by Tyra LaRocca

Created on: February 06, 2010   Last Updated: February 17, 2010

The day began like any other Saturday. Nothing special, but a loose plan to catch up on mundane errands. A beautiful shining sun and puffy clouds beckoned me to play hooky from the 'plan'.

To make the day more interesting, and delay the boring stops, I decided to drive a different route.  I stopped at a traffic light,  and like most weekends I noticed the numerous signs placed on the corners pointing the way to Open Houses nearby. 

This day I decided it might be a fun diversion to visit some houses. You know, get some decorating ideas. Driving through the neighborhood I passed a couple of ballooned abodes but felt drawn to a more understated 'by owner' home down the street.

Hoping the owner wouldn't hover or talk my ear off, I walked up the flower-trimmed brick walkway. Nice curb appeal. The sign on the door invited me to enter, so I paused inside, finally said, "Hello!" when nobody showed, and followed the scent of fresh baked cookies.

As I rounded the corner to the kitchen I nearly collided with the owner. We both offered apologies for our quiet movements. As I stepped back, I looked at the man whose house I was visiting merely to fill some time. My first impression was that he was pretty cute, in a twenty-something, guy-next-door kind of way.

Introductions were made, and as we shook hands the electrical charge that passed between us was unexpected and jolting. For a moment, or a minute, I'm not sure, time... just... stopped. We didn't, couldn't, break the grasp, but instead stared at each other.

The jumble of feelings and thoughts I was having was dizzying; pleasure, confusion, shock, joy- they just kept rolling over me in waves. I could tell he was feeling the same way, but we stayed silent and kept looking.

His eyes became the most beautiful deep pools of blue I had ever seen. I felt to my core that he could see who I was deep inside, and I became embarrassed. He only smiled. Then, so did I.

Finally, as we released our hands, I saw the ring. Suddenly, I felt the need to move away from this overwhelming sense of- of what? Something very good, I had never before felt so alive. And at the same time heartbreaking in its wrongness.

I mumbled something about looking around, and he responded with a quick invitation to any questions I might have.  I don't remember what the house looked like, and I really couldn't even smell the cookies any more. My heart was beating so loudly in my chest I was sure the neighbors could hear it. I needed to calm down. So I stared out one of the windows until I could breathe normally. Then I steeled my courage and made my way back to the kitchen.

There he was, clearly as shaken as I, and I dared not go near enough to touch him again. We looked at each other, and I told him he had a lovely home. He smiled, the most gorgeous smile I have ever seen, and my heart began to pound again.

He thanked me for stopping by, made no move toward me, so after a few last moments to memorize his face, I turned and headed to the door. Thankfully my legs carried me there successfully, slowly, through the molasses that seemed to have displaced the air all around me.

As I settled in to the driver's seat, my arm was still tingling, my heart still racing, and such joy welling up that I wanted to laugh or dance or cry. Maybe all three.

I drove away, finished my errands in a blur, but have never forgotten that day more than twenty years ago; the day I fell in love with just one touch.  With a man I never saw again, and never even caught his name.

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