This blog post was actually written in February 2006 and there is a follow up to it covering grades 6 through 12 that I will eventually post too.
Kindergarten:
His name was Benjamin. My best friend Shannon and I used to sing “Going to the Chapel” in the corner and then throw knowing, seductive (as seductive as a kindergartener can look) glances his way when we were through.
We kissed in the little wooden rowboat one day, and that, my friends, was my very first kiss. A few days later, he was chasing Shannon around the playground and I did the “stick-out-the-tongue-and-waggle-my-fingers-in-my-ears-because-I-like-you” trick, only when he turned he just looked at me and went, “Ew!” and continued chasing Shannon. I ran to the bathroom, hopped up on the sink, and saw that I had the biggest booger I ever saw on my upper lip.
Needless to say, the romance was over.
First Grade:
I was new to St. Paul’s Catholic School, and I thought I was hot shit in my little plaid dress and patent leather shoes. His name was David Schleicher. He had thick glasses and was a complete geek but all the girls loved him. He never looked at me or talked to me, and that’s how I knew he liked me. He would act like he didn’t care, but deep down inside I knew that he knew that we were meant to be together.
This carried on for two years. He was my first huge crush, and I would write poems about him with lines such as “You are all I think about, David I love you so/ I love you more than words can say, I just wanted you to know” and other dripping sappy shit. After 2nd grade I left St Paul’s, and then we went on our official first date- with my entire family to see “The Little Mermaid”. He was scared of the part with the shark, and spent more time throwing popcorn at the screen with my brothers, and that’s when I saw him for what he truly was, which was NOT the man for me. That was the day I moved on…….
Funny side note- David and I are back in touch after 2 decades thanks to the magic of Facebook! He is a writer and a movie critic blogger and he kindly sent me his book to read, which I am taking with me on this holiday. It was funny to get in touch via email again after so long, and to hear his side of our little love story, and even better to hear that he is still writing after all these years! But that’s another blog for another time! Hi David!!!
Third Grade:
Again, I was new to Captain James Lawrence School, but this time I knew some of the kids from living in the same neighbourhood together. One day in school, a kid named Joey Sakiey pointed to my shoes and said “Ew you always wear the same pair of shoes- what, is that your only pair?” and my next huge crush was born. (It was my only pair of shoes.)
He lived down the street and next to the park, and sometimes we walked home together with my best friend Melodie. All the kids were always hanging around the park, but it was especially special when Joey was there. Although I wrote no poems about Joey, my love still burned bright, but I had to hide it because we were all just kids in the neighbourhood playing together and it wouldn’t be cool to confess a crush to anyone. My mother, however, said that Joey and I were destined to get married, and she kept this up long, long, long after we had moved to another town and I never saw Joey again. “Little Joey Sakiey….I always thought you two would get married.”
Funny sidenote on that- I found him on MySpace through a friend that I used to know in high school, and he is looking quite hot and not nearly as little as I remember him to be. Turns out he’s gay, and I can already hear my mother’s heart breaking, because I’m sure she still thinks that we are going to get married one day…..
Fourth Grade:
His name was Richard. I can’t remember his last name. I was probably still hung up on Joey and trying to decide which I liked better. I think he made me laugh, which started a trend that I still fall for to this day- guys with a good sense of humor. Other than that, there’s not much to say about Richard, because my best friend liked him, too.
Fifth Grade:
Oh Nick Caruso. My very first “boyfriend”, who I “dated” although we never went out together anywhere at all EVER. But we did pass notes back and forth in school, and send messages to each other through our best friends. He painted two window light-catcher thingys for me and sent them to me wrapped in an envelope with a note. To me, they were like gold- a precious reminder of just how much Nick truly cared about me. We would also talk on the phone at length, although I think almost nothing was said to eachother, but rather we conversed with our brothers and sisters in the same room as us. Still, I would get off of the phone and immediately call my best friend and tell her absolutely everything that was (not) said.
A couple of times we also danced together at the school dances, but eye contact was definitely NOT made, and we spent three to four minutes in tortured silence, swaying back and forth to some Boys to Men song with sweaty palms and bated breath. I can’t remember how this great romance ended, but I’m sure we were both heartbroken at the time. I probably needed a whole week to get over him.
More to follow soon!
Jamie |
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Oana |
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oh wow. This was so great!
I still remember Heather Wood. My first official girlfriend in the 5th grade. Damn, the stories that flood back. Dumped by the note.
Ahhh The Note. They just don’t break up like they used to do they? These days I’m sure everything is by text messages.
I feel so old….
I remember some of these people! haha I may have to pull out the ol’ yearbook. I can’t believe you can remember all this! And really, Amanda, you started YOUNG!! haha Nah, I remember all the stories from my parents telling me about my preschool “boyfriend”…Crazy stuff….makes me wonder how we develop these sorts of emotions so young (besides the obvious – our parents and their relationship(s))…
haha! I think it’s just chemistry and hormones. And yes possibly mimicking parents and stuff.
Funnily enough I’ve pretty much gotten in touch with everyone listed up here through facebook and myspace! Insane!!! Except for Benjamin who I never saw after Wee Care and don’t know his last name.
Oh…I laughed…I cried…I stuck a finger in my eye. Who knew what wonders and horrors the blogosphere would uncover!
Classic shit….you are too funny. I can’t wait for the latter years.
Glad you liked it!
I’m sorry that I called you a geek, but if it’s any consolation I’ve always had a soft spot for geeky-types!
Come to think of it….maybe I’ve always had a soft spot for geeky-types because you were my first little big crush!
Kind of a chicken-or-egg scenario!
Ha ha — yeah, I’d like to think I set the template…you know, soothes my ego a bit…lil’bit.
It is kinda weird though you’ve gotten back in touch with almost all of this motley crew…sometimes I think technology keeps us too close and in touch…ruins the imagination.
Who knows, maybe this Benjamin will come crawling out of the woodwork of the blogosphere too!
It’s definitely weird! But when you think about it, many people stayed in the same town where they were born and so have always been in touch with their first crushes.
And besides you and Richard, I didn’t stay in touch with anyone- just sent them a quick hello and disappeared again.
So see? You’re the special one!
It certainly makes for a good story when I tell people about my first crush living in Amsterdam now and how we got back in touch after twenty frickin’ years!
Joey S is gay?* Hmmmmm…I always thought you two would get married….
*But really, the shoe comment should have been a dead give away.
And David S. was always such a nice kid. Glad to hear he’s happy and successful.
[...] old friend of mine, David Schleicher (I wrote about our uber-sexy date here, see section “First Grade”), is launching a literary magazine called The Stone, and he [...]