Tuesday, June 7, 2011

Summer of '90: a short story (GBE2 Week #3)

This week's topic for GBE2 is Lost and Found. (Note to readers:  Blogger is giving me a really hard time setting up this blog.  Paragraphs are not separated where they should be.  I've tried to fix it three times with no success.  I hope you enjoy this anyway *smiles*)

It was hot.  The kind of hot that made you feel as though, any minute, you’d melt and end up being a puddle on the ground.  The trees overhead weren’t really providing much shade and every step they took through the woods was agony.

God, she hated nature.  Trees, grass, dirt….you name it….she had no use for it.  She was city born—raised amongst the hustle and bustle—and she didn’t really understand the appeal of hiking.  She could appreciate the beauty of nature from a distance but today, having it right in her face and under her feet, was almost more than she could stand.

But he’d promised her that a beautiful spot awaited them.  A secluded location deep in the woods complete with a small waterfall that emptied into a bubbling stream.  A quaint little stream that flowed beneath a small stone bridge.

It sounded so lovely.  She could picture it already.  Laying the blanket down in the lush green grass, snuggling in next to the boy she loved and making love for the first time as the water gurgled past them.  Just the two of them.

Alone.

It would be just like the movies….only better because it was happening to her.
But they weren’t alone.  They had two friends tagging along.  Going off alone into the woods would just seem so...obvious.  They didn’t want to advertise their intentions…but the two friends were well aware of what was supposed to be taking place and they planned to disappear once they arrived at the special destination.
If they ever arrived there!  It was taking forever to get there. Every few minutes he assured her that it wasn’t much further.  He’d encourage her by telling her how pretty it was there and how much she was going to love it. 

She had a sneaking suspicion that they were lost but he was never going to admit it—sixteen year old boys are always think they’re right about everything!
On and on they went…the heat and humidity was like a wet blanket pressing down on them.  Sweat poured off of her body in what felt like gallons.  She hated the heat just as much as she hated nature.

Where the hell was this so-called special place?  Why did it feel like hours since they’d left the common areas of the park?
Why exactly was she doing this?
Oh yeah…she was in love. 

But more importantly, she wanted to get this business of losing her virginity over and done with.  All her life, people told her she wasn’t pretty.  Boys never wanted to date her.  Girls told her that she’d never be as pretty or desirable as they were.  It seemed like everyone she knew had been in relationships except her.  They’d held hands and kissed and hell, most of them had gone all the way too. 

Nobody had ever even wanted to hold her hand….until this boy.  And she wanted to show him just how much that meant to her.
She didn’t feel pressured.  But it felt like it was something she should do.  She felt like it would somehow transform her into something better….something special….something more.
None of that was ever going to happen if they didn’t find that damn bridge!
They didn’t find that bridge…not until years later.  But they separated from their friends and laid that blanket down in an open field.  They were hot and sticky….exhausted from walking so far.  They were both nervous and scared.  Neither one of them really wanted to go through with it….maybe a different day would have been better…maybe in a bed….in a room with air conditioning or at least a fan….in a place without a thousand mosquitos making them lunch…maybe when they were a little older…maybe longer than a month into their courtship......
But neither of them wanted to disappoint the other. 

They stripped out of their bathing suits and laid down together.  And when it was over, she couldn’t for the life of her,  understand what all the fuss about sex was.
The loss of her virginity never bothered her.

But rather, what she found out that day.
Five minutes with the boy she loved didn’t change anything.
She wasn’t better.  She didn’t feel extra special.  She didn’t feel like she was…more.
She was still the same person walking out of the woods that she was when she walked in.
And it would take many more years before she realized just how special she was.

13 comments:

  1. You're such a very special women. You have made me the man I am today. Love you dearly.

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  2. Awww... darn. No fairy tale. <-- just being snarky.

    What a great write. She is so real. I felt the heat and could follow her mind-set. Hell I've been there, well not exactly the same but you know what I mean. <3

    ~chickee

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  3. I'm glad you realized how special you are!

    www.kateescapenj.blogspot.com

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  4. Damn, you really are wonderful. Great write and really great ending. Loved this!

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  5. This is sad...and a lesson that many young girls have had to endure unfortunately...

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  6. Another very daring and personal post! Well done!

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  7. i am speechless...doesn't happen often ((hugs)) if you haven't written a short story, had it published etc...it won't be long now : )

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  8. You know...how many times have young girls ever found that bridge and that waterfall and then felt that something more afterwards? (metaphorically speaking). I don't think very many.

    I loved this because it was real...thanks for sharing.

    And I'm glad you realized how special you were later on... Cheers, Jenn

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  9. This was a great story. I'm sure a lot of girls feel this way.

    I'm your newest follower.

    Joyce
    http://joycelansky.blogspot.com

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  10. Wow, well done. That about sizes sex up in a nutshell, although every once in a while it rocks you to your toes! Well done!!

    Kathy
    http://www.thetruckerswife.com/

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  11. Pretty sure most people, if they were honest, would agree - What the heck is all the fuss about, especially the first time. However, it gets a lot better with age and experience, so maybe we should save the question for when we have our socks blown off and can really answer it *chuckle* Excellent post :)

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  12. I could picture this whole scenario. Great writing.

    My Lost and Found GBE 2 blog is here: http://helpforsingleparents.blogspot.com/2011/06/lost-and-found-teachers-who-kill-their.html

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  13. Thank you everyone for their wonderful comments. It means so much to me that everyone is enjoying my posts! :)

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