When Frank returned from War World War II, his whole life changed greatly. Back then, during school time, he was some sort of an outcast, the boy no one wanted to be friends with. The same happened to him in the army. In spite of previous difficulties with finding friends, he became a quite popular lad. Talkative, charismatic, an owner of a good sense of humor and not the worst looking guy, he enjoyed his life fully. He was able to charm any girl he liked into going home with him and that was all he needed. To his father’s dismay, Frank wasn’t eager to settle down and wasn’t keen on finding a proper job, for he knew that sooner or later he would grab his suitcase and go to Europe – preferably Paris – for that was the only one place worth living in.
When he met April, he was fascinated. She looked like a movie star, was smart and witty, an embodiment of it girl. Although April finished studying in acting school, she had never really believed that she could be an actress. But still she hoped to find something she would enjoy doing. That didn’t happen. Being a wife of Frank, a mother of two and a housewife, she had neither time nor energy to fulfill her dreams. That was why when Frank mentioned that the locals were trying to establish a community theater and were looking for actors, she just smirked and didn’t show any interest in it. Later on, she changed her mind and started attending rehearsals. Being the only one professional actress in the group, she got a leading part. The play was the Petrified Forest. The opening night was the disaster. The worst thing was that April was as bad – if not worse – than others.
She and Frank had a nasty fight on their way home which managed to make their relationship even less cordial. To regain his lost manhood and distract himself from the problems, Frank committed adultery with his colleague, a young and rather naïve woman named Maureen. April decided that moving to Europe could help them. April would be able to find a work and Frank would have all time in the world to decide what he really wanted to do. Although it took a lot of time to convince Frank, she did it. The first people who learned about their decision were their friends, the Campbells. According to them, that was a rather reckless idea. The plans of future moving repaired their relationship, so Frank came to the conclusion that he wouldn’t need Maurine anymore. When their neighbors, Mr. and Mrs. Givings and their grown up son, heard about their plans, they reacted differently. Unlike his parents, who obviously disapproved the idea, John found it worth trying. Then the most unpredictable thing happened.
To her despair and horror, April understood that she was pregnant with the third child and that factor ruined all her hopes and dreams. Frank, who was secretly relieved, fell in the everyday routine. April crashed. To while away her sorrow, she slept with her old admirer, who happened to be Shep Campbell. Due to a failed attempt of self-abortion, she then died in the hospital. From her last note she left for Frank, he learned that she never really loved him. He would never be able to recover from that. He even abandoned his own children, who started living with his elder brother.
