Читать книгу and I Believe - Jodie Richard-Bohman - Страница 6

“Hey there!” I heard from behind me as someone tapped me on the shoulder.

It was the summer before my sophomore year of high school in 1988, and I was at an open-air dance with my girlfriends. The dance, which was basically a concert in the park, was filled with many kids from our town and surrounding towns. A local band was on stage singing, and we girls were off to the side of the crowd listening to them. They were almost done playing for the night, and we were savoring every last second of their awesome show.

I turned around to see who had tapped me. Standing there with a smile on his face was Aaron Turner, a guy in my older sister Kellie’s grade. Trying not to be too obvious, I looked behind me to make sure it was me he was actually talking to.

“Hi,” I replied, still convinced he must have mistaken me for someone else.

“Are you having fun tonight?” he asked nonchalantly.

“Ah . . . yes. How about you?” I was still puzzled as to why he was striking up a conversation with me of all people.

“Yes, I am.” He paused. “You’re Kellie’s younger sister, Kate, right?”

“Ah . . . yes,” I repeated, sounding like a foolish little girl.

“I’m Aaron Turner, a classmate of Kellie’s.”

I couldn’t believe he was actually introducing himself as if I didn’t know who he was. He was only one of the most popular and hottest guys in our school, and every girl in a five grade radius wanted to date him. Unfortunately, though, he had a girlfriend.

“Didn’t you play on the varsity softball team this year?”

“Yes, I did.”

“I watched a couple of your games and thought you did a great job at short stop. Aren’t you only going to be a sophomore?”

Oh my gosh! He knows my name AND what grade I’m in. Wow—this is so cool!

“Yes, I am. You played varsity baseball, right?” The instant those words left my mouth, I felt like an idiot.

Duh, you big dummy. Of course he’s on the varsity team. He’s one of the best baseball players in our school’s history AND he’s going to be a senior.

By this point, I was ready to just walk away from him before I made a bigger idiot of myself, but he continued to talk to me like he hadn’t noticed my blubbering.

“I hope I’m not being too forward, but I was wondering if you would like to go out on a date with me tomorrow night.”

My jaw dropped to the ground, and I stared at him in disbelief. “You what?”

A smile came to his face. “I know we don’t know each other, but I’d really like to take you out on a date and get to know you.”

“But aren’t you dating Angie Sims?” I blurted.

This time he was the one caught off guard. “Actually . . . we broke up.”

“Oh, I’m sorry. I didn’t know that.”

“No need to apologize. It wasn’t a messy break-up or anything and we’re still friends. We just both decided that we wanted to enjoy our senior year of high school and not let each other influence what we wanted to do after graduation. But anyway,” he continued, obviously not wanting to talk about his ex-girlfriend, “would you be interested in going out with me tomorrow night?”

“Yes . . . I would like that very much,” I answered as casually as I could.

“Awesome. How does seven o’clock sound?”

“That works for me.”

“You live on Center Street, right?”

“Yes, the fourth house from the post office.”

“I’ll see you then.” Leaning over, he gave me a hug. “It was nice talking to you tonight.”

“You too,” I said as the butterflies in my stomach went crazy.

After walking away from him, I met up with my friends, who had all scattered like mice the second he and I began talking.

“Aaron Turner just asked me out on a date!” I squealed.

“Oh my gosh!” Liz shrieked her eyes wide with excitement.

The walk to Liz’s mom’s car consisted of six fifteen-year-old high school girls giggling and talking nonstop about how “Kate Stewart is the luckiest girl in the world!”

“He’s going to be here in three hours, and I’m so nervous I could puke,” I told my thirteen-year-old sister, Kristie. We were in our bedroom and she was lying on her bed reading a book while I was rummaging through our closet for something to wear.

“You’ll be fine,” she said matter-of-factly.

“What if he thought I was somebody else and asked me out on accident?”

Looking up from her book, she rolled her eyes at me and then went back to reading again.

What does she know? She’s just a kid. I thought to myself as I pulled a couple of shirts off of the hangers to try on.

“How’s it going, hot stuff?” I heard from behind me.

Kellie, my older sister, came strutting into our bedroom as if she owned it. Plopping down on my bed, she began sorting through the outfits I had chosen so far.

“Is this what you’re wearing?” The right side of her lip was turned up in disgust.

“Yes. Why? Do you think I’ll look stupid?”

“No, but it looks more like something you’d wear to a softball game. Hang on a minute,” she said leaving the room.

A couple of minutes later she returned with a tan skirt, black satin tank top and a pair of cute black flip flops.

“Here. Try these on.”

“Are you sure?” I asked.

Kellie was crazy protective over her clothes, and even though she and I were about the same size, she was stingy about sharing anything with me.

“You have a date with Aaron Turner, and I have a reputation to uphold here. I can’t go having my younger sister looking like a slob.”

“Thanks!” I excitedly said as I tried on the outfit.

Three hours and a gallon of Aqua Net hairspray later, I nervously awaited for Aaron’s arrival. Kellie was out with her boyfriend, Kristie was in our room reading again, and Mom and Dad were in the living room watching television, while I stared nonstop at myself in the mirror above the couch.

My shoulder-length blonde curly hair and big bangs were puffed out as big as I could get them, and my blue eyes looked nice with the touch of pink eye shadow and black mascara. I opened my mouth to make sure I didn’t have any of the light pink lipstick on my newly “braces free” smile.

“How do I look?”

“You look beautiful,” Mom reassured me.

Just then a car pulled into our driveway.

“Oh my gosh! He’s here!” The nervousness I had been feeling all day doubled.

A second later, the doorbell rang. Dad got up from his chair to let him in.

I had been on a couple “friend” dates with guys in my grade, but we always went out with a group of friends. This was the first time I would be on a date by myself and this realization made me even more nervous.

“Hi Mr. and Mrs. Stewart. I’m Aaron Turner.” He reached his hand out to Mom and Dad.

“It’s so nice to meet you,” Mom said with an approving smile.

“Hi Kate,” he said shyly.

“Hi,” I said, taking in how handsome he was. He had on khaki shorts and a white short sleeve collared shirt, and his brown hair was combed neatly off to the side.

“Are you ready to go?” he asked.

“Yes.”

“I thought we would go out to eat first and then see Dirty Dancing at the movie theater, if that’s okay with you.”

“Yes, that would be fun.”

“It was great meeting you two,” he said to Mom and Dad.

“You too. Have fun and make sure you’re home by midnight.”

“Okay, we will.” I waved goodbye to them and then followed Aaron out the front door.

“It sure is a gorgeous night,” he said as we walked towards his white Ford Taurus.

“Yes it is,” I responded, privately wondering how many times I had already said the word “yes” to him.

“Your chariot awaits,” he said in a charming voice as he opened the passenger door for me.

“Why thank-you!”

“So are you nervous?” he asked once he got in the driver’s seat.

“A little.”

“Me too.”

“Really? You’re not acting like it.”

“I’ve been a ball of nerves all day.”

“I have to admit that when you first started talking to me last night, I thought you had mistaken me for someone else.”

“Why would you think that?”

“Because you are the hottest and most popular senior guy in our school, and I’m only going to be a sophomore.”

He busted out laughing, and I was instantly embarrassed by my blunt and stupid comment.

“Sorry for what I just said.”

“Don’t be. I like the idea that you think I am “hot”, and if it matters, I think you’re one of the prettiest girls I’ve ever seen.”

I blushed at his compliment.

We arrived at the restaurant, and our nonstop conversation continued throughout the meal.

“So where do you want to go to college?” I asked as I nibbled on my onion ring.

“Ohio Northern to be a lawyer, and after I graduate, I want to work for my dad and grandpa’s law firm here in town. How about you?”

“I really want to be an interior decorator or an art teacher.”

“I’ve noticed your artwork in the display cases at school. You’re very talented.”

“You’re not a creeper, are you?”

Throwing his head back, he let out another hearty laugh. “It kind of looks that way, doesn’t it?”

“Yes, but that’s okay, I like it,” I grinned.

“I know I mentioned us watching a movie, but would you be up for going to my grandparents’ house instead? They have this little gazebo in their backyard, and ever since I was little I have loved to lie on the ground next to it and stare up at the stars. Tonight the sky is full of them.”

Feeling like I could trust being alone with him, I agreed.

His grandparents lived in a nice section of town, and when we pulled into their driveway I was in awe of how beautiful their home was. It was a large two-story brick colonial house with a two-car attached garage. Aaron took my hand as we made our way in the dark to the back of the house.

“Shouldn’t you let them know we are here?” I asked.

“Nah . . . They’re probably in bed sleeping by now.”

We rounded the side of the house and when we reached the back, my breath was taken away. Gorgeous mounds of flowers decorated the yard and there was a stone sidewalk leading to a pretty gazebo. Aaron grabbed a blanket that was lying on a bench and unfolded it on the ground. Taking my hand, he pulled me down beside him. I was a little nervous wondering if he wanted to do more than just talk, but that feeling quickly faded as he started pointing to the millions of stars up above.

“I like to see how many different crazy things I can come up with for the stars. Like over there, doesn’t it look like an ice cream cone?”

Staring in the direction his finger was pointing, I tried to envision an ice cream cone. To my surprise, I could see it.

“Yeah, I see it. That’s so cool. You know, me and my sisters do this, but with clouds.”

“You have another sister?”

“Yep, Kristie. She’s two years younger than me. How about you? Do you have any brothers or sisters?”

“I have a sister, Carey, who’s two years older than me. She’s going to Ohio State to become an engineer.”

“Are you two close?”

“Very. She has been home for the summer and it’s been great. I love Mom and Dad, but it’s not the same when she’s gone.”

“What are your parents like?” I then asked.

“Dad is laid back and doesn’t get excited about anything whereas Mom is bold and very to the point. How about your parents?”

“Actually, both of my parents are laid back. I think Dad was a bit of a hellion in his day, but then he had three daughters so that mellowed him out, and my mom is just plain wonderful. Now is this your mom’s parents’ house or your dad’s?”

“My dad’s. Their names are Gene and Dorothy and they’re so cool. There was this one time when Grandpa Gene took me fishing . . .” he reminisced.

For the next couple of hours, we held hands and told each other everything we thought there was to know about us. Finally, looking down at his watch, he sat up.

“Oh, wow, it’s almost midnight. I need to get you home.”

My spirits were crushed. I was having so much fun being with him and I didn’t want the night to end.

“I had a great time tonight,” he said after he helped me up from the ground.

“Me too.”

“Would you want to go out again?”

“Definitely.”

We stood there inches apart from each other, both feeling the anticipation of what was to come.

“Can I kiss you?” he asked.

Out of nowhere, my palms were sweaty and these weird thoughts popped into my head. Does my breath smell like onion rings? Is he going to French kiss or just regular kiss me? Are we going to make out?

“Yes,” I answered instead.

He leaned over and touched my lips with his. His gentle and sweet kiss made sparks fly throughout my entire body.

Wow! He is a good kisser.

We kissed for what felt like forever, which was only minutes, before he pulled away.

“It’s almost midnight. I should get you home.”

“Okay,” I answered, feeling very disappointed.

Taking my hand, we made our way back to his car.

“Every Sunday we come here for brunch. Would you like to come with me tomorrow?”

“Really? You want to introduce me to your family?”

“I know it’s probably too soon, but I really like you and I had a great time tonight. I told you things I’ve never told anybody before. You’re so easy to talk to, and I would love to take you out on a million more dates, so I can get to know you even more.”

“Then in that case I would love to go with you tomorrow.”

“Great. I’ll pick you up after church.”

“Okay.”

There were no lights on inside my house when we got there, so I assumed Mom and Dad were in bed. Standing on the front porch, I nervously began wondering again what he wanted to do next.

“This was by far the best date I’ve ever been on.”

“Me too,” I said shyly.

“Well, I better get going. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“Okay. See you then.”

Seconds of an awkward silence passed before he leaned over and gently kissed me on the cheek. My heart did a flip-flop.

“Thanks for a great night,” he softly whispered.

“No, thank-you for the greatest night of my life,” I said as I watched him drive away.

The next day Aaron introduced me to his family, and they were absolutely fantastic. I clicked with all of them. Even though he said he wanted to be single so he could enjoy his senior year, he and I began dating each other seriously after that. Let’s just say that my sophomore year of high school was the best year of my life and consisted of nothing but Aaron. We were inseparable and did absolutely everything together. Life was wonderful, but as the school year ended and summer turned to fall, it was time for him to leave for college.

“I know Ohio Northern is only two hours away, but it’s not going to be the same when you’re gone,” I cried as he and I were lying on the blanket by the gazebo.

“It’s going to be hard, but we’ll get through this. I will come home as often as I can, and on the weekends I can’t, you can drive up to see me.”

“I’m going to miss you so much,” I said as the tears came harder.

“Hey, come here,” he said, pulling me to him. “I love you and we’re going to be with each other for the rest of our lives. Before you know it, I’ll be an attorney and you’ll be an art teacher and we’re going to have six, seven, ten kids and live happily ever after.”

His words still didn’t make me feel better.

“Kate, please don’t cry. You’re going to make me cry,” he said, bringing me even closer to him.

Being that near to him and dreading him leaving, I began kissing him as passionately as a sixteen-year-old could kiss. His kisses got more intense too, and before I knew it, we were undressing each other. I had to have him, and I had to have him now!

“Aaron, I want to be with you. I need you.”

His kisses abruptly stopped.

“Kate, no, we can’t do this.”

Devastated by his words, I sat straight up. “Why? Don’t you love me? Don’t you want to be with me anymore?”

“No, it’s not that. I love you so much, but you’re only sixteen years old, and when we do make love for the first time, I want it to be when we are both ready.”

I looked the other way. I’m not too young! I thought to myself.

“Kate, please don’t be mad at me.” He pleaded with me, but I still wouldn’t look at him.

“I’m not mad at you. It’s just that I love you so much and I don’t want to you to leave.”

“I don’t want to leave either,” he said, bringing me back down to him on the blanket.

I nestled closer to him and squeezed my eyes shut, tears streaming out of them one by one. Eventually, I stopped pouting, even though I was still upset. So our last night together was spent in a tight embrace under the dark starry night filled with the pain of him leaving, the dread of not seeing him every day and the bleeding of my broken heart.

The first week after he had left for college was absolutely awful, to say the least. I didn’t know it was possible to cry so many tears, but it was and I did.

“Kate, I know your heart is broken, but he’s just two hours away at college, and you’ll see him in a couple of days.”

Aaron left on Sunday and it was only the Wednesday after when my dad finally sat me down to have a good talking with.

“You don’t understand Dad!” Burying my face into my hands, I began to cry again.

“Kathleen Marie!”

Uh oh!

When Dad used my full first name AND middle name that meant I crossed the line.

Looking up, I knew by the irritated look in his eyes that he had it with my over-dramatization, so I wiped my eyes and decided to quit my sniffling around like a baby.

“Why don’t you go wash your face and I’ll take the whole family out to eat.”

“Okay,” I said, getting up from the kitchen table.

As I was walking out of the kitchen, I overheard Dad tell Mom, “I’ll never understand girls. Kellie has been at college for two weeks now, and she hasn’t said one word about missing her.”

Mom’s laughter ran throughout the entire house.

“Aaron!”

Wednesday turned into Thursday, and Thursday FINALLY turned into Friday. I had been sitting on our front porch ever since I had gotten home from school waiting on my Knight in Shining Armor to come and rescue me. When I noticed the white Ford Taurus driving down our street, I jumped up from the front porch and began running towards it. Aaron barely had the car parked and I already had his door opened. He seemed more excited than I was to finally be together again.

“Oh my God, I missed you!” he said as he tightened his embrace around me and whirled me around in a circle.

“I missed you too!” I said.

“I love you so much!” he said in between the nonstop kisses.

“I love you so much too!”

Our weekend together was wonderful, and when he left on Sunday to go back to college, it wasn’t as painful as the weekend before because I knew I would see him soon. Since I was only a junior in high school, Mom and Dad wouldn’t let me spend the weekend at Ohio Northern by myself. The weekends Aaron didn’t come home, Kellie would take me up there to see him. She and I stayed with one of her high school friends, who also went to school there. We would hang out with Aaron and his friends the entire weekend, which was wonderful!

While most kids our age were having sex, Aaron and I were not. Other than the one night when I almost caved into the desperation of him leaving for college, we decided to wait for when we were both completely ready to give ourselves to each other. We kissed a lot, and many times that got pretty heated, but he would always stop before we went too far. Most of my girlfriends were surprised we hadn’t had sex yet, but I didn’t care or let it influence our decision to wait. We knew we would marry one day and be with each other for the rest of our lives, so we felt there was no need to rush into anything.

Soon, before we knew it, the weeks turned into months and the months turned into years and I graduated from high school and was ready to embark on my own college adventure.

It was June 1st and my eighteenth birthday. The weekend was busy with all of my friends’ graduation parties, and Aaron and I had just left Liz’s house.

“I have a surprise for you,” he said with a grin when we were in his car on our way home.

“What is it?” I asked intrigued.

“You’ll see.”

A few minutes later, we were pulling onto his grandparents’ street. My curiosity was getting the best of me as we parked the car and tiptoed to the backyard. We rounded the corner and in front of me was our blanket laid out neatly on the grass with a dozen candles circling it.

“When? How?” I asked, wondering when he would have found the time to come do this considering we were with each other the entire evening.

“I left Liz’s party about ten minutes before I knew we were going to leave to come and set this up.”

“What about Grandma and Grandpa?”

“They take their hearing aids out when they go to bed. They’ll never know we were even here,” he kidded.

Standing in front of me, he brought me to him for a kiss. “Happy birthday.”

“Thank-you,” I said, pulling him even closer inhaling the heavenly scent of his cologne.

Our kiss went on forever and I cherished every second of it. I loved him so much and it was wonderful being with him. I slowly slid my hands down to his pants and started to unzip them. He stopped me.

“Kate, are you sure you are ready for this?”

I nodded my head “yes”.

Taking my hand, we made our way to the blanket where he gently laid me on my back and began kissing my lips first, then my eyes, cheeks, ears and neck.

“I love you so much,” he whispered before softly unbuttoning my shirt. I pulled his shirt up over his head and within seconds our naked bodies were one. He held my hand the entire time and showered me with gentle kisses and many “I love you’s”, and when we were done, we laid wrapped in each other’s arms savoring our first time of becoming one. It was the sweetest, most touching moment of my life.

But now, all of these years later, as I lie here, I wonder how something so sweet and sacred could be the exact thing that he almost did with another woman. Again, tears burned my eyes over the thought of him sleeping with Angie. Just thinking about it made me feel very disgusted with myself. I couldn’t get into the shower quick enough. Turning the water on as hot as it would get, I scrubbed my entire body as if it had been invaded.

With my hair soaking wet and the towel wrapped around me, I went to the medicine cabinet to take some sleeping pills. For just a split second, I had an urge to take the entire bottle, but I quickly snapped myself out of it and forgot about such an absurd idea.