Wow, the spring of dreams, Freshman year

Spring quarter out of the blue, skating in
on roller skates, I’m not joking, she rolled
into my life!!

Kristin, so cute looking eight feet tall, riding
in rolling into art history class, unbelievable
like an EMF song. Life changes. You think you
know your direction and it changes.

The chase was on, she was an athlete too
I’d find out. By chance from art history where
I never spoke with her, we met again in
Environmental Studies 122. Sorry, we did not
meet there, I was shy, just admiring from afar.

Then that day, she icing shin splints from track
team running, me icing sore knees from volleyball
rolling. The training room hook-up, I said
“Hello.”

“Are you in ES-122?” “Yeah!” “Me too.” smile.
We were friends before we met, same age, both
from similar schools, at the same place same time
blonde and beachy and athletic and dreaming.

“Let’s meet before the midterm and study.” Okay,
my dream was on its way. I had never succeeded before
where girls or women are concerned, but after all
I had only been a man legally for about six months.

We studied, we laughed, we studied, we laughed.
I got something out of her hair one night at her
place, and the calling was for a kiss, but I could
not. I could not. I could not for the age old problem
afflicting many an alcoholic, many a child of
divorce, many a shy folks world-wide.

I lacked God, I lacked courage, my hope back then
to get drunk enough to tell a girl my feelings.

I could not tell Kristin until years and years later,
how I felt, and how I feel now.

She was perfect. I’m grateful for her, the
friendship we had the laughs—

Only regret I was not man enough
to take the chance