My First Crush

I'm sitting here watching an old Lifetime movie while T and J nap in the rocking chair. What a perfect afternoon. And, the perfect time to catch up on a meme.

Lori from Teacher Turned Mommy tagged me for 7 things about me (NOTE--I decided to focus this one on a specific situation--first crush, since I'm thinking/hoping to get tagged for this meme again!):

1. I had a killer crush on a guy (nicknamed "Italian Stallion"--I know, lame, but I was 14). He was a bodybuilder, rode a cool motorcycle, and hung out with a group that included the school "studs"--I use this term loosely, and this chubby, nerdy guy (he didn't quite fit with the rest of them--he was more about hitting the books than hitting the gym). I did some crazy things to get his attention . . .

2. I pretended to love mopeds so that he'd show me how to fix them. Yeah, I said fix. I have no idea what he showed me, but I'll never forget the way his sweaty Bruce Springsteen t-shirt clung to his body.

3. I stalked him. I would ride by his house on my bike. With friends. Without friends. A few times I rode by with one of my sisters in the baby seat in back. My mom even got into it a few times when she drove by, me crouched down in the passenger seat, in her minivan. We won't even get into how many times I "called" him . . .

4. The Stallion broke my heart when he showed up at the mall holding hands with a skanky blond girl. I don't know if she as skanky or not, but when you are only 15 and your heart is broken and another girl is the cause, she can't possibly be anything else.

5. The crush died the day after prom. Why, you ask? Well, I finally got the nerve to ask him out. I was 17! Yes, the crush had already lasted three years! That is, like, forever, like, you know! Well, we went to prom together, my prom, mind you. I [parents] paid for everything, including the limo. That's OK. It was my dream. I primped for hours, no, days preparing for my dream date. He showed up in a white tux (not cool), flexing his muscles, and playing with his hair. He proceeded to make fun of my friends, dance like John Travolta on the dance floor (cool in the 70s, not so much in the 90s), and give a running commentary on the attractiveness of the other couples the rest of the night. At the end of the evening, after insulting the limo driver for not knowing how to drive, he took me to his parent's house where he proceeded to leave me in the living room with his mom--we watched The Tonight Show together, while he went and played video games in the other room. (I'm thinking I might have to post a prom pic for a Wordless Wednesday . . . )

Obviously, regardless of my pretty pink, lacy dress, sparkling earrings, perfect tousled hair, and pink pearly polished toenails, it tanked. I can't fault him. Apparently, I was in "love" with the idea of Him--the perfect Him. He was really nothing like what I thought. And, the kiss. Ick. Yuck. Nothing like what I have imagined. There was no music playing or fireworks. My heart didn't go pitter patter and my toes didn't even curl--one bit. The crush was over as fast as it had begun.

6. Stallion and I remained friendly. I attended one of his parties the following summer and met an interesting guy. He was the chubby, nerdy guy that Stallion and his stud muffin buddies hung out with. We had a great conversation about school (he was in the engineering program) and how much he really didn't seem to fit in with Stallion and his buddies. Now, this chubby, nerdy guy was no longer chubby. He wasn't really nerdy, either--though smart (valedictorian, Merit scholar, Presidential scholar--good grief!). Quite honestly, I thought he was pretty darned good looking.

7. About a year later I met Stallion's girlfriend, Natalie, and we became the best of friends (one of the best things to come of that crush!). He hated it (turns out he had a nasty ego problem), especially since we shared stories about him (none that were all that flattering). She wanted us to go out as couples, but I had sworn off dating. She persisted and asked if there were any of Stallion's friends that I liked enough to go with "as friends." I said NO, thinking of all of Stallion's "studly" friends. BUT, then I quickly remembered the formerly chubby, intelligent guy I met at his party a year ago. Natalie set it up and within weeks I officially met T . . . we dated for four years . . . we got married . . . we had little J. Funny how things work out, huh?

I guess the moped lesson, the time spend stalking, and the wasted pink pearly polish were worth it after all!

Feel free to take this modified meme and share your first crush stories . . .