My wife Linda and I have known each other most of our lives. We grew up in the same small town living less than a quarter of a mile from each other. We went to the same schools together starting with kindergarten.
In most stories of this type I would be telling you how she humiliated me at the Prom or how I saved her chastity at a wild party. Unfortunately for this story none of that stuff ever happened to us. Linda and I were never friends in High School, but then again we were never enemies either. That doesn't mean I never noticed Linda. She was always the best looking girl in the school and everybody noticed that.
She never turned me down for a date, but I never asked. I would have if I thought I had a chance, but Linda was a cheerleader and dated the jocks. I was on the track team and worked stage crew for the Drama Club. Our High School graduating class was just under one hundred students, not a very large school so we all knew each other pretty well after 13 years.
My name is Matt Dodson, just an average guy about six feet tall. Brown hair, brown eyes, like I said, average. I have a sister Betty that is a couple of years older than I am and we both work in the hardware store that my father owns in town.
I dated a few girls in High School but I was still a virgin when I went off to college. I was accepted to a State College 100 miles from home. I planned on a being a business major so I could run the family store. A had my own car when I headed off to school and dorm life. There were a few of my old classmates at college and one of them was Linda.
I was having lunch in the campus center about two weeks into my first semester when Linda sat down at my table.
"Hi Matt, how are things going?"
"Pretty good Linda, how are you doing?" I was wondering why she was talking to me. Remember I told you we never had been friends.
"Not bad...not bad...I do have one problem I was hoping you could help me with."
I waited.
"I understand you have a car and I was hoping I could catch a ride with you back home sometimes." Linda was a little nervous asking me for the favor. "I can help you with gas money!" She quickly added.
"Gas is no problem Linda. I won't cost me any extra to have a passenger. I plan on going home most weekends so I can help out at the hardware store."
"That's great Matt, but I insist on helping with gas money. It's the least I can do!"
We made arraignments to get together after our last class on Friday. A couple of hours with a beautiful girl in my car was not too hard to take. We probably talked more in that ride than we had in all the years I had known her. After that day we made the ride home together pretty much every week. Home Friday afternoon and then back to school late Sunday. After a few weeks Linda asked if we could go back early Monday mornings instead of Sunday.
"We can give it a try if you want to do the driving. I'm no good early in the morning. Linda readily agreed. On Monday mornings I would drive to her house early and move around to the passenger seat, lay it way back and try to nap. I even brought a pillow. We would stop for coffee near school so I could join the world again.
It was early November when I took a chance and asked Linda to go to a Drama Club play with me. I had worked making the sets but was not on that productions crew. Freshmen get last choice. Linda said "Yes, great!" And I started breathing again. The play went well so I asked her to a basketball game on campus and things went pretty well again. No kiss at the end of the night however. And no, I didn't even try.
We were driving back to school the Monday after Thanksgiving when it happened. I was lying on my side watching her drive. She looked great! Her blond hair was in a ponytail and she was wearing the deep red lipstick that suits her so well. Not many girls used those strong lipstick colors but on Linda they looked good. Kind of 1950's retro if you know what I mean. Mostly I was watching her breasts. Like most guys I just loved that part of a woman. Hers were nice and large, but not too large. Perfect!
"I like you" I said. It took me about half a second to realize I had said it out loud. Shit, what if I get shot down! I held my breath and waited.
"I like you too Matt." She said with a smile.
Wow!
I took a chance and went for it. "In that case would you go out on a date with me?"
"We have been on two dates Matt, the play and the game." She was having a little fun with me.
"I mean a real date Linda. The kind where we kiss at the end."
"Yes Matt, we can go on a 'kiss at the end' date."
We went on that date and we did kiss at the end. We kissed a LOT at the end! I was in heaven. By Christmas we were going steady and I finally got layed that next Valentine's Day. Flowers DO work! It was not Linda's first time, I imagine some football player got there before me, but what can you do.
Things were going fantastic until one Saturday in May when I went to the mall in the next town with my sister. Betty was living with her fiancΓ© and the wedding was in a few weeks. Betty dragged me into Victoria's Secret to get some honeymoon wear. I got very embarrassed pretty quickly, she is my sister after all, TMI. So I waited near the front of the store. When we left the store Betty was laughing and teasing me and trying to get me to look in the bag.
Suddenly Linda was in front of me "Bastard!" She said as she laid a two by four upside my head, knocking me to the ground. Betty swears it was only Linda's open hand that slapped my face, but I think she got it wrong somehow. Just after hitting the ground I received "Asshole!" as she kicked me in the nuts.
Linda disappeared as quickly as she had appeared. Just like the witch in that Oz film. Betty thought it was all pretty funny until she saw me try and walk. "Was that your new girlfriend Linda?" She asked me.
"Yes." I responded an octave higher than usual. I think they call it called falsetto.
"Pretty girl, why didn't you introduce us?" Betty giggled. Very Funny!