From the time he was a boy, Dexter was restless and
discontented, reaching for a larger life than the working middle-class life into which
he was born. He longed for a life of romance, beauty, and glamour; he wanted wealth and
the "glittering" lifestyle money could buy. When he was young, Dexter escaped his
limited personal circumstances through his dreams, imagining scenarios in which he was
the star, the hero--one who was admired by the same wealthy people he encountered while
working summers at the private and elite Sherry Island Golf Club. Dexter grew up as an
outsider who longed to be an insider.
After scrimping to
attend one of the "top" Eastern universities, Dexter built a fortune for himself through
hard work and ingenuity. He returned to Sherry Island as a guest, not an employee. He
had arrived, but in a substantial way, Dexter was still the outsider, and he was still
enchanted by Judy Jones and the glamorous world she represented for him. He fell into a
love affair with her, one that ended very painfully for
him.
Going on with his life, Dexter became engaged to
Irene, a fine young woman, but one who could not begin to compete with his memories of
Judy. When Judy came into Dexter's life again, he dropped Irene instantly to pursue Judy
anew, again with painful results.
Even as a wealthy,
successful young man, Dexter continued to display--and to make life choices--as the
result of his basic restlessness and discontent. It was his essential discontent, his
need to reach for a romantic and more vibrant existence, that fed Dexter's obsession
with Judy. She became the incarnation of all his fearly winter dreams, and he lived in
them and for them for the remainder of his life, until the day in New York when Dexter's
romantic dreams were destroyed by reality.
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