The First Date
The night actually began many days earlier as I sat at my desk with the window open on a cool fall afternoon under the shadow of Sleeping GIant mountain. The hot summer breeze was giving way to the cooler fall weather as the leaves began their annual change in color. I was deep in thought as I considered transferring from the school for baseball reason.
A friend suddenly appeared outside my window. I hadn’t seen her coming so her words startled me from my pensiveness. As she spoke, I heard the words she was saying but all I could think of was how am I going to break it to her. She was talking to me as if she was about to ask me out. Several evenings earlier, after a night of normal college activity, I ended up helping her deal with the results of drinking too much and I thought she may have developed a crush on me.
I left the party with her and her friend to ensure no juvenile college student attempted to do something they would regret. I did so, not because I had any interest in her, but because I liked to think I had some…honor. Back in their dorm room, I held her hair back while the contents of ther stomach emptied into the small grey trash bin. Her roommate, whom I actually did like, was helping me. Once, the activity passed and she went to sleep, I kindly said goodnight to her roommate and went back to my own dorm
Now, here I was listening to a potential date request from the girl who drank too much and I could only think of how am I going to break it to her that I had no interest. My own roommate had come in and despite trying not to overhear, made some casual grunt and a hough of a laugh. He knew how I felt towards this young girl and her roommate.
Then, like a sunrise bursting through the darkness of early morning, I heard the words, “Colleen wants to know if you want to go out with her?” I blinked away a brief moment of confusion and I realized she wasn’t asking me out, she was asking me out for her roommate. Relief washed over me and for a brief moment, froze my ability speak English
A cough from my sarcastic roommate, brought me back to reality and I nodded and agreed to go on a date with her roommate. She smiled and left to go spread the good news. I smiled knowing I now had a date with the little red-haired girl.
The day arrived and we decided on a double date. I would go with the little red-haired girl and our roommates would also go on the date. It was out of comfort level but also, concidentally, they had a desire to date one another. I went shopping that day to pick out a nice set of clothes because we were going to Scoozie’s which was a nice New Haven restaurant.
The evening could not have gone any better. I can remember almost every detail about the evening accept for what I ate. I’m not even sure I ate a thing. The company was too engrossing for me to even concentrate on my meal. I got the impression my date enjoyed the company as well and I hoped there would be a second, a third, and a lifetime to come.
The night continued as we made our way back to our dorm room. Our roommates went their separate way but the little red-haired girl stayed behnd with me in our suite living room. All of my suite mates were slumbering away in their rooms but Colleen and I huddled together on a dirty, old couch we had taken from someone’s backyard.
The night turned to morning and even though I enjoyed the date as much as anyone could, a sense of dread washed over me. My body was wracked with fear and overwhelming nervousness. I hoped there would be a first kiss eventually and I got the impression she wanted there to be one too but I froze.
Hesitation consumed me and I realized it wasn’t fear that kept me from making that first move for a first kiss. It was that I didn’t want the night to end. If I could have held her from there to…forever, I would have. Alas, as Kevin Costner learned the ways of the wolf (yes…the movie Dancing with Wolves was on the tv and we watched the entire three hour movie sitting in the suite that night) I knew the night had to eventually end but I didn’t want it to.
Then, suddenly, thinking maybe I didn’t like her or I was too scared, the little red-haired girl made the first move and kissed me. It wasn’t my finest moment in romance but I didn’t care. It was as if the sun exploded into the room even though the sunrise was over an hour away. It was a sophisticated kiss that meant more than a simple college fling. In that moment, as our lips touched my heart ached for more and more. I never wanted to part ways with this young woman. In that fleeting instant, the world changed forever. The little red-haired girl would be my wife someday. There was…no doubt in my mind.
Eventually, she had to go back to her dorm. I had a reputation to keep and I didn’t want people seeing her leaving a men’s dorm in walk of shame style on an early Sunday morning. She was too dignified for that and I would not have it.
I walked her to the door and watched her cross the small courtyard to her dorm room. I liked to believe it was out some chivalrous honor that I watched her until she was safely in her building but the truth of the matter is my heart ached for her already. I didn’t want her to go. I wanted to run out there and wrap my arms around her small body and never let go. I fought the temptation but it was hard. I feared she would never be back. Then she looked back at me with those kind beautiful eyes and in the moment, I knew I found the love of a lifetime!