Date Night

Though I'm not sure why I have this photo, I remember this moment vividly. My mom took this photo as I got ready for my first (fully approved) date, though now that I do the math, it definitely didn't fit the rule, so I'm going to assume that I blocked the screaming and yelling and pouting that preceded this moment. My hair was courtesy of a temporary hair dye, Deep Apricot, a split second decision I'd regret later, and those curls were most likely covering the small stubs of hair left over on one side after I'd turned my "curling brush" all the way up to my scalp only to realize that scissors were the only way out.

The purpose of this memory is not just the date though, it's the moment of my first real kiss. It was a romantic setting, of course, me and my beloved along with maybe six of our friends enjoying the release of another timeless film (obviously my youthful dates show a trend). Midway through Twister, in a theater dark enough to somehow convince me that no one else, not even the people behind or beside me, could see me (another cringe moment). I was ready, and though nervous, everyone reassured me this was no big deal, nothing to worry about. Just as we fumbled towards each other and the very minute we kissed, a minute I'd never forget, it happened. You're thinking "kiss" and I'm wondering if you've seen the movie, because if you have you'll remember the moment, full of suspense, when the storm is full speed and the landscape and objects are spinning through the air. Everyone in that theater's heart was racing, wondering if the cast would survive, and I, in my own little world, heart also pumping, wondering if I would survive, and just before we could catch our breath a cow flies mooing across the screen. I remember the theater's gasp, the giggles of my friends, but mostly I remember my date's "ouch" as I realized our first kiss was more of a moment than either of expected as I bit hard as I jumped from fright at the unexpected bovine calling out from the screen.

I remember wanting to die, considering the stealth move of slipping from my chair to the floor, down the aisle, out the door. I stayed, we both stayed, and now I'm much less mortified and much more amused. It's amazing how forgiving teenage boys can be...