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It was a tale of high school, a teenage crush, and my love for candy.
That was my real introduction to M&Ms.
The note (no book)
It kind of started in an odd way.
It kind of started in an odd way.
It was Grade 12, I was tired every morning, and depressed over this girl I liked who I was pretty sure didn’t like me.
My locker was on the second floor of our high school, not too far from my first class of the morning. I took to sitting on the floor in front of my locker, and waiting for the bell to ring.
One day, right after class started, I got this note passed to me. It was from a girl named Mal, who was extending an invitation to talk.
I never took her up on that, because I was really just too shy and paralyzed with indecision.
The crush
Still, that note set my heart aflutter and my teenage mind buzzing. I asked around about her, and started looking for her in school. One day after school, I was sitting on the school bus waiting to go home, and was looking out the window. A friend of mine was walking past with Mal and that friend said, “Hi Rob.” Then Mal said, “Hi Rob.”
Still, that note set my heart aflutter and my teenage mind buzzing. I asked around about her, and started looking for her in school. One day after school, I was sitting on the school bus waiting to go home, and was looking out the window. A friend of mine was walking past with Mal and that friend said, “Hi Rob.” Then Mal said, “Hi Rob.”
I even went to a house party she was at, but blew a chance to talk to her by giving her a ride home (This episode is detailed in an earlier post called “Human League at the House Party).
Through it all, I never talked to her directly, beyond saying hi in the hallway or at class.
But I had one other chance.
The cantina (but nothing like Star Wars)
Mal was one of the Grade 12 students who worked the cantina at noon in the lunch room.
Mal was one of the Grade 12 students who worked the cantina at noon in the lunch room.
I got the bright idea to go buy something from there, and see her.
They sold chips, and pop, and candy and it was all on display on the counter.
The first day I went up there, Mal asked me what I wanted and I froze. I really just wanted to talk to her.
Then I saw peanut M&Ms. I ordered those.
Then I saw peanut M&Ms. I ordered those.
She gave them to me, and I gave her money. That was it.
The next day, the same thing happened. I ordered M&Ms. She smiled and gave them to me. I gave her money.
It went on just like that for a few weeks, every day.
Never did I summon up the courage to talk to her, ask to talk to her later, or pass her a note.
Instead, I just got a pimple, and another, and another.
After a few weeks that all just stopped.
I got a crush on someone else – actually the same girl I had one on before Mal – and I heard Mal started dating a guy from Lehbridge.
Parting thoughts
This is all so high school, where it belongs. Yet, it just reminds me how we all have these moments in our lives that can define us. It took a long time for me to summon up the courage to ask girls out. I sometimes wonder if I had summoned up the courage then, if things would have got easier.
This is all so high school, where it belongs. Yet, it just reminds me how we all have these moments in our lives that can define us. It took a long time for me to summon up the courage to ask girls out. I sometimes wonder if I had summoned up the courage then, if things would have got easier.
But, then that would have changed the whole trajectory of my life and, in the end, I am pretty happy with the way things have gone.
I still love peanut M&Ms, but now I eat them with the actual love of my life binge watching "This is Us".
I still love peanut M&Ms, but now I eat them with the actual love of my life.
I still love peanut M&Ms, but now I eat them with the actual love of my life.
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