8 COLD BLOCKS

WHEN I WAS SOMEWHERE IN THE AGE OF 12, I HAD MY 1ST “BOYFRIEND”.

MY BEST FRIEND AND I WOULD SCRIBBLE ALL OVER MORSE PARK “I LOVE SO & SO”, AND IT WAS DURING THIS TIME THAT I DEVELOPED A SMALL CRUSH ON A KID NAMED SHAWN.

MY SISTER DECIDED TO GET INVOLVED (WHO WAS ABOUT 13 OR 14 THEN) AND SOMEHOW GOT HIM TO COME OVER TO THE HOUSE.

WE SAT ON THE FRONT PORCH IN AWKWARD SILENCE FOR A WHILE, WHILE MY BIG SISTER AND SOME NEIGHBORHOOD KIDS SHOUTED THINGS LIKE, “ARE YOU ASKIN’ HER OUT YET?” AND SANG THE “… KISSING IN A TREE” SONG.

NOW, AT THE TENDER AGE OF 12, I HAD NOT EVEN KISSED A BOY YET AND HAD NO CLUE WHAT I WAS SUPPOSED TO DO AS A GIRLFRIEND. PAM HAD TOLD ME ABOUT NECKING AND I’D SEEN “BASIC INSTINCT” AND “FRITZ THE CAT”, SO I WAS ALITTLE CONFUSED.

SO HE ASKED ME OUT AND TOLD ME TO COME OVER HIS HOUSE THE NEXT DAY, WHICH WAS A SATURDAY.

AT ABOUT NOON I WALKED THE FIVE BLOCKS TO HIS HOUSE. HE WAS IN THIS KIND OF FORT AND SAID I HAD TO WAIT OUTSIDE TILL HE WAS DONE.

I STOOD THER FOR ABOUT 15-20 MINUTES, NOT KNOWING WHAT TO DO. I REMEMBER WEARING MY WINTER JACKET AND THINKING IT WAS PRETTY COLD.

EVENTUALLY HE CAME OUT AND SAID WE WERE WALKING OVER TO HIS FRIENDS HOUSE TO PICK HIM UP, WHICH WAS ANOTHER 3 BLOCKS AWAY FROM MY HOUSE.

WHEN WE GOT THERE, I WAITED AT THE SIDEWALK WHILE HE WALKED THROUGH THE GATE, UP THE PATH AND ONTO A PORCH, WHERE HIS FRIEND WAS WAITING. THEY WHISPERED TO EACH OTHER FOR A MINUTE AND THEN CAME TO THE SIDEWALK WHERE I WAS STANDING.

I ASKED WHAT WE WERE GOING TO DO, THAT’S WHEN THEY LOOKED AT EACH OTHER AND SMILED.

THEN THEY RAN.

THEY RAN AWAY FROM ME AS FAST AS THEY COULD, EVEN WHEN THEY WERE NO LONGER IN SIGHT, I COULD STILL HEAR THEM LAUGHING AND LAUGHING.

I STOOD THER FOR A MINUTE AND SAW HIS FRIENDS MOM STANDING IN THE DOORWAY, SHE SAW THE WHOLE THING.

AS I MADE EYE CONTACT, SHE CLOSED THE DOOR.

I WALKED THE 8 BLOCKS HOME, AND THAT WAS IT.