I have stated previously that I have known Bonehead for a very long time. In fact, I met him when I was fifteen and moved to Chicago's Northwest Suburbs from a rinky dink town in Southern Michigan. I was the naive country girl who had an immense shy side and he was the rebellious punk teenager who's specialty was pushing the envelope.
We never dated, which is a story in its self, but the fact remains that before our 2 month engagement (during which we were separated by most of the country), my husband and I were never considered "boyfriend and girlfriend."
We did spend an exceptional amount of time together, though. This may or may not have had something to do with the fact that our parents lived 3 houses apart. We got along, he was fun to hang out with, and the proximity to his home made for a ready made friendship. We went to the high school dances with other dates, but always together. We had the same lunch hour and always went to lunch together. He made it his goal to get me to shoot Coke out my nose (which burns a great deal by the way) and I usually caved and ruptured like Old Faithful. In later years, he would travel to Michigan with me (and Mom and Sister)to hang with my family for a weekend here or there.
One day after school he asked me if I wanted to go to a local mall. They had a shop in their food court that had the best strawberry shakes, which I had never had. I have always enjoyed hanging out with John so of course I agreed. Looking back I believe it was one of the first times I was alone with him, and not with our group of friends also. We climbed into his mile long pea green station wagon, ducked to avoid the saggy ceiling fabric, and headed out to the mall.
I remember quite a bit of the conversation but not exact words. We made it to the mall, where the promised strawberry shake turned out to be strawberries, sugar and ice. I remember thinking, "Where's the ice cream?" as I watched the people behind the counter run their blender. It was well worth the ice creamial sacrifice, though. It was, without a doubt, the best strawberry shake I would ever have. We walked the mall, talking and just generally hanging out.
Then again came the car ride home. I had lots of thoughts on that particular ride. He's kind of cute. I really like hanging out with him. Neither one of us had a boyfriend/girlfriend of any officiality at this moment in time.
And then came the moment in his garage. That moment just after the engine gets turned off but before the movement to get out of the car begins. A brief evolvement of a new relationship in which the boundaries had not been set yet. The moment of quiet when it would have been easy to lean over, just a tiny bit, and offer up something new, test the waters with a kiss. I wanted to,I thought about it, and I almost did.
And then reality set in and I realized I had a great friendship with the Bonehead sitting next to me. And though I was truly young and naive I knew enough to realize that kissing just complicated things. And I might have chickened out, too (just a wee bit). But no matter what the reason, it became the kiss that wasn't.
It would be years before I even considered it again...
To be continued...
We never dated, which is a story in its self, but the fact remains that before our 2 month engagement (during which we were separated by most of the country), my husband and I were never considered "boyfriend and girlfriend."
We did spend an exceptional amount of time together, though. This may or may not have had something to do with the fact that our parents lived 3 houses apart. We got along, he was fun to hang out with, and the proximity to his home made for a ready made friendship. We went to the high school dances with other dates, but always together. We had the same lunch hour and always went to lunch together. He made it his goal to get me to shoot Coke out my nose (which burns a great deal by the way) and I usually caved and ruptured like Old Faithful. In later years, he would travel to Michigan with me (and Mom and Sister)to hang with my family for a weekend here or there.
One day after school he asked me if I wanted to go to a local mall. They had a shop in their food court that had the best strawberry shakes, which I had never had. I have always enjoyed hanging out with John so of course I agreed. Looking back I believe it was one of the first times I was alone with him, and not with our group of friends also. We climbed into his mile long pea green station wagon, ducked to avoid the saggy ceiling fabric, and headed out to the mall.
I remember quite a bit of the conversation but not exact words. We made it to the mall, where the promised strawberry shake turned out to be strawberries, sugar and ice. I remember thinking, "Where's the ice cream?" as I watched the people behind the counter run their blender. It was well worth the ice creamial sacrifice, though. It was, without a doubt, the best strawberry shake I would ever have. We walked the mall, talking and just generally hanging out.
Then again came the car ride home. I had lots of thoughts on that particular ride. He's kind of cute. I really like hanging out with him. Neither one of us had a boyfriend/girlfriend of any officiality at this moment in time.
And then came the moment in his garage. That moment just after the engine gets turned off but before the movement to get out of the car begins. A brief evolvement of a new relationship in which the boundaries had not been set yet. The moment of quiet when it would have been easy to lean over, just a tiny bit, and offer up something new, test the waters with a kiss. I wanted to,I thought about it, and I almost did.
And then reality set in and I realized I had a great friendship with the Bonehead sitting next to me. And though I was truly young and naive I knew enough to realize that kissing just complicated things. And I might have chickened out, too (just a wee bit). But no matter what the reason, it became the kiss that wasn't.
It would be years before I even considered it again...
To be continued...
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