FIRST KISS

There are certain events in our lives we remember vividly . Some may differ with each individual. However there is one memory that I think everyone can recall in detail and that is the first kiss. Age, place, circumstances are all different and unique to each person, but that first one is burned in our minds. It was our first foray into adult hood and how we looked at just about everything changed.


I stuck my first toe in the waters of adult hood at the grand age of ten. We had moved to Key West and I entered my only time of extreme popularity. I peaked early. While I had a ton of boyfriends that year, I was still in the never been kissed category.

Because I was totally horse crazy, I constantly scoured the small island in search of large four legged creatures. There weren't many but that didn't stop me. It was an endless, urgent quest. This was just before I got my first pony so I was still on the prowl.


My new friend Shirley ( I was no longer allowed to play with Alice) and I had just ridden our bikes 3 miles after school to visit a rather sad looking mule. That was close enough to being a horse for me. As we were coming back home, Shirley said she knew where a pony was so we made a slight detour.

Sure enough, there in a sectioned part of a garage behind a small house was a tiny Shetland pony. If you know Shetlands you know they have nasty dispositions. They just don't like people. Nice wasn't a requirement for me. Four legs with hooves attached, mane, and tail were the only necessities.


I was admiring Skippy the pony who had just tried to bite me, when his owner came out to see what we were doing. Shirley knew Danny and introduced us. Danny didn't go to our school but went to the Catholic boy's school and Shirley knew him from church. He was tall, had wavy blond hair, a beautiful smile and a face sprinkled with freckles. I was moon struck the minute I saw him.


It was almost past time for me to be home for supper but when Danny suggested we play hide and seek, I agreed. Danny hid his eyes first and Shirley and I scrambled to find a hiding spot. I crawled under a car to hide and listened. He soon found Shirley but couldn't find me. Gravel was digging into my back and I was hoping he would hurry. It was hot and greasy smelling under there. Finally he found me and helped me to crawl from under the car.


Gently he brushed the gravel from my back. This was a very simple act but it was the first gentle touch I had received from a boy. Most experiences up till then involved young men unable to show a girl he liked her without some sort of mild violence. You know the drill, pulling your pigtails, tripping you on the play ground, that sort of awkward, sometimes painful affection from young men who haven't added "smooth" to their resumes yet.


Danny was very smooth and we talked till it started getting dark. Both Shirley and I knew we were probably in trouble with our parents so we started towards home. I was thrilled when Danny insisted on going with us. He was smitten also but I am afraid he only saw me home. Shirley lived beyond me and was on her own.


My parents were worried sick. Parental fear quickly turns to anger when the wayward child appears unhurt. I was grounded to my block for a week and Danny was not allowed to come on our block. For that week, Danny stood on curb across the street every afternoon and we shouted across the traffic to each other about how unfair parents were.


As soon as the week was over, we spent every minute not in school together. We went to the Saturday matinees and held hands in the balcony. That made him my first date I guess. Usually Danny brought his gang of followers with him when he came to see me. He had 6 loyal boys that followed him everywhere. Today we would call them his posse.


One of our favorite games to play was Roy Rogers and Dale Evans. Roy(Danny) always saved Dale (me) from some terrible fate (Indian massacre or kidnapped by outlaws) and he would then propose marriage. I always accepted and Bubba, one of Danny's friends would play the preacher. The rest of his gang were the congregation.


Bubba did a respectable job as preacher. He certainly got lots of practice. Every day, after Bubba preformed his duties as the minister, he would say, "You may now kiss the bride." Now in the movies Roy only kissed his horse, but that didn't stop our make believe. However,I chickened out every time.

This went on for a week, each time I would think I could but then would wimp out. Finally one day Danny had it and just grabbed me by the shoulders and roughly planted a big wet one on me. Yuck. Pretty sure I wiped my mouth on my shirt as the boys ran down the street "whoo hooing". So that was what it was all about?? Pretty disgusting if you would have asked me at that moment. Sweat, slobber and grit totally underwhelmed me.


That night Danny called and wanted me to meet him. I agreed and it was a fresh, soapy smelling Danny that showed up. We walked across the street to the Naval officer's club and went to the palm surrounded tennis courts to sit on a bench. The moon was so full it was almost daylight and a warm tropical breeze kept the mosquitoes at bay. Soft music drifted out of the officer's club.


Danny apologized and said he shouldn't have grabbed me like that. He shyly asked if he could kiss me again to show me it could be nice. Well I was no longer a "kiss virgin" so I said OK. This time he was very gentle, non slobbery or gritty. I found it amazing and I could taste his minty fresh breath. There was no posse this time, just the two of us. While pretend Roy may have broken the kiss barrier earlier, I consider that sweet kiss, my first.


And yours???