Wednesday, March 23, 2011

#162-TOO TALL FOR ROMANCE







This is the only picture I have of us.  As you
                 can tell we had a very close relationship (he is the one in
                the hat and I am the one with the stringy hair at the back).
           I was 9, he was 10 and we spent a lot of time looking at
 comic books together.   






All of us face many small and large disappoint-ments throughout our life.  However, when a teenager, these disappoint-ments become “end of the world” type events.

One such disappointment happened to me the summer before my junior year in high school.  I had been writing to my child hood sweetheart for a couple of years, but I had not seen him since we were pre teens.




His letters were so sweet and I thought (no I knew) I WAS I in love with him.  So, that fateful summer I visited my relatives in Missouri with every intention of declaring my undying love for him and throwing myself into his arms.  After all, the senior picture of him was gorgeous and I had been touting his MANY fine attributes to my friends.

I took a train from my grandmother's house to the train station in Kansas city where he was going to meet me.  I was all dressed up in a white suit, my hair was piled on top of my head (as was the style at the time) and I had on high heels.  I had done my best to look like Betty Grable, but in fact I Probably looked more like Doris Day. 
   He wasn’t there when I first arrived so I took a seat in the main terminal, I saw him as he entered the main door and knew immediately that there was a problem.  You see, most of the people walking by towered over him.  I nervously watched him approach and then I stood up.  My chin came to the top of his head.
  Call me shallow, but I fell out of love so fast that when heart hit my feet my arches hurt.  I was sure I was going to pass out.  Quickly, I said, “Boy do my feet hurt,” and slipped out of my shoes.  Nope, didn’t help much. 
Nope, not even for Tom!
I developed a sudden attack of severe curvature of the spine. Dropping my shoulders I did my best imitation of Quasimodo.  Nope, only lost another inch.
You see, he had stopped growing at around 5 foot. I was over 5’6” tall and very slender which made me appear taller (not to mention the hair that extended upward another 5 inches).
What had started out as a romantic meeting of two teenagers destined for true love turned into an embarrassing moment that sent me into shock.  Neither one of us could just turn around and walk away.  I was supposed to be staying with his mother and sister for the weekend; and then my parents were to pick me up.
It was an embarrassing situation, but we both got through it somehow. You would have thought he could have mentioned his Lilliputian tendencies in one of his many letters.   Men!  I had a lot to learn.


I HAVE HAD IT, TRYING TO GET THE PARAGRAPHS TO INDENT PROPERLY.  I KEEP HAVING ALL KINDS OF MECHANICAL PROBLEMS ON THIS THING (C.R.A.P at work again).  SO, IT'S POSTING, AS IS!      kt 3/2011