Let me tell you about the most romantic summer of my young
life. It was the beginning of summer and
I and my cousin Melinda had been running around together and having a great
time along with her and her boyfriend Billy. They were my good friends. They were trying to fix me up with some of
their girlfriends and it just never worked.
One day Melinda called me to tell me that her older sister’s daughter
was coming in town from San Diego, California, and she thought that I might be
able to hang out with them that summer to give us something to do together. So I went over that afternoon, after her
niece had arrived and I was astonished she was around our age and was a
stunning brunette and had a figure out of one of those teen model magazines. I couldn’t help but notice her beautiful eyes
and beautiful hair. I must have seemed
like a weirdo to her because I couldn’t keep from staring at her. She had the perfect name too, Wendy, and she
was intelligent and I don’t mean just smart, I mean that she was well educated
and knew way more than I ever hoped to.
We all sat around and talked about what to do that summer. We all
suggested some music concerts, so we put together a plan to see two of the
biggest names of that time. We were able
to get tickets and the concerts were later that summer.
We seemed to have a lot in common such as our
taste in music. Something just clicked.
We enjoyed, or at least, I enjoyed her company much more than anyone else I had
known at that time. For some reason and I
don’t remember exactly why or when, we were both talking, sitting side by side,
and we turned and looked at each other.
I had lost my zest for life at that time in my life and was somewhat
depressed. As I looked deep into her eyes, I saw a kindred soul, a zest for
life that sparked something inside of me and I kissed her and she kissed me
back. There was no turning back now. We felt something for each other, yes,
something more than just friends, something more than just second cousins, and
I know what you’re thinking. Believe me,
I thought it too! This was a love that was not meant to be and it couldn’t
be. It was like a never ending track in
my mind playing over and over again, she is your cousin but she is a second
cousin. I thought, well, it’s only going
to be for the summer but, boy, I hoped I was wrong. It seemed like it lasted
forever but yet it also seemed like it only lasted a day. Melinda, Billy, Wendy and I did everything
together that summer. We had picnics, we went to the movies, we drove to the
local parking spots but it was all very innocent. That’s not all that I remember. I remember a
sweet girl riding beside me in my little 1970 red VW Beetle. I was having the time of my life. The first concert we went to was Seals and
Crofts at Overton Park.
We sat in the grass beside the shell and listened to
music that I dearly loved at that time but I did not hear one song. I was not
listening to the music. I was looking
straight at her and listening to the aura that came from her enjoyment. Only one other time in my life would I
experience that feeling. You can imagine
how much fun we had together. It was like she was my best friend and my
confidant. Again, I have to tell you,
when I looked into her eyes, I melted into a serene place of happiness. We even
went to a family reunion together. I’m getting old now and I can’t remember
everything, but I can tell you everything we did was like the first time I had ever
done it in my life. I still was fighting
with myself over the fact she was my cousin and I am sure she was too. It’s not
like it was never done in our family’s, but society and other pressures made it
an
uncomfortable decision to fall in love with her. This may sound a little romantic but there
was no decision made, it just happened.
Her grandmother, my aunt, had no problem with our dating. She even told us that we made a cute couple
and she did know we were dating. We did
sappy things like hold hands and chase each other in the park. I’m not sure but I think I also pushed her in
a swing at the park. It was childish and
I know that, but I enjoyed being with her. If I could have, I would have put
her in a book and put her on my shelf so that I would be able to keep her
always and I would have. It was getting
close to the time that she would have to leave. Should I have begged her to say,
should I have move to San Diego? I just
couldn’t bear to think of it. We had a concert to go to and it was the Rolling
Stones
at the Liberty Bowl Stadium, but I didn’t enjoy that concert either. All
I could think about was that she was about to leave me. The day approached so fast, it was like I was
blindsided and she asked me not to go to the Airport and see her off. I agreed under protest and had no intentions
of not seeing her for the last time. I
went to her grandmother’s house to say goodbye and gave her roses and with
tears in my eyes, I kissed and hugged her and ran to my Volkswagen and drove away. She probably thought I drove home or
something, but I followed them to the Airport and watched as my cousins, my
aunt and uncle said their goodbyes. I
watched her go through the door to the ramp that went to her plane. I watched
it taxi and setup on the runway for takeoff and in just a few seconds I watched
it get airborne and I continued to watch till it was completely out of
sight. As I got in my Volkswagen and sat
down I thought “Oh my God, you can’t let this be goodbye”, but in my heart I
knew that it probably was the final goodbye and as it turns out, it was! I
don’t remember ever speaking to her again except once in 1978, though I did
try. I sent her cards and letters and
tried to call once or twice but I don’t remember getting an answer. I guess our union was always doomed and was
only meant to last that short summer.
But I will always remember that sweet wonderful soul. She made
an overwhelming impression on me,
you see she was my first mature love and, even to this day, I think extremely
fondly of her. To let you guys know how
much she meant to me, I named my daughter after her. As it turns out, my old saying that things
happen for a reason came true once more.
I had never known what real love was and she showed me. So when I met the wonderful lady that I’m
married to today, I knew it was real, thanks to Wendy.
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