Tommy and the Eighty Five Year Old Me

Settle down now...and I'll tell you a story.

Tommy pipes up;
"Do you believe in love at first sight?"

"A resounding 'no!!'"  I reply.

(Gasp from the audience.)

...at this time I should step aside and explain that there is one person out there who will be quickly and totally upset by my answer to said question.  Yes, I mean you.  There may be others, but she (oops, gave away part of the identity) will say "what the hell do you mean by THAT?!   what kind of poem is this?!"

that said, she'll be happy in about 15 lines and 39 seconds.

and not just because she loves me and is happy after 39 seconds of being mad at me anyway.

back to the story...

no, I don't believe in love at first sight.

I think it's a bad idea, and probably doesn't exist at all.  Infatuation, sure.  Love at first sight?  Hell, true love is hard enough to come by.  At first sight? Doubt it.  I don't believe in it now and I never, ever will.

How do I know, you ask?

Well, let me explain.

I believe things when i see them firsthand.  If I don't go through it, I'm not likely to think it's true (unless its something easy to prove).  For example, ghosts have been 'seen' by countless people.  I haven't seen ghosts, therefore, I don't believe in them.

But, you might say, how do you know it won't eventually happen to you?

(The person who was angry or at least annoyed this wasn't lovey-dovey-er is probably starting to see where this is going.)

I know it for one reason;

I became friends at first sight.  Then, I fell in love.  And I don't intend on falling out of it.

(Yay.  Happiness restored)

She's the best friend I ever had and ever will have.  That started immediately.  Infatuation?  Wasn't there.  And that was just fine.  We could talk and even flirt for hours and not even think about each other as anything but a friend.  And that was after knowing each other from one chance meeting in the hallway and at one dance.  We hung out daily and the instantaneous friendship became a best friendship.

Then, one day...blossoming.

It was more like an explosion of awkwardness compounded by me having zero kissing experience.  Biting occurred.  It wasn't pretty, however, it was excused because it wasn't on purpose.

Anyway...

Love at first sight?  Pff...mere physical attraction.  It takes more than pretty eyes or heart fluttering to constitute real love.

At least, that's what I've seen.

(If this makes no sense, then it makes no sense.  It makes a whole lot of sense to me though.  Though not cents.  I lose those when I don't recycle.  Recycle, kids!)

That's it.  Storytime's over.

"Would everyone like to give a big thank you to Mr. Stechler for coming in so generously to tell a story to you?"

(scattered 4th grader applause)

Kimberly whispers;
"I think he's crazy..."

And Tommy grins and says;
"Nah.  He's just in love.  It does that to ya."