Ok Barb and Nephosaurus too, here it is.
My first love
. It was the summer of 1984, I was 15 and had just finished my freshman year of HS. I had become good friends with a boy in my science class, he was the class clown, a funny guy but not the kind of guy I would usually "like". Anyway, after school ended I missed talking to him everyday, so we started to talk a lot over the phone. One day he asked if I was going to the fair and before I know it the words "I was hoping you were going to give me a ride" came out. I don't think I really knew that I "liked" him at the point.
I was not allowed to date or even have a boyfriend, but my best friend and her mother were my cover. I met him at her house, just down the street from my house. We had so much fun at the fair, so we went the next night. Then a movie date, a few walks, visits at my friends house and it really started hitting me hard. I think it was 3 weeks before he kissed me and he was so nervous about it. Not long after came the "I love you's". Every date was sneaking around, because my dad would never let me go. My parents eventually caught on that I had a boyfriend, but assumed we just talked on the phone. On my 16th birthday they let him come over for dinner and a few months later we got to go on our "first" date, the prom. At that point we had really been together about 9 months. Dad fussed a bunch, but Mom talked him into it.
Dad was still head-strong that I not date and decided I was too serious with this boy. He forbid me to talk to him, see him at school or anything. He had learned about the sneaking around, so of course he didn't trust me at all anymore. I was basically put under house arrest. Not allowed to go anywhere except my part-time job (it was summer again now). No phone calls and I couldn't even go outside without a parent. There was even talk of sending me to live with relatives in North Carolina. We tearfully made a pact that if they sent me away somewhere, we would meet on the day of my 18th birthday on the steps of the library in our town. We had been together more than a year now and were very much in love. I don't think I could put into words how awful it really was. Dad can be quite psycho.
I was a very miserable 16 year old girl. Completely shut off from not only him, but the world. But we were smart, we found ways to at least talk. He bought walkie-talkies, snuck one into a bush in our yard where I retrieved it and we would talk in the middle of the night. We began planning to run away. First it was going to be Canada, then Florida and finally decided on California. About 2 months into this, we emptied our savings accounts, bought the plane tickets and flew to San Francisco as David and Liza Jones (our alias's). He was 18, I was 16. That's the law-breaking part.
It was a scary trip. Got off the plane, took a bus that dropped us in the middle of it all. I don't want to offend here, but there were boys kissing boys and girls groping girls. I was shocked!
Mind you I was a very naive 16 year old girl who was raised in a small town in KY. Back on the bus we go, we had very limited funds and there went $25 down the drain. Back to the airport and this time, called some hotels and got a courtesy shuttle.
San Francisco was rainy and blah. We thought CA was sunny and fun?!? Next morning, booked a plane down to Long Beach. Now this was much better. But money was running very short. Long story short (yeah right, too late for that, but you asked, remember?) his family had a friend who had a sister who lived there. But she was away for the weekend on boyfriends boat. So we stayed at the City Center motel, not a very nice joint, but the price was right. We went to the beach and since I had been under house arrest and hadn't seen the sun in months, I got the worst sunburn of my life!
Friend's sister finally comes home, picks us up at hotel and we stay with her on the beach. Very nice.
Calls her lawyer friend who says "get those kids back home pronto". "But we want to go to
Disneyland first!" we say. Honest to God truth.
Back on a plane, we split ways in Chicago, he to Detroit, me back to Lexington. There was an 18 state APB out for his arrest. His parents took me home. After things calmed down, he came back and had to turn himself in.
Things didn't get much better, but some. I had to go to juvenile court. Apparently it's against the law to run away from home. His charges were dropped because we told the police and my parents that we had been camping 5 miles away the whole time. But I had to go to counseling for a while, my probation.
At 17, they allowed us to date. After I graduated, Dad stated that I had to choose "the boy" or him. They almost got into a regular fist fight. I jumped into the car with "the boy" and didn't look back.
I was 18 then, but we didn't get married for almost another year. Dad still didn't want anything to do with him, so my grandfather gave me away. My parents did come though. Such a sad feeling on what is supposed to be my happiest day. Small church, no music, no flowers or pretty dress. Just a few close friends and family. We had very little money to spend on a wedding, his parents had a small reception for us at their house and we had a one night honeymoon at a nice hotel. We were so happy to finally be married!
Things changed when my mom's dad died a few months later. We finally talked and s-l-o-w-l-y worked it out.
We have now been married 15 years, coming up on 20 years as a couple. We have three of the most beautiful children on Earth and get this - my dad and my hubby are the very best of friends! We have endured.
So, there's my sad, tragic, but happily-ever-after story and it's also the story of my first love at the same time.
That should put you to sleep!
Very roomy. Should hold us for a while.
She's driving me crazy today. It's a good thing she's so cute or I'd have to get rid of her.
