Joseph F. Marini was born on September 9, 1955. He grew up in South Philadelphia with one brother. He was lucky to survive birth, as his twin died 26 hours after entering the world. The two of them together only weighted twelve pounds; Joe was seven pounds. His father was from Italy. His mother was Irish. At the age of three Joes Dad died from a heart attack, he was 56 years old. Mrs. Marini was 72 years old when she died of natural causes. The couples first date just happened to occur on the last night that both Eileen and Joe would be in Wildwood. To keep in touch, Eileen gave Joe the phone number to her parents house, as she would most likely be there for the rest of the summer. Regrettably, Joe didnt write down the number when she told him, so he ended up remembering her saying TE-1313, instead of DE-1313. For this reason the two did not speak for nearly two months.
They may have never spoken again if it wasnt for the good old grapevine, says Eileen. Joe heard from one of his friends that Cathy Holland was out to get him for not calling, but when he explained that he had tried again and again the problem finally came to everyones attention. Looking back, Joe says I was just waiting until the hockey season was over so I could give her my complete attention. When they were finally able to talk on the phone the two still were not able to see each other that often. In 1975 the Interstate 95 highway did not exist and it took nearly 45 minutes to drive from South Philadelphia to North-East Philadelphia. During that summer and the following months, Eileen and Joe spent most of the weekends together. They enjoyed going to the movies, visiting Peddlers Village and the Cockn Bull restaurant, and clubbing in New Jersey.
The first movie they saw together was Jaws, and Eileen still cant grasp exactly how she was talked into seeing the movie. She said Getting so scared at Jaws was probably the most embarrassing moment for her throughout their dating period. Joe comically commented that he was death the following day from her screaming. Dancing was very popular at the time and the good clubs were all in New Jersey. This was mainly because the drinking age was 18. They stressed that they were not giving any ideas for college students today. In public the two of them walked hand in hand, but emphasized they did not make out like couples do today.
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The seventies were known as the time when rock and roll died and soft rock along with disco ruled center stage. Some of the performers of that time were The Byrds, The Beatles, The Bee Gees, Van Morrison, and The Eagles. In the late seventies Woodstock and the hippie crazy were very dominate (Seventies 1). There were also a lot of feature movies produced in the seventies, many that are still considered exceptional with todays standards. In 1972 The Godfather was produced and in 1974 its sequel was released. In 1975 Jaws scared millions around the United States, including one young lady in Philadelphia.
In 1977 Star Wars was released and beat E.T. as the all-time box-office champ (Travers 1, 2). The amount of money that Joe spent on dates was much less then a couple is forced to spend today. Generally, the costs were around five dollars for movie tickets, four dollars for a drink at a club with a two to four dollar cover charge. At that time it was customary for the man to pay for nearly everything. It wasnt until I knew I was in love that I started to pay or call him said Eileen. Two years after their meeting, Joe decided to spring the question. He chose to propose at The Cockn Bull restaurant after a long day of shopping.
As it turns out there was not a great deal of suspense, more of a mutual feeling, and extremely romantic said Eileen. Neither person could remember the exact date but both can remember the beautiful holiday lights in the Peddlers Village area. They both agreed that this was a classic case of love at first sight. After the proposal, they decided to formally introduce each other to their families. Joe was immediately loved by Eileens family for his humor and charm. Eileen, on the other hand, tried desperately to get acquainted with Joes family and could not. As a result the new couple fell out of touch with Joes side of the family.
He sensibly chose love over bickering relatives. Both of the individuals friends were shocked and excited when they heard the news of Joe and Eileens engagement. As it turns out, getting married was a sudden trend for this group of friends. Six weddings would take place within four months of each other. According to Eileen and Joe, courtship is simply getting to know each other. By this they meant understanding the individuals likes, dislikes, and attempting to mesh with respective family.
They stated that a couple today is much more outgoing and there are few, if any steps to the dating process. In the seventies and eighties, it was customary to go through the common steps of dating, falling in love, and then getting married and having children. Today this process is common to start with children instead of love. Joe commented that Marriage is not the killer, children are the killers. These and many other reasons can attribute to the high divorce rate in America. This could be just because It is accepted today, says Joe and Eileen, or simply because you truly dont know someone until you have lived with them.
Over the years, courtship has most definitely become a collaboration of individual ideals. For mature persons it will remain an essential factor while searching for that perfect mate. I have been in a relationship for the past two and a half years and can attest that dating and falling in love is still a major part of courtship. Contrarily, I believe that courtship is more complicated than just getting to know another person. The two individuals should be able to bond and know every detail about the other as if they are the same person. In my experience, the more time I spend with my other half, the more I begin to notice she is becoming just that. We complete each others sentences and know what the other is thinking by simply gazing into their eyes. Since we are still very young, only time and love will hold, or break our bond as single being. Over time courtship has become a manifestation of one’s personal beliefs and values, but the universal definition of courtship will always have an effect on the creation of those beliefs.
