She first came to me when I was sixteen, almost seventeen. She was the most beautiful thing that I had ever laid eyes upon, and she was all mine.
We would go everywhere together, never wanting to be apart. I filled her with what she wanted and she always got me running. Throughout my senior year in high school she was my most dependable friend, always there when I needed her.
After high school I joined the Air Force and we had to be separated for nearly four months, it was an agonizing time in my life, I mean we had never been apart for more than a day, and now to have this thrust upon our relationship. While in training I would hear rumors of her seeing someone else, but they turned out to be fruitless, it was just someone trying to put the green monster of envy and jealousy between our love.
The next six months were the best; she was the one I could turn to when my training got to me. Often times we would head up to the mountains to be alone in the peaceful surroundings. As my final days of training came closer she was there to help my friends and I ease into the transition of heading to our first duty station.
She was a godsend.
Then the day we both dreaded came to pass, and I got my orders, to the United Kingdom, and we both knew that I couldn’t bring her with me. She did come with me to where my parents were living in San Antonio to see me off. In fact, she stayed with them for a while, and when they moved back to Colorado, she gave them a warm homecoming.
When my tour in England ended, I knew that she would be there, but I also knew that I had tried others, and almost brought one home with me.
She didn’t care.
She loved me, after all.
So, I took her to Abilene, Texas, when I moved there for my next assignment. I don’t know if we rushed it or not; maybe we were forcing our affection where it wasn’t, who knows. We grew apart, so much so, that my roommate asked if he could take her from me. I was shocked, but I knew that it would be for the best, besides a new girl had caught my eye. She acquiesced to the exchange, and I felt that she was in good hands. My new girl was attractive and dependable, but it still felt weird.
One day, maybe a month later, I saw her on the street. My roommate, now former because of my new rank in the military entitled me to not having one, was nowhere in site.
I started to cry.
It was obvious that she had been abused, and was left on the side for dead, sitting in a puddle of her own tears. Then came the anger, how could he do this to her.
I resolved on that day, to never again sell my old automobiles to someone so young and irresponsible.
Or, maybe I should go with this one...
One year for Christmas, we traveled to Colorado, from San Antonio, Texas to visit with my maternal grandparents, also known as "Nanna and Poppop." It was a trip that we all greatly anticipated because we were going to see family that we hadn't seen in more than a year and it was Christmas time. The family time was wonderful as we would visit my Uncles homes that were in the mountains and go sledding or tubing and have a generally great time. Christmas Eve was spent with my grand parents and, as tradition holds near and dear, we were allowed to open some of our gifts before heading off to bed, I remember getting the game Risk and an ABBA album, my first album ever. I had worked all fall delivering newspapers to buy myself a turntable, but had yet to purchase any albums.
I was in heaven. Seriously.
Christmas morning came and to my brothers and my surprise, there appeared to be no new presents from Santa. Uh oh, maybe we really were bad boys that year. Shoot. Well, not much more was thought about the morning because we would be heading to my Uncle Greg's house later that day for some more tubing fun and eating great food and celebrating family time. Who could complain? Santa's appearance, or lack thereof, didn't really seem to bother me and my brothers.
My parents were very good at distractions apparently.
Anyway, after the holiday fun, we had to head back to San Antonio and their lack of snow and mountains and family. All good things must come to an end I suppose. I think we drove straight through to get back home, it's hard to remember these things when you sleep through them. When we arrived back home I remember walking into the house and noticing our Christmas lights were on, thinking that we must have left them on while we were gone, for nearly two weeks, to keep anyone from thinking the house was empty. Or something like that.
Then I noticed something else... Santa had come and left a "boatload" of presents for me and my brothers. That my friends was an awesome Christmas.
