Author's Note: The first chapter of this story was told from Jimmy Romano's point of view. Written from Alyssa's point of view, this story describes Jimmy in greater detail and spans over five years beginning with friendship and culminating with...well...you have to read it to find out. Enjoy the telling.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
People have told me that "love-at-first-sight" doesn't exist - that it is just an intense sexual attraction...or some silly wishful longing. They are all wrong because it did happen to me, a naive tomboyish skinny thirteen-year-old girl. However, to be honest, I wouldn't realize this until nearly five years later. All I knew that it all started when I was instantly drawn to Jimmy Romano, U.S. Marine. It couldn't have been a sexual attraction or some silly fantasy since I was clueless and when it came to sex and boys... well...they had recently come off my "yuck" list.
Perhaps what caught my eye was that he stood in his camouflaged uniform, looking thoughtfully and knowingly at the meat selection at the Kaneohe commissary as if considering what to buy. Most young Marines would either have this look of bewilderment as to what to buy or would grab either the most expensive or largest piece of red meat. But not this Marine. No, there was something about this guy that said he was used to fending for himself and had a sense of maturity well-beyond his young age. Without even talking to him, I knew that he was someone like me...someone who was used to being on his own.
You see, my parents had died when I was young. My father was a Marine gunnery sergeant who was killed by an improvised explosive device (IED) in Afghanistan. This devastated my mother who just could not accept the loss of her beloved. She sank into a deep depression and struggled to take care of herself, much less me. This forced my Granny, the widow of a career Marine First Sergeant, to step in and take my Mom and me under her wing. Unfortunately, once my Mom knew that I would be taken care of, she slipped away even faster. Eating very little, she wasted away until she was just a shell of the woman whom I knew and loved.
"Mom! Please don't die!" I desperately pleaded as she laid on her deathbed in the hospital. "You can't leave me. Please don't leave me."
"Alyssa-girl, forgive me. I love you so much and don't want to leave you - but I cannot hang on any longer. Your Granny will take care of you...better than I could. I know you'll grow up to be the young woman that your father and I always wanted."
"But, Mom, why are you leaving me?"
"Oh girl, I can't live without your father whom I loved the moment I saw him at your Grandpa's retirement ceremony. Ooh, how your Grandpa and Granny tried their best to discourage me from getting involved with a Marine who might pay the ultimate price. However, the one time I stood up to your Granny was in marrying your Dad, and in willingly followed him throughout his military career. Thank god you came along a year after Grandpa's passing. Because of you, your Granny and I were able to mend our falling-out.
"Alyssa, your Granny is a good but bossy Japanese woman. She means well and loves you dearly. Listen to her but don't let her bully you around as she did me. Watch out for her when you find your 'special' man because your Granny will immediately get overly protective."
"Mom, what are you talking about? How would I know my 'special' man?"
"You'll know immediately, Alyssa. Something inside of you will suddenly 'click.' Take it from me. It may take you a while to realize what has happened but when you do, don't let go of him...no matter what, make him yours. That's what I did with your Dad, and that's what you'll do with your man.
"I love you, Alyssa, and wish I could be there to see it. But I have to follow the love of my life, your father. I'm so sorry..." And with that, my Mother passed away.
In the following years, I grew up quickly and since I was on my own, I developed more as an adult (a lonely one) than as a child. My Granny who cared for me in her own way discovered quickly that I even though I was only a quarter-Japanese, I was not as malleable as my Mother had been at my age. Boy, did we quarrel but the widow of a former First Sergeant soon discovered that her granddaughter could give as good as she got. For the most part, I listened to my Granny, but she (and I) knew that it was because I never had reason to disagree - that is until I saw Jimmy.
As I approached him, I remembered sizing up this handsome young Marine. He was about five-ten and was the proverbial 'lean mean fighting machine," I could tell from his forearms and biceps that he was muscular in a quietly powerful way instead of being a massive for-show bulky. A clean Marine high-and-tight hair cut complimented his good-looking face especially those warm dark brown eyes of his.
True to my precocious nature, I decided to find out more about this interesting guy. Sucking up my courage, I stepped next to him and asked, "Whatcha doing? Are you looking for something and why?" I figured that in doing so, I could minimize any hurt if he blew me off.
I was surprised and delighted when he looked kindly at me, smiled, and then said, "I'm buying meats for my class' orientation barbeque." He then went on not only to share with me he had trained to be a butcher, but wanted something more. Having been on his own for much of his life, Jimmy yearned for a sense of belonging to something or someone. The Corps offered a chance to fulfill that need, and so he enlisted.
Introducing myself and making a lame joke about my name - "Hi, I'm Alyssa Howard or "AH" and you are?" I learned that my interest was Corporal Jimmy Romano. Encouraged that he wasn't treating me as some teenage nuisance, I pressed on, hoping to learn more about why this intriguing young Marine.
That is until Granny decided to appear behind us on her motorized handicap shopping cart and immediately went into uber-protective guard-dog-mode, barking out a loud and sharp, "Alyssa! Get over here!"
God, I was instantly embarrassed and mortified to see all of my innocent progress with Jimmy being dashed to smithereens. Leaving Jimmy's side, I quickly tried to soothe my Granny who was practically frothing at the mouth and straining at the leash to attack. I thought I had her calmed down until she growled, "I want to meet that Marine - now!"
I can still recall Granny giving Jimmy her patented Japanese evil-eye glare as her line of questioning had me squirming. I was hoping and praying that Jimmy wouldn't freak out and disavow any involvement with me. Yet, to his credit and further increasing his value in my eyes, Jimmy withstood Granny's full-frontal assault without visibly flinching and truthfully responded to her inquiries while giving Granny her due respect.
Then to my complete amazement, Granny somehow ended up inviting Jimmy and then his entire class to our house that coming Saturday for a barbecue. This friendly overture, however, didn't prevent Granny from warning me in front of Jimmy, "Girl, you see this sweet-talking Marine? If you're not careful, one day he'll charm you right out of my panties." Although I was flabbergasted and expressed shock for that possibility had never crossed my mind. Still, I had to wonder what would make Granny utter such an odd prediction about Jimmy Romano...and me
That Saturday's class barbecue at Granny's was a blast. Jimmy's classmates and Granny hit it off immediately. As a former first sergeant's wife, Granny could be as raunchy she wanted, and soon had Jimmy's class members roiling with laughter and good times. However, to me, the most important thing about the whole affair was Jimmy and I gravitating towards each other, confirming that our initial interaction wasn't a fluke.
From what he told me about himself, I had finally found someone who was like me - someone who knew what it was like to be alone - someone to whom I could relate - someone with whom I could be honest and be just me. In the eyes of those who surrounded us, I was just a thirteen-year-old kid, but in Jimmy's warm brown eyes, I saw that I was a friend and an equal despite our age difference.
Jimmy teased me and I playfully swatted him but instead of pulling away, he gently nudged my shoulder. When I tried to bump him back, I realized that although lean, Jimmy was solid muscle and couldn't be moved. "Ow, Jimmy! No fair - you're all hard and stuff," I whined as my palm pushed him harder against him.
"Jeez, Jimmy's neat!" resounded the realization between my ears. "I finally have someone who makes me comfortable talking and joking." Then acting on a sudden impulse, I quickly kissed him innocently on the cheek to thank him for making my Granny so happy (and secretly me in the process). Jimmy just smiled warmly and then bumped me back jokingly.
For the rest of their squad leader training course, Jimmy and his classmates would drop at Granny's for some impromptu partying and welcomed downtime. With each ensuing encounter, Jimmy and I would somehow manage to sit next to each other, chumming around, joking, and getting to know each other better.
But I knew that we had caught the attention of his classmates given the number of side glances and hushed whispers. I could also tell that Granny was getting concerned about our developing relationship by the way her jaw was set and her eyes squinted at me as if sending me her mental warnings of displeasure.
However, the way I figured it Jimmy and I had done nothing wrong and whatever we had done had been "innocent." For once, I had someone like me and with whom I could relate. I didn't understand why people were getting concerned about us and why couldn't they just mind their own business. I mean when it came to me, Jimmy was straight as a fricking arrow - he was simply my friend as I was his. This mindset, however, put Granny and me on a collision course, and I found myself hauled into the kitchen after Jimmy's class had left our house.
