First Kiss

The boy:

I remember his face being peony-red from the sun. His skin was exceedingly dark for he spent his days swimming in the ocean. He possessed an aura of intimidating conceit that I thought was thoroughly masculine. His eyes were hard like obsidian. He came from a poor family, but that did not make him look like less of a human being. His rigid petulance made me quiver inside which later on left a rush of delicious shame down my young bosom.

The girl:

I was this skinny girl who bordered on ugliness. I was awkward and timid for there was nothing appealing to my appearance. To make things even worse, I was an utter nincompoop most of the time. I wanted to look confident, but deep inside I was wallowing in self-pity. I knew boys thought I was too plain for a girl so they always regarded me as part of the gang, one of the boys. The girls, on the other hand, were meaner. They pretended I didn't exist.

It was summer of '87. The kids in our neighborhood were playing hide and seek under the fierce summer sun. While I was trying my damnedest to conceal myself behind a tree, I saw this boy (who was a friend of my brother) arrogantly strutting to where I was. Without a word of warning, he grabbed my hand and pulled me close to him. A spasm of mixed emotions gnawed me raw to the very core. I was terrified and thrilled at the same moment. With certainty he held my face with his calloused hands and planted a swift kiss on my trembling lips. It seemed to me like the world froze. Nothing stirred. A deafening silence followed, intensified by the slow, rhythmic rustle of the trees around us. I stared at him. I wanted to mutter something, but words failed me at that moment. I was stunned, confused, and pretty much disoriented. When I looked up, I saw him placidly studying me. And it was hard not to notice the slight smile of amusing distance on his lips.

Before I knew it, he was gone. And with his absence came an unexpected wave of happiness.

Even up to this day, the prolonged echo of that particular summer day of '87 still brings a smile to my face. What's odd is I do not even remember the name of that boy anymore.