Upon opening a wrapper on a piece of Valentine's chocolate, I found the above message. Immediately my thoughts went back to 4th grade.
His name was Jon Nelson and I thought he was the cutest boy I had ever seen. He was completely tow-headed with a spattering of freckles across a button nose. Like me, he was very shy, so even though we sat beside one another at the front of the classroom, we seldom spoke.I remember helping him make a "light bulb lady" as an art project and sharing a photo album with him that I'd brought from home. And I can still see him and his best friend, Tony (an ornery, exuberant child) in front of the class, sharing the story of drinking pickle juice while on one of their adventures! Funny, the things that stick in our minds.
The summer before my 5th grade year, I moved away.....and I never saw him again. I heard that he got into drugs and turned wild once he got into high school. And my heart broke just a little. Yet, he stayed young in my mind: a 10-year-old wrapped in innocence with bright, blue eyes and a big grin.
He would be 45 years old now. Perhaps a husband and father. Hopefully a loving and caring person who outgrew a teenage rebellion and went on to be a successful, responsible adult. I wonder if he remembers the little brown-eyed girl who sat beside him in 4th grade, trying her best not to let him see how she adored him.
Remember my first crush? How could I forget.
God bless you, Jon. Wherever you may be.
6 comments:
That is SO sweet!!! It took me right back to Marvista Elementary School and Eddie Eckret who I would ride my stingray bike miles for just to pass by his house (hey, wait a minute, they call that STALKING now...HEHEH)
Awww...I think I like him too after that post.....Hugs Lori
What a lovely story. Yes, we remember our first crushes. Mine was my third cousin twice removed or something. He was in sixth grade and his brother was in my class. Ricky teased me terribly. I had to walk to their house and stay until my mom got out of school. Mike always took up for me and he was so tall and handsome in my book. He's married and a grandpa now.
I did the ride by on the stingray bike also!
Still keep in touch with my first crush. We still are very good friends.
She never knew about my bike stalking :-)
Lori, I followed the link back from my photoblog and found out who the "Lori" was - thanks for stopping by and leaving a comment!
This is the sweetest post. I've always liked your writing style - nostalgic but not corny. It gets to the heart of a subject. I'm so glad you are back online at home now. Must be nice to not have to grab a few minutes here and there. Your fan base was waiting for your return. :-) God bless -
I am so nostalgic like that as well....
My first real crush? Third grade - David Wilson.
He actually emailed me a few years back, as it turns out he was in the Air Force at one point and found my name in our global address book. Funny, huh?
Post a Comment