Trends : LOVE STORIES: : THE GOOD, THE BAD & THE UGLY : ‘I Only Have Eyes for You’

From true love to stabbed-in-the-back love, from quick love to love that just won’t die, View writers have chronicled looks at love in the ‘80s for Valentine’s Day eve. Some of the names have been changed to protect the innocent, and the guilty, but all are true . . . even if love sometimes isn’t.

Wayne and Linda met in Los Angeles. They had similar jobs, backgrounds and weight problems. Linda was smitten from the start.

It soon became clear that Wayne had strong ideas about sharing--splitting the cost of dates, for example. Linda had no objections; she thought Wayne was so nifty. In fact, when visiting friends she talked incessantly about Wayne, wondering aloud whether the two of them would ever abandon their separate apartments for shelter in common. They didn’t, although they came close several times.

After about a year, Wayne landed a better job on the East Coast. For months Wayne and Linda negotiated by phone about her joining Wayne in Philadelphia. Wayne was a stickler for domestic details. He wanted every household chore defined--who would do what and when. And most important, who would pay for what. Wayne was leery of Linda moving East without a job. It sounded expensive.

Finally, they hammered out an agreement. Linda had to find work before leaving L.A. permanently. They would split the cost of everything. Wayne would take out the garbage. He would pay for dinner out once in a while. Linda got all the other household chores and a schedule for cooking and cleaning the kitchen.

Last month on a quick cross-country trip, Linda found a job. She sold her car and left Southern California.

At last report she was very happy.