The Date

At fourteen years of age, I still had never had a girl friend; in fact I had seldom talked to girls. They were mysterious, ethereal creatures beyond my reach. I saw them at school, of course, but I never had the guts to speak to them. They were sort of goddess like, aloof, unreachable, intriguing. Many of my buddies were starting to talk to them and a few even had taken them to the movies!

I knew that eventually I would have to associate with them, because they were half of the human race. I would fret about my social life until late into the night alone in my room. When I finally analyzed my feelings, I discovered that I wasn't afraid of them. I was afraid of rejection. That is why my stomach would do flip flops when I thought about being close to them. My hormones were dragging me out of boyhood toward manhood, but first, I had to cross the dangerous ocean of puberty.

Of course, I had my favorite girl, you know, the one I would talk to if I were going to talk to one. Her name was Laura Little. She was one of my classmates. She wasn't drop dead gorgeous, but she was pretty and quiet. Her body was still developing so she didn't have that coke-bottle figure yet. I was going nuts thinking about her. It occurred to me that if I didn't make a move on her soon, some other chump would come zooming in and she'd be gone.

Then one day in math class, I saw her looking at me. She didn't look away when I looked at her. She smiled. At me. I didn't know quite what to do so I smiled back. In the hall after class, she walked over to me.

"Hi Jason, how are you?"

I tripped over my tongue and muttered, "I'm fine, how about you?"

"Are you going to the football game Friday?" she asked.

Well, there it was. It was now or never. I was shaking inside as I said, "Yeah, I'm going. Would you like to go with me?" There! I was committed. I was sure she'd tell me to buzz off. There was no way I could weasel out now without revealing my inner cowardice.

"I'd like that," she replied. "Mom will take us. We'll pick you up at 5:00 o'clock. Okay?"

I worried all the way home. What had I done? My tranquil world now had an invader. Worse, I had invited her! I didn't have a clue as to how to treat a girl. I knew that she already knew everything. I decided to talk to the only girl I trusted.

"Mom, I have a date Friday night," I moaned.

"Well Jason, you're coming out of your bomb shelter huh?" she joked.

"This isn't funny mom. I've never dated a girl before. I don't know what I'm supposed to do."

"I guess that means you want a dating lesson."

"Well yeah, I don't want to scare her. Come to think of it, I don't want to scare me either. What am I going to do?'

"Son, you treat her like a lady. Go very slowly. Don't rush into anything and don't make any sudden moves. Some girls are very shy and you may scare her. Just hold her hand and talk to her. Be honest with her. Ask her about herself and her family. Don't talk too much. By the way, how are you getting there?"

"Her mom's gonna take us. Meeting her scares me too. What if she doesn't like me?"

"You worry too much. Don't think about the negative things. If you believe her mom will like you and you are polite, she will like you. Mom's want their daughters to have fun and date boys."

"Really? I always thought of them as a major barrier to be overcome. But I really like Laura. She's quiet and kind of shy."

She's probably just as nervous as you are. Treat her right and you'll be okay."

"Thanks mom. I still don't have much faith in this, but I'll try it. What if she doesn't like me?"

"Don't be such a worry wart! She likes you or she wouldn't have agreed to go with you. Just go and have a good time."

As Friday approached I developed all sorts of mysterious ailments, but mom wasn't hearing it. She was gonna toss me out of the nest. By Friday afternoon I had resigned myself to my fate. If I backed out now, I'd look like the biggest chicken in the state. After school I took two showers, just to be sure. I spent thirty minutes picking out clothes, something I never did before. At five on the dot, mom kissed me on the cheek and held the door for me.

Laura was sitting in the back seat. I opened the front door. Her mom gave me 'the look' and I clambered into the back with Laura. She scooted over next to me and held my hand. Chills ran up and down my spine. I looked at her, panic-stricken.

She smiled at me and said, "Hi, Jason, are you ready for the game?"

"Uh, yeah, I guess," I mumbled.

"Jason, I know you are nervous. Well, I am too but we can have a good time if we just relax."

She slumped against me and wrapped her arm around mine. I couldn't believe the electricity it generated and how good it felt. No wonder those other guys walked around with a goofy grin on their faces. They were happy! Who'd a thunk it?

"You kids have a good time," her mom said as we got out of the car. "I'll pick you up around nine."

Laura and I strolled hand in hand into the bleachers. We sat way up high in back of almost everyone. She still had an arm-lock on me but I didn't care. I liked it!

We chatted softly as the games wore on. She was a lot easier to talk to than I thought she would be. As nine o'clock approached, I suddenly didn't want to go home. She helped put my arm around her shoulders. Our eyes locked together and she suddenly kissed me on the lips. It wasn't one of those Hollywood deep soul kisses, but it was just right for me.

"I like you a lot Laura. Would you go to the movies with me next Saturday?"

"Oh, yes! I really like you too. I think mom likes you. I can't wait until Saturday."

We walked arm in arm out to the street just as her mother pulled up. We got in the back seat. Her mom smiled at us.

"Did you have a good time?" she queried.

"I never had a better time in my life!" I blurted.

"Yes mom, we had a great time. Jason wants to take me to the movies next Saturday. That'll be alright, won't it?"

She kissed me again when we got to my house. I floated up the stairs into my bedroom.

"Well, was it the flop you so dreaded?" mom asked as I got ready for bed.

"Mom, I had the best time of my life. I'm taking her to the movies next Saturday. Will you drive us?"

"No problem son."

The dreaded date was over. I knew there would be many more. My ship had sailed from the harbor of boyhood and I was now on my way to maturity.