The Kiss

I had my first kiss in the shower on the 5th floor of the boys dorms at Shippenburg University.

It was about 4 am. We had snuck upstairs......well, actually we were both too chicken to make the first move. Julie had had to grab both of our hands, join them together and threaten us to move along and find a little space for the two of us.
I was not very good at commitment at 14 years old. However, I did find myself finally liking a guy that I couldn't find another one to replace. I wasn't really willing to wave the white flag and let him stake his claim but I was not able to walk away from him either. We had been "going out" for maybe 6 months or so. Going out. Guffaw, guffaw. We were 14. We didn't drive. We didn't go to the same school. We talked on the phone and saw each other maybe once every weekend if we were lucky.
This weekend was the church's youth retreat. We were spending 60 hours or most of 3 days at Shippenburg University up in Pennsylvania. My best friend and I had spent at least 60 hours planning, preparing and packing for this wonderful weekend.
And it was wonderful. There were so many boys. There were so many fun activities. And there were two dances. I loved dancing. Oh, how I loved dancing. After the dances we were allowed to stay up but we had to stay down in the lobby of the dorms where there were adult chaperones. No roaming allowed.
That is why we ended up in the dark bathroom hiding in one of the shower stalls with one of those little tiled benches in it out in front of the actual shower. We sat there and leaned into each other. Both of us definately wondering how many hours of talking needed to be done before we could kiss.
I have no idea what we talked about. I liked Danny. I really did. But we were 14. We had been up for 48 hours already. We, well, I really only wanted to kiss him so I'm sure the conversation was lacking. In fact, I do remember "waking up" in the middle of sentences that made no sense at all. And there he was agreeing and acting like we were in the middle of intense connecting.
He always chewed Big Red gum. And I remember breathing in the smell of that gum. And I remember that we broke in kissing that night.

And that's all I remember about that night. We went out off and on for 3 more years and there were many more kisses with him that I do remember.

It 's a good memory. Not my best memory but a good one. One that is becoming more important as Ryan steps up for her reign as teenage queen.

I have to remember that the first kiss is part of growing up.
And it is a good part of growing up.
And you can't have too many good parts of growing up.

Thanks Danny.