Semissourian.com reader gets a Valentine's deja vu

Back in the summer when I was 13 years old, we lived on the east side of Small Town Anywhere, U.S.A. I rode my bike a lot; almost every day. There was a girl my age that lived a couple blocks away; a pretty little blond haired girl named Judy, and sometimes as I would ride past her house I would see her, and we would wave to each other and smile.

One day as I was riding by her house, I saw her out in front, and I got up the courage to stop and say, "hi." Then I asked her, "What ya doin'?" She said, "Just playing," and we looked into each others eyes and smiled. Then I got all nervous and said, "Well, see ya," and rode away.

I knew there we something special about this girl; something I really liked; but I wasn't sure what it was, or what I could do about it.

Then one day as I was riding by her house, Judy called out to me. She was there with some friends, She said they were going to play hide and seek, and wondered if I wanted to play too. So someone started counting to a hundred, and we all scattered. Judy and I ran down this alley, and we found a cardboard box between two garages. It was just big enough for us to get into. Judy seemed so excited to find such a good hiding place, but I didn't care about anything except that I was now alone with Judy, and that we were so close I could feel her at my side. Then we looked into each others eyes and smiled. And then we kissed!

I don't remember anything else about that day, probably because I was left in some kind of euphoric daze.

For the next few months I gave a lot of thought to the subject of "boy-girl-attraction." I studied romantic scenes in movies. I took mental notes when I saw affectionate couples. I pondered all these clues, and I especially wondered about this excited feeling I got in my stomach every time I thought about being with Judy.

By the time Valentine's Day rolled round, I felt that I had finally figured it out. I wanted Judy in my arms! I wanted to kiss her beautiful lips! And I wanted this more than anything else! So I bought a Valentine card, combed my hair, brushed my teeth, put on my favorite shirt, got on my bike and peddled as fast as I could to Judy's house. When I got there I saw a sign in her yard: FOR SALE.

Judy had moved -- and far away.

A lot of years have gone by, and the house isn't there anymore. But if I find myself driving down that street, I can picture it there, with Judy out front, waving to me as I go by. I hope she's with the love of her life, and that he gets her flowers and candy this Valentine's Day.

Recently I met someone new. We have a Valentine's Day date, and I've already bought her a card. I like the way she smiles when we look into each others eyes. I get this excited feeling in my stomach when I think of being with her, this beautiful blond haired woman -- named Judy.

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