First Kiss- Almost

What was your first kiss like? This has to be one of my favorite questions to ask people. It usually gets a smirky smile and a good story. When people ask me, I usually end up telling them about my almost first kiss. To me, that was the better story and greater life lesson. His name was Mitch Belker and I had watched him from much further than face to face during most of Jr. High. He was cute, kind and tall. But he was dating some southern belle named Sammy and they would smooch very much in public. Mostly during recess in the "square". We'd either walk around the circumference, arms linked, or sit in the middle of at those multicolored tables made of metal where the seat bench is permanently attached. There Mitch & Sammy would sit, kissing it up and holding hands. They looked really happy.

And then, Sammy moved away and I moved in. I was surprised Mitch took notice of me but we started hanging out end of the school year and by summer we were "going together". This was one of the greatest summers of my life. Not only because I was about to begin High School but because I was smack dab in the middle of my first summer romance. It was like a happy John Hughes ending every day and we were just holding hands! We'd go to the beach and lay there on our backs looking up at the sky talking about nothing and everything and the whole time I had butterflies in my stomach cause he was casually stroking my wrist with his thumb as we held hands.

One evening, we were walking home from the movies and a couple blocks before we got to my house he stopped me and kind of leaned me up against a wall. He paused there and looked right straight into my eyes. And I don't know what I was thinking, honestly can't remember. All I know is, when he leaned in to put his lips on mine, out of my mouth came these words, "I just want you to know, I've never been kissed before".

At the time I believe my motivation was purely educational. I thought it appropriate and important Mitch understand that he was about to kiss lips that had only been touched by family members and popsicle sticks. It wasn't until later, years later that I understood my declaration to be the subconscious self preserving act that it was. I wasn't ready to be kissed. And it worked. Mitch (god bless him- and I don't really mean for god to bless him) pulled away from me and sort of looked at me with his head cocked to the side, grabbed my hand and we continued walking. He was a gentleman. Never tried to kiss me again but didn't ditch my ass either.