Six Month's Eve

Seven months ago, on April the 12th, I was introduced to a man who changed my life forever. My date was a Navy boy who took special leave just to come down and escort me to my prom. He gets a phone call in the middle of the prom and his face changes, becomes unreadable with a fine line of anger as he grabs his hat and his camera, his phone and me and stalks down the hall of the hotel. As we near the piano next to the staircase, three figures are approaching us - a slender man with a red beard and long red hair tied back, dressed as a WWII paratrooper; a rather tall, attractive woman with long blond hair wearing a hat that wasn't quite a cowboy hat but would have been used on the range and a jacket; and a man who was a little taller than the woman with brown hair, spectacles, dressed like a trapper, fringes on his jacket and all. All and all these were three very interesting characters indeed. They stopped in a half circle around us and introductions were made.

The man that was only a little taller than I (at this point I'm not wearing my heels, I'm barefoot) was named Jerry, the woman's named turned out to be Coty, and the man with her was named Kris. As I greeted them in kind, my date still brooding and trying to act pleasant, I couldn't keep my eyes off of Jerry and finally piped up - 'Look, I'm sorry, but I have to hug you.' Why on Earth would I say something like that? Because it was just amazing to me how someone had the balls to dress up like that and arrive at a rather prestigious hotel and act as comfortable in it as he is with his own skin. It just amazed me and hugging him was the only way I could express how fantastic I thought that was. I'm a girl, I can get away with such things. And that, as they say, was the beginning of a beautiful friendship.

At later times, it was expressed to me that the look on my date's face was priceless, a mix of fury and of confusion as Jerry grinned at me and I grinned at him, our arms sliding around one another. Something inside me when he had his arms around me melted, something clicked and when we pulled back, we both recognized it. According to Kris and Coty, it was obvious. We were just right for each other. I wouldn't call it love at first sight because honestly, things like that don't exist in my world. But like at first sight, admiration and respect at first sight for the person you see in front of you, that connection - that definitely took place. Instantaneous, unplanned, we more or less fell into each other's lap. He was just what I needed in my life and I was just what he needed in his.

But let's not jump ahead. The Navy boy who came as my date was actually my some-what boyfriend at the time. I say some-what because I realize that he was seeing other women in Maryland while I was still in Tennessee even if he wouldn't admit it. After all, the hole in the Jeep's windshield where he was having sex with some girl in his Jeep and her stilleto heel actually went through the windshield - well, you don't have to be a rocket scienetist to realize that something was going on behind the scenes. Despite these trysts, he still had visions of a wedding and children with me. Fat chance in hell.

Back to the story though. Navy boy wanted me to get to know some of his friends a bit better and one of them just happened to be Eli, an Army guy stationed in Iraq. Eli is Jerry's cousin, so when I talked to him next, I was actually able to get Jerry's myspace and from myspace correspondence to messaging, Jerry and I soon became very attached - even if we were only friends for then. I invited him, Kris, and Coty to help me celebrate my eighteenth birthday with a new piercing - my ears are double pierced -and a movie - The Forbidden Kingdom. Had I watched the movie with any other group, I don't think I would have enjoyed it as much.

Soon after, I went go-karting and mini-golfing with this trio in what will later be termed, by agreement, as our first date. Kris and Coty were, of course, together while I and Jerry were paired off together, which was just fine with me except I kept having the embarrassing notion of 'I wonder what it would be like to kiss him'. The worst of it was that in later discussions, it was devastatingly obvious to the entire party of my rather impromptu infatuation with a man seven years my senior. Oh yes, this man was a man, with his own house fully paid for and a few cars, a good steady job and wonderful family/community relationship. I was not dealing with some boy just out of high school or in his first year of college, no - I was dealing with a man. Though why he decided to deal with me, a slip of a girl just turned eighteen, about to graduate from high school, is beyond me.

And so we went around in circles, around the track and around each other, never far away from each other in any sense. When we went to supper at Waffle House, I rode in the convertible with him while Coty rode in Kris' truck. My cell phone was in my jacket while we ate and I missed a message from my parents so when we got back to the facilities and I called my parents, they were rather angry and I was afraid that I wouldn't be allowed to go out again because of a particularly bad decision of mine the previous summer and I cried. And you know what? He didn't turn away or shy away from the fact that I was upset. No, he held me, tightly, let me cry and explained to Kris and Coty when they arrived after what had happened - he stood beside me and helped me through a small bit of panic.

When we returned to the course, we played golf and he was never far from me - which is a good thing because at one point when I was trying to retrieve my ball from one of the little pond/waterfall areas, I nearly fell in. Had he not grabbed the back of my pants to keep my balance, I do believe that I would have fallen head first into this shallow water pit. He made me laugh, he made me smile. He rubbed gently with his knuckle along my spine as we watched Kris and Coty take a swing at the brightly colored orbs of interest and was a comforting, warm shadow at my back. He was my silent supporter and seemed determined that I enjoy myself and I did - thoroughly. One of Jerry's friends that stopped by shortly after I met the small group first at the prom stopped by the course and when we went to leave, Jerry and Coty and Kris escorting me to my parent's awaiting vehicle, his friend Dan performed what used to be a tradition, revving up and speeding, tires squealing, out of the parking lot.

Well Dan revved his engine and came up behind us. I heard the noise, turned around in the group that was more or less huddled around me on this fine spring evening, and stumbled backwards, falling as headlights blinded me and Dan's truck rolled to a stop. They helped me up, Dan moved past us, which made me notice my dad had pulled out of the parking lot and was parked right beside where Dan had to pass by. I found out later that dad had his hand on the little revolver he had with him - he has a license, don't worry folks. And nothing happened. Dan left, Jerry and them brushed me off and escorted me to the Jeep and life went on. I heard from Coty and them later that Jerry had chewed Dan out, tore him several new ones, and that man never loses his temper, never loses his cool. I think that was the beginning of the relationship right there. It showed that he was there and that he cared what happened to me, was worried about me...

To Be Continued...