Winter Dreams
Judy Jones is eleven when Dexter decides he is miserably in love with her. She is spoiled and capricious, but Dexter is convinced of her flawlessness. It becomes quickly apparent that he is not truly in love with Judy--he is in love with the idea of Judy. Dexter gives up various jobs for Judy and gets richer. He is determined to be the sort of person she would approve of. They have a short relationship and then Judy moves on, leaving Dexter pining over her. Finally, Dexter finds Irene and proposes, but Judy comes back for him (she doesn't want anyone to get over her) and they are engaged. But then Dexter has to fight in the war and he comes back to find that Judy is married to someone else. Dexter has been consumed with thoughts, dreams, and hopes for Judy for most of his life by the time he finds that she is not the beauty she once was and realizes she was never perfect--far from it. Dexter then cries--realizing he was stupidly attached to his winter dream and wasted away much of his life.