I could tell you "We belong
together."
And I
could tell you "You belong with me."
But
we've run out of things to say
And
we'll be happy anyway so
~ “Another First Kiss” by They Might Be
Giants
Do you
remember your first ‘real’ kiss? I do. I don’t remember yours; but, I remember
mine. I was 14. It was May, 1991. If I looked in my high school journal I could
tell you the precise date and time. For now, let’s just be satisfied with me
knowing the month and year. His name was
(and likely still is) *name omitted in case he Googles himself regularly –
because I just found him on LinkedIn by doing just that*. He was a soccer
player and very handsome. We met at an academic competition. I invited him and
his friend to my house to watch a VHS movie with me and my cousin the following
weekend. They came.
He held my
hand while we watched a movie that I have completely buried in my memory. I went downstairs to grab some more soda. Ben
followed me. Before I could walk into
the kitchen, he said my name. I turned around, and then he leaned in and kissed
me. His lips were soft. His hands went to my waist. I am sure I sighed. In my
memory, the angels bowed at the splendor of such a romantic kiss. The reality
is, it involved parted lips with no sloppiness. At 14, that’s a damn fine kiss.
30 seconds later, the moment ended and we went back upstairs to finish the
movie. He held my hand again. The boys left as soon as the movie was over. And
that was that.
We had
several mutual friends throughout high school and yet, *1st Kiss* and I never knowingly
crossed paths again. I saw his picture in the newspaper a few years later. He
was dribbling a soccer ball for his high school soccer team. The article said
he had led his team to a much needed victory. He was still pretty good looking; however, by then I was ‘in love’ with a different soccer player and that first kiss was just a
sweet memory. A teenage girl’s heart may be fickle; but, she never forgets her
first kiss . . .
Especially when
that girl keeps a detailed spreadsheet documenting the names of every boy she
kissed up until her second husband was told he could “kiss the bride”. It all gets a little fuzzy after that. . .
Thankfully.
PERSONAL NOTE: I miss you so very much. Hard to believe
things are so different now than from when we first became friends.
CONFIDENTIAL NOTE: I wish I could hug you right now. I am sorry
for your loss.
