So this is kind of a confession to something I did twenty-eight years ago. Even though I have been told not to worry about it, it still weighs on me - and yet when I tell the story, the few I've told all just shrug and say they understand. In any case, here is my tale.
I was 19 years old and just starting my sophomore year at a small liberal arts college in Connecticut. My friends and I lived in a small townhouse just off-campus. About a month into the school year, I received a phone call from my high school friend/crush Camilla. Camilla had just started as a freshman at a college in Boston and wanted to come for a visit.
Camilla and I had a fascinating history. She was a tall, thin, beautiful blonde goddess, and from the time I turned 15, I was captivated by her. She was not as interested in me, and we became friends instead of lovers. It saddened me, but I was okay with being friends with this gorgeous creature. The week before I left for my first year in college, we went out for dinner and a movie; when we said goodbye, I mentioned that I would not see her until December and did she want to give me a unique goodbye. I was hoping for a long, lingering hug; instead, she kissed me deeply, and as an 18-year-old virgin, who had never been kissed, it brought back to the forefront all my feelings of lust for her. But I left for college a few days later, ready for all the new experiences in college.
(As a small side note, when we went out for dinner and dessert over winter break, I found out later that she made sure she was eating something when I dropped her off at her house so I wouldn't try to kiss her.)
When I returned home the summer after my freshman year, Camilla had started dating Fred. Fred was a year older than me, had gone to high school with us, and also went to my college. Fred was an asshole and a very stuck-up musician who treated women like shit. At the start of the summer, as she started dating him, I warned her that he was a jerk, but she was utterly smitten with him and ignored me. I did not spend much time with her that summer as I didn't want to hang out with Fred, so we talked a few times, but for the most part, we kept away from each other, and there were other girls who enjoyed being flirty fun (and sometimes more) with me, so I spent my time hanging out with them.
About two weeks before we all went to college, Fred broke up with Camilla -- hard. I don't know the exact details, but basically, he told her that she was just a summer fling for him and he needed to be single back at college so he could take advantage of all the girls who threw themselves at asshole musicians. I never did hear from her about the break-up; she told a friend, and the friend told me. The friend also said she didn't want to talk to me because she knew I would say, "I told you so." Nonetheless, she called me right before college started, and we talked about a bunch of stuff and wound up going out to dinner. We never spoke about her relationship or Fred.
The phone call came about four weeks after classes started, we had talked a couple of times before this call, and I knew she was having a rough time at college.
"Hello," I said into the receiver.
"Hey Don, it's Camilla." She said in a soft voice.
"Hi Camilla," I said excitedly, "How are things going."
"Ummm... okay, I guess." She paused. "What are you doing this weekend?"
"Um... nothing, nothing much," I replied, "I think my housemates and I are going to a party at Beta Chi Friday night, maybe go see a play my friend is doing on Saturday. Why?"
"Would it be okay if I came up Friday afternoon and spent the weekend with you? I need to get out of Boston." She said.
And get closer to Fred was my first thought, but I dropped that because she was asking to stay with me, and maybe she just needed to get away.
"Yeah, sure. I'd be happy to have you." I said.
"Okay, great - thank you so much!" She replied with noticeable relief in her voice. "I'll be in on the 3:30 Peter Pan Bus on Friday. Can you meet me at the bus station?"
"Sure," I said. "Oh, we don't have any extra beds, so you'll need to bring a sleeping bag." As an afterthought and somewhat joking, I said, "Unless you want to sleep with me in my bed, it is a big bed."
"Yeah, if it's okay, I'll just sleep in your bed." She said.
All of a sudden, my blood pressure and heart rate increased, my palm started sweating, and I had this weird feeling in the pit of my stomach as I had visions of Camilla and me fucking on my futon.
"Of course!" I said, somehow sure that I would finally get to be with Camilla.
"I am really looking forward to this, Don. Thank you so much!" Camilla said, sounding relieved.
Friday could not come fast enough. I spent the next two days a sweaty, nervous mess. I cleaned my room four times; I primped, shaved, got a haircut, and bought cologne. I wasn't sure what would happen, but the fact that she said she would sleep in my bed seemed like a good sign.
Time crawled, but Friday eventually rolled around. I drove my car onto campus for my classes and then hung out until it was time for me to pick up Camilla. The bus arrived, and I watched every single person walk off the bus - none of them were Camilla. I was devastated. I drove the ten minutes back to my house, where I found a note from one of my roommates saying that Camilla had called; she missed the 3:30 bus and would be on the 4:30 bus. I went from despair to elation when I saw that message. So, now I had to wait thirty minutes before I could get in my car again to pick her up. If the last two days crawled along - these thirty minutes felt like an eternity.
Finally, I drove back to the bus depot and waited again. The 4:30 from Boston arrived, and while I was terrified that she missed this one and was not coming, she was one of the first people off the bus. I saw her before she saw me. She was wearing a pink sleeveless top and black shorts. Her long legs were tanned and gorgeous, and her long, dirty blond hair was pulled back in a ponytail. She looked around and saw me, and her face lit up with a smile as she jogged over to me and gave me a big hug.
"Oh my god, it's so good to see you." She said excitedly after our hug was over. We walked back to my car, and I offered to give her a driving tour of campus. We spent 10 minutes driving around campus, with me showing her the sights. I knew she would want to know where Fred lived, but I avoided that street altogether. After our tour, we stopped in the student center for a coffee and returned to my house.
Camilla, my housemates, and I ordered pizza, hung out, and chatted. I got super pissed at my housemate Allison, who told Camilla that she would not be coming home tonight and she could sleep in her bed. Camilla thanked her, but I hoped she would not take Allison up on the offer. Then we went out to Beta Chi for the party. They usually have great parties - good music, lots of liquor. But this evening, they were holding a more sedate party. The music was quiet, and there was beer and some pretzels but not much more. At one point, I was asked by some friends to check something out in another room, and I left Camilla with some of my friends and was gone for five minutes. When I came back, my friends were gone, and Camilla was sitting between two guys, and they were chatting her up. I went over and introduced myself - they were a couple of freshmen roommates, and they saw Camilla sitting alone and thought they would chat with her.
As the evening progressed and the party got lamer, my housemates and I decided we wanted to go home, but Camilla wished to stay and chat with the guys she had met. I told the guys where I lived and that I expected them to walk her back to my place, and they agreed, so my housemates and I went out for some coffee and then back to our house.
I have no idea when Camilla came back because she went right up to Allison's room and went to sleep, but I went to sleep at 1AM, so it was sometime after. I woke up around 10AM, and Camilla came into my room at about 10:30. She was wearing a loose-fitting tank pajama top and her underwear and sat on my bed, nursing a mug of coffee.
"So, what did you do last night after we left?" I asked.
"Oh, you know, just talked and hung out. Eventually, they asked me if I wanted to get stoned, so we went back to their dorm room." She said.
I was about to ask what time she got home when she put her hands over her face, bowed her head, and said, "I really wish I did not have such a memorable name."
"Huh," I was confused, "Why?"
I looked over at her, and she still had her head in her hands shaking. "Because they'll remember my name, and after what I did with them, they'll talk, and if I transfer here...."