finally had a few calm days. He and his brothers in arms decided to go to the nearby town of Reading, Berkshire. It was on his first night there that he met Joyce.
Love At First Sight
It was love at first sight. For Joyce, it was the ruggedness, the air of quiet stoicism around Norwood that first attracted her to him. He still looked like a young man with little experience in life, and not even all the fervent patriotism and courage in the world could ever hide that.
But one could see that Norwood had been forced to go from a boy to a man in the span of a few months, when he was called to leave his town in the States and go to a country he didn’t know to fight other young people like him, who he didn’t know either. And that wasn’t all.
Sense Of Duty
Joyce could see in Norwood’s face that he had accepted his luck without a second thought. Looking at his young face, she could imagine him in the front, scared for his life deep inside, but still facing his destiny and doing what he had to do.
As for Norwood, it was a strong sense of protectiveness and compassion that first made him feel connected to Joyce. The girl had lost relatives and friends in a conflict that she couldn’t really understand. He felt like the reason why he was there was to protect people like her.
Norwood Introduced Himself
That same night at the pub, Norwood left the table where he was drinking with his friends and walked towards Joyce, who was reading by herself at a separate table.
He introduced himself and asked her about her story. The two started talking and ended up scheduling a date for the following weekend. And that’s when it all started.
Their First Kiss
For the following months, Norwood and Joyce kept going on dates every week. In one of them, they finally kissed for the first time. Right then, they knew it: they were in love with each other.
However, both of them were aware of the bitter truth: it wouldn’t last too long. Sooner or later, Norwood would get called back into the front, and only God knew what could happen to him.
The Fateful Day
Finally, the fateful day arrived: Norwood would have to go to the Normandy front in just a few days. The conflict that had united them now was separating them, maybe for the rest of their lives.
When Norwood broke the news down to Joyce, she started crying in his arms as Norwood rubbed her back. She loved him, but she also knew there was nothing they could do that would keep them together. Or maybe there was?
Separated
Right after leaving Joyce at her relative’s door, Norwood broke down crying as well. He had been trying to hold back his tears the whole time, but he was just as sad as Joyce.
After his time in Normandy was over, Norwood’s intention was to go back to London as soon as possible to see Joyce again. However, he was ordered to return home right away, and he could never do it. They kept writing letters to each other, but destiny didn’t have it in its books for them to be together.
A Misunderstanding
In one of the letters, Norwood went as far as to beg Joyce to move to America with him so they could get married. However, Joyce misinterpreted his words: she thought he meant he had found someone else.
Joyce cried for many nights. She never replied to Norwood’s last letter, and he didn’t send any more. But that wouldn’t be the last time she would hear from him.
Carrying On With Her Life
After WWII, Joyce married another man. She tried to do their best to forget those magical summer nights, or at least consider them a fun, joyful adventure that had naturally come to an end and try to move on.
But she couldn’t. Those fond memories kept coming back to her and replaying in her mind every time she felt lonely or misunderstood in her relationships. And that wasn’t all.
Divorce
As it turned out, the man she had married was far from her dream partner. There were many moments when Joyce wondered what would have happened if she had made a different decision.
Eventually, Joyce divorced her husband. Immediately after, she felt lonely and directionless for a while. But then, Joyce started thinking about a possibility. What if…?
She Couldn’t Forget Him
In all those years, she had been unable to forget Norwood. Eventually, she persuaded her sons to try and find her teenage years sweetheart on the Internet.
It took them months of research across different social media pages, newspapers, and websites. But one day, they found him. The old lovers exchanged some messages and had a Skype call just a few days later.
What Was Norwood Up To?
As it turned out, Norwood was a widower now. He had been happy in his marriage; however, during all those years, he had been unable to forget Joyce, and the fond memories of their time together kept coming back to him time and time again.
The two of them agreed to meet again. They set up a GoFundMe campaign where they told their story and asked for funds to cover the travel costs.
Reunited
Just a few days later, their post went viral, and Norwood was able to take a flight to see Joyce. Once reunited after so many years, the two sweethearts were recorded embracing each other and laughing, filled with emotion.
Norwood and Joyce plan on spending some days together and trying to reignite their love again. Cheers and good luck to them in their born-again romance! In order to protect the privacy of those depicted, some names, locations, and identifying characteristics have been changed and are products of the author’s imagination. Any resemblances to actual events or places or persons, living or dead are entirely coincidental.