You Always Remember Your First

Tale as old as time. Song as old as Rhyme. .....

Its weird sometimes the subject matter that comes to mind when you have trouble sleeping. What's not weird is thinking about the first person you ever kissed (at least I hope not). This is what happened between me and J a few years ago when we were graduating from middle school.

I had liked J every since I met her a few years earlier. She was smart and funny and beautiful. I was kind of shy back then, so I decided to throw a graduation party in order to have the courage to invite her. I invited about 20 people for ice cream and a movie ('cause that's what all the cool kids did back in the day) and things were looking good. A couple of days later, J came up to me and declined my offer on the grounds that she had already agreed to babysit the evening of the party. I tried not to look dejected, but my heart kind of sank. She then touched my hand and asked if she could make it up to me. I think I stammered a little bit before saying sure if you like. We agreed to meet for a movie the Saturday after the party.

Things aren't quite as crystal clear during this part of the story, but there are some things that are very vivid in my mind. I got dropped off at the movie almost an hour early. I know I bought her some jewelry (either some earrings or a necklace) and I wanted to make sure I got there early to buy the tickets for the movie. When she arrived, we went right in and I may have gotten her something from the concession stand. The movie was okay, but I don't really remember what it was. When the movie was over, we waited outside on the curb for her parents. We talked for several minutes before I finally worked up the courage to give her the jewelry box. She opened it and smiled and then she leaned in and kissed me. It was short and sweet, but it obviously left an impression. I still remember how excited I was that day. I wish I could say that the kiss led to a long relationship, but it was not to be. She was going to Europe with her family for most of the rest of the summer. When high school started, we didn't get to see nearly as much of each other. And after our freshman year, she was whisked off to a new high school that opened much closer to her house. I think I saw J a few more times before graduation (around town and at football games and such). Things just weren't the same, though. I still think about her from time to time. And recently I found her place of employ. For all intents and purposes, it looks like she doing quite well for herself. She graduated from college and then went on to get a second degree. She's a successful professional in the Bible Belt. Looks like she has a lot of community involvement as well. I'm happy for her. BTW, here's a picture from a few years ago (guessing). She still has that pretty little smile that I remember.