This is me remembering a story of young love, some of it mine, set in a whole different world a long time ago, before free sex and promiscuity, a time when the decision to lose your virginity was a big deal. I should warn you that this is could be viewed as a soppy romance story and if you're not into that sort of thing you'd be advised to read elsewhere. CM.
Please don't feel sorry for me, it's my own stupid fault for falling in love with her. Sure, the fact that she singled me out for attention was flattering, to say the least, and I loved it. I loved the look on my mates' faces when she came over to me during the church youth fellowship dance and dragged me onto the dance floor.
I had questions about her motivation, reasoning that her being seen on the dance floor with someone who could best be described as possessing two left feet, was either her garnering sympathy by her actions or her trying to embarrass me in front of my friends. Whatever her reason, I managed to complete the dance without permanently maiming her, and she smiled at me as she left to re-join u her friends on the other side of the hall. I was smitten.
I was also the envy of my friends who couldn't stop telling me that I was the luckiest guy alive. I had to agree with them and this gave me the impetus to walk up to her as the evening reached its finale and ask her if I could walk her home. She smiled at me and I fully expected her to tell me that this would not happen in my lifetime when she agreed. I was Smittener. Okay, that's not a real word but I plead confusion.
I surprised myself by making intelligent conversation on the short walk to her house. It only took ten minutes but, by the time we reached her front gate, we had established an ease with each other, so much so, that I jumped off the deep end of the jetty with holes in my water-wings, it was either sink or swim, I took her hand, "Will I see you at church on Sunday?" No request for a date on Saturday, I wasn't ready for that just yet.
She looked me in the eyes and kissed me, "Yes, I'd like that." I was now even more smittener.
She was standing with her parents and, as soon as she saw me, she excused herself and walked over to me watched by her parents. "Hi Geoff, do you mind if I sit with you today?"
"I can't think of a reason why not," I caught myself trying to be smart, "I'd like that, very much."
"Great." Further discussion had to wait as a couple of my mates approached us. "Now this is a surprise", Barry said, "I guess that the two of you will be sitting together."
"You can join us if you like." Chantelle told them.
"Nah, we don't want to cramp his style." They sniggered away.
"Do I detect a note of jealousy there?" She asked.
"A note, that's an understatement. You do realise that you are the best looking girl in the fellowship and they're all lusting after you. I guess that I just got lucky."
"Luck has nothing to do with it. You may not be the best looking guy around, but I'm looking for what's inside. My sister made the mistake of falling for the best looking guy in her group of friends and it didn't end up well for her. He was only capable of loving one person and it wasn't her. By the time that she found out it was too late. She was pregnant and he dumped her rather than take the responsibility for his actions. I don't intend to make the same mistake, you do not seem to be so self-centred. If I'm wrong it will be best if this goes no further."
"I might be mad but I'm not stupid. The fact that you want to be seen with me has blown my mind, I never expected this. Having said that, I do not want to blow my chances by doing anything to hurt you."
We sat in the same pew as her parents but at the other end so there were a couple of spaces between us. We had just sat down after the singing of the second hymn when she took my hand in hers. I looked at her and she smiled at me and squeezed my hand. I smiled and returned the squeeze. My heart was racing at this show of intimacy.
As we stood to sing the Benediction I caught a glimpse of her father looking at me. I could not tell from his expression what was going through his head.
They were standing and talking to friends when we walked out of the church. Her father walked over to us. "Are you going to introduce us to this young man?" He asked Chantelle.
"Dad, this is Geoffrey Thompson. Geoffrey, this is my father Robert and," her mother had joined us, "My mother Doris."
"We are pleased to meet you." They chorused. Her father shook my hand with a strong but not overpowering grip.
"I'm pleased to meet you, you can call me Geoff, everyone else does."
A gang of us young people drove to a cafe in the next suburb for Sunday lunch. Chantelle and I were part of this group but now we were together in the group, a point not lost on the others. That they considered us a mismatched couple meant that they avoided mentioning it in conversation. When Chantelle decoded my message and accepted my invitation of a ride home a few eyebrows were raised.
I stopped outside her house. "I enjoyed being with you." I told her.
"Me too," she slipped me a piece of paper with her phone number, "Call me tomorrow."
"Sure," what the hell, I leaned over and kissed her on the cheek, "What would be the best time to call?"
"I'll be studying until around nine, any time after that, Mum and Dad will be engrossed watching TV."
"What are you studying?"
"I'm doing a degree in English Lit, I want to be an English Teacher. How about you?"
"Engineering, my father has an engineering business and he wants me to join the company so that I can take over from him when he retires."
"Is that what you really want to do?"
"Yes, it must be in the blood, Grandpa started the business a hundred years ago. He's not that old, but it was a long time ago."
"I'd better go inside before Dad comes out." She kissed me, not on the cheek. Wow!
I didn't want to appear anxious by calling right on the dot of nine but then I didn't want to get a reputation for not being punctual, so it was thirty seconds after nine when I called. She answered straight away. "Hello Geoff, it is Geoff, isn't it?"
"Yes, who else were you expecting? Just joking, how are you, how was Uni?"
"I found it difficult at times, especially when the Lecturer was droning on, to concentrate, my mind was on you. How was your day?"
"I thought of you a lot between lectures, I guess my lecturers are less boring than yours."
"Or your subjects are more interesting."
"Do you have any breaks during the day, say around lunchtime. I was thinking we could have lunch together, only if you're interested that is."
"I'd like that, how about tomorrow?"
"Sure, we could meet at the cafeteria, I'll even buy you coffee, or tea."
"That would be nice, I look forward to it."