There have been more than a few first kisses in my life. Most of them not worth mentioning much less writing about.
Rarely is a first kiss life changing. This one was. It not only changed my life and the course of it, it changed me.
We had been dancing in and out of one another's lives since November of the previous year.
As many of you that read my blog knows, we first met via the CB radio. Me and my daughter were on our way back home from shopping that Thursday night. It was raining so hard as I got on the interstate that I could hardly see.
The only thing I could see was the lights of a semi up ahead. Not one to talk on the CB to any one other than my best friend and her husband, with hands shaking I picked up the mic and called out to the big rig up ahead.
I held my breath waiting for a response. Feeling silly as soon as I released the button, but much relieved to hear a male voice reply.
I explained that I was behind him with my young daughter,couldn't see anything but his running lights and that if he didn't mind, I would be back there behind him until I reached my exit in about 20 miles.
He gave me a "10-4" and I thought that would be the last of it. Much to my relief, he continued to talk to me on the CB. I was glad for his voice over the radio. It made me feel less alone, plus there was something soothing and reassuring in his tone.
I thanked him once I reached my exit.
After that, no matter what day or time that I was out and about, running here and there on the interstate, I would run into "him" on the radio. Worth pointing out that almost every single time, it was raining.
By now it was 1995. One night, again in the rain, he remarked that, "One of these nights I'll hear you on the radio, it won't be raining and I'll put a face with the voice."
That time did arrive, just exactly as he had predicted on May 17,1995. That is a whole other story in itself. Despite being very drawn and attracted to him when we met face to face, we both let one another get away without exchanging contact information of any kind.
My best friend and I had even staked out the interstate a couple of nights after that, hoping to see his truck since he drove the same route every night. Finally after having no luck, she said, "Look, if it's meant for you to see him again, you will."
On June 3,1995, it must have been meant, because there he was. Again, that is a whole other story.
Sitting across from him once the others had left us alone, he shared that he had been, "looking" for me since the night we met face to face.
He reached for my arm, wrapping his hand around my wrist, making some comment about the chain on my watch. Something happened to me right then and there, that, all these years later, I still have a hard time explaining.
Later, walking me out to the car, he opened the door for me. I just stood there looking at him, wanting....waiting for him to kiss me. Staring deep into his eyes, I heard and read his thoughts. He knew I wanted him to kiss me, but he wanted me to think about and anticipate it.
Fast forward 4 days later. It is Wednesday, June 7,1995. The original plans to have coffee before he drove on to Atlanta had fallen apart. He had enough time for a quick chat. The "quick" chat turned into about 45 mintues of him standing outside my car,talking to me through the window.
When he voiced the need to get back on and down the road, he announced:
"If this window weren't in the way, I'd give you a hug."
A hug...?!
Nope. I didn't think so. I had driven away 4 nights ago without a kiss. I wouldn 't do so on this night.
Everything I was feeling inside, from the way I felt when he looked at me, the attraction, the way his touch had caused goose bumps to travel over and through me.....the kiss would prove without a shadow of a doubt. It would either verify everything that I was feeling or mark them null and void.
"You could stick your head in", I said not believing that I was being so forward.
He leaned his face inside the window and just stared at me rather than going for a kiss.
"You remember walking me to the car the other morning?"
"Yes." He replied softly.
"I wanted you to kiss me. You knew that, didn't you?"
"Yes."
"But, you wanted me to think about and anticipate it. Right...?"
He looked shocked and surprised.
"Yessssss" He said and it half sounded like a question, as if he were wondering how I knew that.
"Well, I have. Now kiss me."
"Is that a demand?" He asked, having now regained his composure.
"No. A request." I said softly.
Things seemed to go in slow motion as we both moved toward one another. The second.....the split second his lips touched mine....a warmth began to spread all over and inside me.
We both stopped the kiss at the same time, our lips still pressed to one another.
"Oh my", he whispered into my mouth, reaching his hand inside the car, around the back of my neck and pulling me closer to him.
The kiss slowly unfolded and grew....and grew....and grew. Leaving me breathless, heart pounding rapidly and weak in the knees.
He looked at his watch. 15 minutes had passed since he offered to give me a hug.
Another kiss and he was walking back toward his truck and I was sitting in my car enjoying the memory of his lips on mine and the view.
Later at home, I couldn't stop thinking about it or everything I was feeling. Was it the same for him....? Did he feel it too...? I didn't know.
Early....very early the next morning my phone was ringing. Half asleep I grabbed the phone from the night stand. I didn't even get the word "hello" out of my mouth.
"Lady.....what in the hell did you do to me last night?"
It was him and I had no idea what he was talking about.
"What...?" I said totally confused.
"You....what did you do to me last night? That was more than just a kiss."
He was right. It was more than a kiss.
"Well....I...."
"I don't know and couldn't tell you how I got to Atlanta. Or back here. Looking out at the road, all I saw was your face and I still smell your perfume and feel your kiss."
I giggled.
"I felt it too." I admitted.
"What did you do to me?" He asked again.
I never did tell him, but the truth is, he had been "belled".
Later Y'all...^Belle^
