"Your first - very first - date"

I first realized boys and girls were different because I had a brother!  My first crush was when I was in first grade.  When this young man got off the bus with me after school (he lived two doors up from us), I dragged him behind some bushes and kissed him....  poor guy....

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I was ten years old and in the fourth grade.  I came running to my mother after school one day.  She was outside talking to a neighbor.  I announced that I had a date!

She was very quiet and said, "What do you mean, honey?"

"Steve asked me to go look for lizards and frogs  with him this afternoon!"

"Oh, I see.  Well, have a good time and be home in time for dinner, OK?"

We lived out in the country so hunting for lizards and frogs was not difficult!  I was afraid we might be hungry so I took some cookies along in a jar.  That was dumb!  But I was thrilled to be 'asked out.'

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My first actual date was to a movie with a fellow I met in a drama class.  He was really nice and really shy.  I was fourteen and shy, too.  My parents felt quite secure about the whole thing and they were not wrong!  After all, they were driving!

We dated for several months and then just kind of went our own ways.  No hard feelings.  He was a very talented artist and later married a young woman he met at art academy.

Ahhhh yes,  I was 13 and went on a group date with "Danny".  We went bowling, then hit the sub shop for a sandwich and wishing my friend the third wheel would leave so we could talk. Didn't happen.

Well he had to go home and later on he was over my my friends house (the guy on the corner) and I was riding up the street at night on my ten speed that was to big for me. 

My friend went into the house and then the moment happened...we were each on our bikes and I was never that graceful and the kiss happened and I lost balance of my bike and I plowed right into him and we both went over...romantic huh?

His Mom found out that he wanted to date a girl so he was grounded for a long time so that romance fizzled :)

I think I had my first childhood crush on some little girl named Patricia in the third grade.  Later, in the sixth grade there were twins that I endured unrequited love and remote (and unreciprocated) adoration.  My chief outlet were class valentines and deep glances. 

My first date was early in the seventh grade... a 'sock' hop.  I was chauffeured to the girl's house by my mother, met her parents, met her as she made a grand entrance down the stairs, nervously pinned a corsage on, and were taken to the dance.  A little dancing, a lot of sweating, finally relieved by a return trip provided by her dad.  A 'thank you' and great relief on my part.

It got better with practice.  I could not tell you who the girl was.  The initial trauma of asking her to the dance has wiped my memory clean...

   Can you imagine, my parents let their daughter start dating in fifth grade?

Not something that would ever happen in my house, that's for sure.

    Anyway, my boyfriend's name was Neil ( I still remember his last name but won't mention it here, lol) and we went bowling. We bowled two games, and then had lunch at the food counter in the bowling alley. I ordered a salad, isn't that funny? A true woman's mentality (don't let them see you eat!) even back then, lol. Salad with french dressing, I remember.

    He walked me back home and played Nerf catch with my younger sister in the bedroom she and I shared, and then my mother, ever the hostess, made him a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, LOL.

     The next day when I opened the front door of our apartment, apartment 1B, there was a brown paper bag taped to the outside. It contained a beautiful purple yo-yo, a Duncan one, really ritsy, lol, and it said "from Neil" on the bag. I still have the yo-yo, but I gave Neil up. Don't remember quite why. :-)

      It looks just like this, only in purple, and STILL works great

                          37 years later :-) 

I met him at the movies over Christmas vacation and I couldn't believe he actually wanted to take me out on a date! I had noticed boys for a couple of years but generally thought they were strange and mysterious creatures even if oh so attractive! I came from a family of girls and there weren't many young men around when I was young.

Tom actually came over to my house and met my parents and then took me to the movies. I didn't have a clue as to how to behave myself. I laugh now thinking about it. The evening ended with Tom wanting to "make out" and my generally fighting him off. I was overwhelmed. I thought that he wouldn't call again because I didn't give in to what he wanted but he did. He kept calling for over three years. We dated throughout all of my high school years.

At the end of my senior year his family decided that it was time he became serious about life. They sent him away to learn the family business in Reno. They were fairly wealthy and had a construction company building housing developments. Tom had to go. He asked me to marry him so that I could go with him. He argued that I could still go to college in the Reno area. I was just too young and couldn't even conceive of going to my father and telling him that, at 17, I was going to marry Tom and move to Reno. I said no.

Tom left for Reno just before graduation and I never saw him again. My birthday is toward the end of July and on my birthday I received a card. All it said inside was, "I still love you."

After that I never heard from Tom again. When I think about him I wish him well in my heart and hope that everything worked out for him over the intervening 35 years.

If I had been older or more mature I think that I would have married him. He truly did love me and I truly did love him.