First KissSidetracked Sisters

kiss When I was young and Dad would come home from his hard struggles of the day, Mom would always greet him with a special kiss and a warm hug. Dad would often express his insecurities like “If I have another day like this, I’ll have to sell pencils and shoelaces on a street corner”. Mom would proceed to reassure him. I watched this first kiss welcome night after night and I fantasized about the wonderful day when that first kiss would be mine with my special someone.I’ve always been a late bloomer and as a teenager, I was painfully shy. One day in Junior High, I was sitting at the hall monitor desk chewing gum and doing homework. This cute guy I didn’t recognize walked by and asked if I had another piece of gum. I said “No, but you can have this one.” I took it out of my mouth and handed it to him. He popped it in his mouth and kept walking. I didn’t think much about it until he called me at home the next night and asked if we could go skating the next weekend. I was surprised because this type of thing just didn’t happen to me!

kiss As time went on, we became good friends. Eventually, he came to work at the YMCA. I worked there too. Often, he would walk me home from work and we’d have wonderful conversations. We’d hold hands and enjoy each other’s company. Every time he walked me home, my sister would ask “Did he kiss you?” and I would have to answer “No, not yet.” I began to wonder if I was doing something to make him think that I was un-kissable!

One beautiful summer night in July, we were walking home down Lake Shore Drive. There was a particular spot in an open space where we would sit and watch the water and be close. This night there was a full moon and we were both enjoying our time together. As we got up to leave, he turned around and faced me. He took my face in his hands and kissed me ever so gently. My first thought was “was that what I’ve been waiting for all this time?” It wasn’t bad. I just didn’t quite know what to expect.

When we got home that night, my sister said “Did he kiss you?” and I said “yes”. She said “well?” And I said “It wasn’t what I expected!” Over time, our kisses definitely improved and I stopped answering my sister’s questions.