Always Kiss Me Goodnight

"That's amazing,... historical, even." I say, leaning into him as he points to the framed document. It's not really, but I'll tell you what is: the fact that I can't remember ever wanting to be kissed so badly. I'm twenty years old, not at all sure what romantic love is supposed to look like, and I've momentarily forgotten that I'm too busy for it.

Sleeping late, leisure time, Chicken In a Biscuit crackers: His appreciation for the small things in life is refreshing. His relief in being free after a four-year sacrifice to the U.S. Navy compels him to frame his discharge form. I'm like a real-life siren, one of the first women he dates after stepping off the plane that brought him home from Pearl Harbor. I'm not trying to start anything. (That's love for you, Dude, you should have kept your eyes closed.)

I step closer, surprised that a person with a deviated septum who can not sense a gas leak can suddenly smell peppermint and soap. The clock is ticking, but in that moment I forget the time. I kiss him first, and no one believes him for the next thirteen years, because I deny it. I play hard to get. I am strong and smart. I have plans; don't change them.

My heart doesn't tell my brain it's planning to make me do that. I step back, embarrassed, apologizing. He's savoring my discomfort, grinning from ear to ear, saying, "You know, I NEVER kiss on the first date." Now I want to slide under his 20 year old shag rug and disappear.

It's more goofy than romantic, but in the embrace I sense this connection is bigger than I expected, one that is worth the chance of taking this person by the hand for life, and possibly getting hurt. This initial glimpse of faith, hope and unexplainable love that glues us as we change and move through life arrives too early to mention aloud. It starts with that first risk, a kiss.





Hanging in our house is a plaque engraved with the words: "Always Kiss Me Goodnight." Even in the midst of tension or stress, it reminds me of that spot by the wall where our journey started, and the blessing of risks.

by Loren Christie

Visit me at http://lorenelizabethchristie.blogspot.com

Comments

[Bonnie]

That's beautiful! :)

[Paula]

I love that sign Loren....how sweet :)