NOTE: This concludes The Yearbook series. The following excerpt is from my WIP (newest novel) Gina's Journey. The novel incorporates this series. Let me know in comments if you're intrigued enough to want to read the completed work?
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The year was 1982. We danced to Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” album and watched “E.T.” on the silver screen. John Belushi died and Prince William was born. We exercised to Jane Fonda video tapes and never missed watching “Dynasty” on TV. Gas cost 91 cents a gallon and a stamp two dimes. We were spooked by the Tylenol scare and held our breath as the recession began.
It was a year of promise and pain, of sweetness and sorrow.
But it was OUR year.
Mike (Yearbook post/1982)
Gina,
To the best and
sweetest girl any guy could have. You’re super in every way and you mean
everything to me, and don’t ever forget that! You know I don’t like to write
because I can’t express myself as well as if I would tell you but I’ll try
anyways. I love you very much and want our relationship to last! You’re just a
super girl, you care about me very much and I appreciate it because it makes me
feel great inside, and I feel very lucky to have a girl as great as you. If I
had to sum everything up about you in one word it would have to be fabulous! It
probably sounds dumb but that’s the way it is. I just want to let you know that
I do love you and will do anything for you that you want me to.
Love, Mike
4/28/12
I remember his black hair and curls. His five o’clock shadow in the middle of the day. The way his smile took up most of his olive face and the way his dark eyes danced when I walked into the room. I remember the first time he told me he loved me and the first time we made love. Why is it that you never forget your first love? Maybe it’s because it’s the first person you gave your heart to, completely. The first time you were afraid to breathe for fear the moment would pass and you would miss some of the seconds. Life is seldom what we think it will be. Especially when you’re seventeen and the biggest concern you have is whether someone has the same prom dress.
I remember his black hair and curls. His five o’clock shadow in the middle of the day. The way his smile took up most of his olive face and the way his dark eyes danced when I walked into the room. I remember the first time he told me he loved me and the first time we made love. Why is it that you never forget your first love? Maybe it’s because it’s the first person you gave your heart to, completely. The first time you were afraid to breathe for fear the moment would pass and you would miss some of the seconds. Life is seldom what we think it will be. Especially when you’re seventeen and the biggest concern you have is whether someone has the same prom dress.
I ran into Michael once at the pizza shop in town. It
was the day after Christmas, and I was home visiting my parents. I saw him as
soon as I opened the glass door and the jingle bell jingled. He stood at the
counter, holding a baby bundled in blue.
The sight washed over me like a damn wave that you never see coming
until it’s too late and you’re face down eating sand. And just as you try to spit out the sand and
stand up you get knocked over again by the damn hot pizza smell that transports
you back in time. Back to the night that you ate pizza in the corner booth that
still has your names carved in the wood. The night you got drunk on the
six-pack you took from your dad’s stash in the garage. The night you made out
in the woods and fell asleep naked intertwined like pretzels under a crescent
moon that peeked through the trees.
He turned and saw me and then came the smile. His white
teeth seemed even whiter, his smile broader. There was small talk and more
small talk. About his marriage and baby and move across town. About his job, my
job. About how I was doing exactly what I always wanted to do – and he wasn’t.
What happened? What happened to all the plans we had?
All the nights we spent laying under the stars sharing our dreams. The kind of house we’d live in, how many kids
we’d have. What their names would be.
What happened to us?
Life. That’s what happened. One day comes after another
and another and pretty soon you realize that yesterday was pretty damn long ago
and that everything you had hoped for is never going to happen. You can’t control it any more than you can
control that big wave from getting stronger before it nails you. All you can do
is prepare and hope that when it hits, you’ll survive.
And that the secrets you’ve kept all of these years
don’t drown you.
Other posts in this blog series
The secret is to still enjoy the pizza.
ReplyDeleteCan you say captivating? Good series!
ReplyDelete:) Christi P