My first kiss

My first kiss



         In some (read: all) ways I was a late bloomer with romance.  All of my friends had had theirs  and I was dying to find out what it was like. I was fourteen when I had my first kiss.  And what a story it makes....



         A boy named Dustin moved to my town towards the end of 8th grade.  I liked him immediately: he was smart, nice and not too bad looking either.  But the best part of that was he wasn't good looking in a way all the popular girls would like; he was cute in a way a shy girl like me did.  My best friend agreed with me and encouraged (read: pushed) us together constantly.  In the fall of our freshman year, he and I worked together on many history and science assignments.  We sat together in English and would chat.  I had such a crush on him! Homecoming was coming up and I was constantly sending him mind messages Ask me to Homecoming! Ask me to Homecoming! Another mutual friend of ours, whose locker was near Dustin's, offered to ask him for me since he knew how shy I was.  He said he thought Dustin's answer would be yes, but he was also shy.



         Finally!  The seed was planted.  And that Monday, Dustin told me he wanted to go with me.  Wow, was I floating on air! A co-worker of my mom's sold her an old dress of her daughter's for me to wear. It was very maroon, velvet and made a skinny little fourteen year old like me feel like Princess Diana! 



         Dustin and I decided to meet at the dance so we wouldn't have to deal with the awkwardness of parents. On the night of the dance, Dustin called and asked my mom if it would  be more "proper" for him to pick me up.  That meant one of his parents would have to drive, as we were only fourteen.  I was so not ready for that so my mom said that wouldn't be necessary.



         I fixed my hair simply, with a headband so it was swept back from my face but curled it a bit too.  Mom helped me put make up on.  My sisters, who were in 6th grade at the time, watched as I put make up on, decided it made me look dead, then took it off and tried again.  They told me to tell them all about it when I got home.  I commented that when they were in 9th grade and old enough to go to Homecoming, I'd be a Senior and an old pro at doing makeup!



         We had a great time at Homecoming.  Our friends encouraged (read: harassed) us into slow dancing, which I loved.  Dustin said he wasn't much of a dancer, but it's easy to slow dance.  We did the Macarena and YMCA together too.  What's a high school with the YMCA?



         I never wanted that night to end.  When it unfortunately did, Dustin and I went to the lobby and called our parents to pick us up.  While we were waiting, he asked me if I had fun.  I said, "yes, lots.  Thank you for being my date."

         

         That's when it happened-he walked over with a determined look on his face, bent down and kissed me. I kissed him back.  He hugged me, kissed my neck and cheek, then kissed me again.  It was electric.  I felt like I was in a movie.  Things like this don't happen in real life-only in movies.  I am so glad I was wrong!



         I started giggling-I couldn't help it! I was so nervous and awkward and thrilled and excited.  And fourteen.  What's a little girl like that going to do? Luckily, Dustin was okay with that.  I told him it was my first kiss.  He said his first had been with a girl in Massachusetts, where he was originally from, but she wasn't cool; didn't end up being very nice.



         I was still on cloud  nine when I got home.  My mom admired the corsage Dustin had given me, and asked me all about it.  I didn't want to tell her about the kiss but she guessed. 

         "Did it end with a smooch?" she asked.

         "Mom!" I said, embarrassed.  "Yes."

         "You were just a baby," she lamented.

         I rolled my eyes.  Baby, hah! I was fourteen.  I'd just been to my first Homecoming Dance with my crush and had my first kiss with him.  Baby, indeed!



         Unfortunately, I found out a few days later, life isn't a movie.  A rumor about Dustin and I making out after Homecoming started going around school.  Both of us were pretty embarrassed and we kind of imploded.  Neither of us could handle it; we were just fourteen year old children after all. But I try not to think about that.  Mostly I remember  my first kiss as being about as close to perfect as you can get.