|
By Jon Date: 2002 Jan 11 Comment on this Work [[2002.01.11.05.30.19271]] |
|
I grew up in the heart of suburbia...literally. Kids sold lemonade on the side of the street during those warm summer days, families put up lost signs when they lost their family pet, and when a new family moved into the neighborhood the entire community was outside watching and waiting for the opportunity to greet them. My friends and I even formed clubs and built tree houses and pretended to not care about grabbing the attention of the neighborhood girls, and the girls pretended to not care either, even though we constantly harassed them. You can say, that I had a great, nurturing, and wonderful childhood...okay so I was spoiled. Maybe that's why I'm such a brat. Anyway, one summer a new family moved in next to us. Of course, the entire neighborhood was there to welcome and greet them. My friends and I sat on a hill adjacent to the house watching the movers place the furniture in the two-story, three car garage, family dream home. The couple had just come from the heart of New York City and they were looking for a little relief from the hustle and bustle of city life in a small southern California neighborhood. They had one daughter and her name was Emily, she was seven and I was nine. She was Korean and had long dark brown hair all the way down to her shoulders and a pretty face that lit up whenever she would smile. But the other boys pretended to not like her, so, I did the same. My mother instantly fell in love with her, I guess it was because she never had a daughter of her own, so, my mom would constantly invite her over to play with me. My mom would force me to stay home and play with her or else I would have to take her out with me to play with the rest of the boys. So I opted to stay home, and I would tell my friends that I was practicing karate and Emily was the punching bag I was using. At first I dreaded playing with Emily, but eventually I liked playing with Emily, actually, I loved playing with Emily. Girls are just a lot more fun to play with sometimes, I guess it was because I didn't have to act so macho all the time around her like I did with the boys. Emily constantly stared at me and mimicked everything and anything I did. I guess I was too young to realize it, but she had a crush on me. One day while Emily and I were playing outside, she fell and bruised her ankle, I ran over to her and started to blow air on her ankle as I was taught by mom to do in critical situations like these. And that's when Emily grabbed my shirt and pulled me in close enough to see the pupils of her eyes. She looked me right in the eye and said, "Jon, I like me better around you." I would have kissed her if I knew how, but that is a childhood moment I will never forget. Sometimes when I'm with you, I'm reminded of how when I used to play with Emily. I don't have to pretend to be anyone else, I can just be myself and have fun. I can let go of all my defenses and just let you in to play and I love that about you. When I'm with you I'm like a kid again with absolultley not a care in the world, I can let go and be free and just be young again when I'm with you. I guess... I just like me better around you. |