#15- PARIS BROUGHT ME HERE

I want to go live is Paris for awhile. I had my first kiss in Paris. I was 16. He was from Sicily. I was sitting is a youth hostel with two of my equally inexperienced friends from back home in NYC. Each one of us had one Sicilian boy to ourselves, but all six of us sat together in a tiny room with two skinny beds. The conversation was limited to us teaching each other swear words in either English or Italian. When that got boring the boys made Samantha Fox references in my general direction. Suddenly it got quiet. The boy I was with looked at me.In fact they all looked at me..while he leaned in and gave me my first kiss. With tongue. While I let him swirl his tongue in my clueless mouth the green light turned on for the other two clowns and my friends had their first intercontinental make out sessions.

Somehow I found myself on top of the "Tongue Master". It was fun..sort of. Clearly I had no idea what I was doing as he kept trying to reach down my jeans unsuccessfully, and once I started kissing him became instantly bored. My eyes wondered over to the bed only an inch away from me and my friends boob popped out from under her shirt. This seemed oddly clinical to me under the hot fluorescent over head lights that kept clicking on and off as my other friend played switch commando with her make out buddy. Salvo. For gods sakes, Salvo? You can't make this shit up.

Back home in NYC I had an agreement with my mother. If I was going to be later than 1am, I call. I never really was later than 1am because of this. I think that the whole calling bit seemed like a hastle and I was usually tired at 1am anyway. So I had this 1am clock in my system. After pulling "what's his face's" hand out of my pants AGAIN, I looked at my Swatch watch. The same Swatch watch my mother gave me for getting my period. Again, you can't make this up. I looked at the little hand on the 1 and said., "It's 1AM. Time to go!"

Now, in any teenie-bopper film the other two friends would say,"What? You are such a dork, Sam! You can leave but we're staying here and getting laid!" Well in real life, Zoe and Julie were out that door and safe in their own beds faster than Salvo could click the light switch back on. That was Julie's job.

So this comes to mind because I ran into one of my Parisian adventure gal pals only a few nights ago. She was our class president and has made a name for herself for hosting this amazing monthly event for people who grew up in NYC. It's called THE MAGIC GARDEN because of a show named that which only aired in NY and NJ I think. It was one of those shows we were all addicted to growing up and it bonds us. Today all of these square hyper parents would say it promotes marijuana usage. It probably does. Who cares???

Anyway it was really a touching evening because of a variety of things, but mostly what she said to me. She pulled me aside and told me she'd been reading her journal from our exchange in France and she was stunned by it. I suddenly felt like she was unlocking a mystery before my eyes as she retold the events from this 3 week program we were so privileged to be selected for. She revealed her utter inexperience with boys at that time and how she'd fallen in love with a boy from Denmark..which I remember. She brought up a prank we played on some girls which we both regret terribly. She mentioned a drag Queen I had no recollection of. But most of all she remembered our deep friendship. It disturbed her that our friendship seemed to last only a few short months after that. I felt a pang in my heart. I can remember that time too. Life pulled us different ways. College. Growing up. Who knows.

This woman. This leader. This now wife and mother. Looking at me and feeling such a loss for not knowing me all these years. It moved me. It made me remember how deeply I've wanted to be liked in life. We all feel that way. I have been, too. Really genuinely liked. But I've never had anyone miss liking me..and tell me. That was nice.
For this I am very grateful.

Next year is our 20 year reunion. I told her I'd help. Maybe we can make up for those lost years. Maybe we can call Salvo.