by Rebecca Blades

Created on: January 04, 2007   Last Updated: May 14, 2007

It was November 1963. John Kennedy had been assasinated the day before.
Still, we had sold our house in Rochester, New York and had to move along with our things! We arrived in the little town of Monroe, Connecticut about one in the afternoon. Mom and Dad were anxious to hook up the TV and watch the news about
President Kennedy. I wanted to see my room!

I was ten. Hardly old enough to comprehend the end of innocence for our nation. More likely to contemplate if anyone on this street was my age, or would be in my class in the new school.

Before an hour had passed a knock on the door called me out of my room. A
tow-headed, blue eyed boy stood smiling at us all. He had on a bright red sweater.
So did I. He was about my age I guessed. I asked. He was eleven. Too bad he was a boy.

Next day, lunchtime, in comes Harry like a friendly puppy called in for the night. We sat and ate boiled hot dogs and chips. Harry pulled my braids. I giggled. Hmmmm. He's a boy.

Winter flowed through spring, and cycled back through the seasons to winter again six times.

I am sixteen. Dressed in my first prom gown. It is my birthday. My stomach has butterflies flitting as I dab my face with "Angel Face" powder. A knock at the door makes me giddy. Harry is here. "I took one hundred baby steps from my house to yours," he says.

Fairytales cannot compare. Insix years we had grown from friends, to confidantes, from tom-boy and real boy, to first love for both. Blossoms of childhood friendship opened wide as the corsage he pinned to my dress.

That night, he brushed his lips against mine. Officially our first kiss,
off center though it was. He said "I promise to marry you one day."

Reflections. At seventeen we moved again, this time to Massachusetts.
Promises were made, promises were broken. At twenty-one I drove my fiance' down to Monroe to show him where I used to live. Harry, still the nextdoor neighbor
pulled up as we were parking. He introduced me to his fiance'. SHe and I held out our hands. We had the identical ring on. Yes. That is only right.

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