13. Desi Was Known to be a Player
Another reason why the relationship between Desi and Lucy probably shouldn’t have even happened in the first place is that he had a reputation as a womanizer. However, that may have been part of why Lucy married him. In her words, “In many ways, marrying Desi was one of the boldest things I ever did. I had always gone with older men. I had also achieved some kind of stability in Hollywood, and Desi with his beautiful girls and good times seemed headed in another direction. Yet I sensed in Desi a great need. Beneath that dazzling charm was a homeless boy, who had no one to care for him, worry about him, love him.”
Desi was the kind of guy who could make anyone swoon. All through their relationship, before they got married, the couple frequently quarreled over affairs that he allegedly was having while Lucy was traveling. One report suggests that before he asked her to elope with him, she showed up at his mother’s house, distraught over his reunion with an old flame, Betty Grable. Of her toleration of his affairs, Lucy later reflected, “I closed my eyes, put blinders on, and ignored what was too painful to think about. I tried to view my troubles less seriously, and worry less. I tried to curb my temper.”