First day of high school. A lot of new faces, a lot of smiles and handshakes. I sit in front of my classroom door thinking I do not want to step into this new world full of new acquaintances, new dramas, new friendships that will most likely end badly. I take a deep breath, put a fake smile on my face and open the door. Everyone is loud. All the teenagers inside look like displaced ants trying to bring out the best in themselves, to integrate, to not be the dumb one for the next four years. I don’t care. I choose the last bench and watch them struggle to impress. I see him. A dork, making mean jokes, the shortest boy in class, the only one not trying to impress. He is sitting proudly in the first row. For the next year and a half, his last name annoyed me and his sight always made me mad.
Third year of high school. I step into a new classroom after a year of absence, making my way towards my desk-mate, a very classy and gallivant young lady. I sit down and notice a new face in front me: a tall, handsome boy with a great smile. My heart melts a little and I ask who is this new guy? The answer? The new guy was the dork from the first year; the mean, insufferable classmate. I start following him for a year, learning his schedule, his place in each laboratory, his habits; when finally…
Last year of high school. The insufferable classmate that I now had to have (as my boyfriend) was throwing a party for his birthday on December 6th. My friend and I spent the entire day thinking how to invite ourselves to the party. That was it! He was to be mine to kiss that night. Six hours later, holding a beautifully wrapped gift in my hand, I was sitting in my friend’s living room repeating only two sentences over and over again: “Just one kiss. One kiss and then I will get over him.”
14 years later, after that kiss, after that night, the annoying classmate is sitting across from me in our living room as my husband. 14 years later we have a three year old daughter that we can’t get enough of. 14 years later we remember how much we hated each other in that first year of high school and we burst into laughter every time.
From hell to heaven, from sorrow to happiness, from depression to tranquility, our 14-year-old adventure continues, building new stories. 14 years later it feels like just one more kiss until the next one.
