First love & humiliation
The year was 1983; his name, James.

He had a thatch-like mop of straw-hued hair and a lazy eye, but to my five-year-old heart, he was beautiful.

And smart.

(At least compared to Tony, who didn't speak English, and could only write IOIOI OOOO IIOI (maybe he was trying to create some strange binary code?))

I had elaborate daydreams about him holding my hand and sharing my bed (but only AFTER we were married - I was a good Catholic schoolgirl!)

I drew a picture of the two of us together, complete with abstract hearts and the proclamation, "I Lov James".

Mum comes into the room, sticky-beaks over my shoulder and decides to give me one of only two pieces of relationship advice she's ever offered to me in 28 years:
"Oh, put an 'e' there. Mmm. You should take that for Show 'n' Tell tomorrow!"

"Good idea!" thinks I, since I never had anything cool for S&T, being kinda poor-like.

So, I proudly present my artistic declaration of affection to the class.

My teacher turned to him and joked,
"Well, James, looks like you'll have a new member in your family!"

Everyone chuckled.

He just sat there.

It slowly dawned that he would never marry me and join my friends & I playing 'The Goodies' in my backyard.

It's been downhill ever since ...
(Celerydemon, Thu 20 Oct 2005, 14:39, Reply)