The Fix-up

Oh sweet mystery of life

I was 13 and it was almost summer. What could be better than that? During this time the worst thing that could happen was rain. But I didn’t know what my mother had cooked up to complicate my life.

A friend of hers, Elsie - a huge woman with a voice that could shatter glass - was expecting a visit by her niece from Florida. I was about the same age as this niece, and my mother and her friend had decided that I would keep her company during her stay.

I was immediately uneasy when I heard this plan. Oh, I had noticed girls but had not been very interested in getting to know one. After all, I had an older sister and knowing her had made it clear to me that girls were difficult to understand. I felt it was better to spend time with my buddies and worry about "girls" later. My Mother’s plan had changed what I wanted to do., like it or not.

Elsie had no pictures of her niece, so I wondered what her niece looked like. I looked at Elsie and thought if the niece was built like her, wrestling was out. Elsie seemed OK, but she had not been given good looks - I heard my father say she was not allowed in London for fear Big Ben would never run again. I braced myself for the possibility that the niece took after Elsie. I was told she was cute and had a great personality. I wondered what that meant.

It surprised me that I wondered what she looked like; I was more concerned about how I would entertain her, a girl.

It seemed like be a good idea to ask my sister for advice. She had been a girl four years longer than I had been a boy, so she should be able to tell me something useful.

But when I asked her what I should do with this "girl", she gave me a funny look, chuckled and said, "I'm sure you'll think of something".

This puzzled me; I had asked her because I couldn't think of "something".

Then she said, "Treat her like one of your friends, but not so rough, listen to music, talk, just have fun".

"Have fun?" I thought. I had watched my sister have "fun" and did not understand her fun. Well, I guessed I was on my own with this problem. I would just have to do the best I could and hope it worked out

The big day came, and knowing that Elsie and her Niece were coming to my house so we could meet, I cleaned my room and set up my record player.

My mother came to my door and said, "You can't visit with her in your bedroom."

I wondered why that was where I visited with my other friends. I asked why, but was told it was not "appropriate". I knew from experience that the use of the word "appropriate" meant that I would get no further explanation.

The doorbell rang and for some reason, my heart beat faster. "What", I thought, was that about. I stood in the kitchen as my mother answered the door. It was Elsie and her niece.

Elsie said, "Velma, this is Mrs. Gonyea, and that is her son, Victor".

"I’m pleased to meet you Mrs. Gonyea, and you, Victor. Please call me Boots”, Velma said.

"All of this was said in a musical southern accent, which came out of the sweetest smile I had ever seen. Boots was beautiful! I thought. I was surprised that I had difficulty speaking. What was going on? I had seen girls before, but this was different; I was different.

I said hello but remained silent while my mother and Else made small talk, content to look at Boots, trying not to stare.

t turned out that Boots was fourteen, about one year older than I was. But she behaved and looked like an adult to me. Maybe, being from the south made her seem more grown-up, but it did not matter; I was smitten. Every time she opened her mouth, I felt my heart pound, and if she spoke to me, shivers went up and down my back. It was nuts, and I forgot I was not interested in girls.

After a while, my mother suggested that Boots and I go down to the rec. room and listen to records. I was happy but had no idea how to act. The record part was easy; what to say was more difficult. I started by talking about music and found out that we liked the same songs. That made things easier and before long we were just talking like we had known each other for a long time. It was great just to be with her, and I wanted it to go on and on.

Without warning, it was time for her to leave. My heart sank like a stone thrown into a deep pond. But at the door, Elsie suggested that I come over the next day and
show Boots around the neighborhood. She quickly agreed, and I felt myself excited by the idea of spending a whole day with her.

The next few days were great; we walked, talked, and laughed. I was amazed at how relaxed I was with her and how much I wanted to be with her. Every moment with her was an adventure.
While on one of our walks, we had to cross a stream using stepping stones. I crossed first and held out my hand to steady her. When her hand touched mine, I
almost lost my balance. I couldn’t figure out why this touch made me feel like this, but I didn’t want to let go.

She said nothing but held my hand firmly, and my heart pounded as though it would pop out of my chest. I felt like a tall tree swaying in a warm summer breeze. It was starting to get dark as I walked her to her door, still holding her hand.

On the porch, we stood and talked. I told stories, stalling for more time, and it came to me - I wanted to kiss her. I was surprised at myself. I never wanted to kiss a girl before, and now I could think of nothing else.

My mind was racing; there were many things in the way of this seemingly simple act. The distance between our faces seemed wider than the Grand Canyon. Just getting near enough to kiss her was a big problem. I thought about movies and TV shows I had seen in which people had kissed. How did the guy do it? I couldn’t remember.

What if she did not want me to kiss her? I thought that would be bad, and not only would I look stupid, but I might lose her as a friend, as well.

This kiss thing was becoming very complicated. I thought of giving up on the idea, but when I looked at her, my heartbeat sounded like a jackhammer. Giving up was apparently not a thing I could do.. I looked in her eyes and "damn the torpedoes," put my right hand on her waist – I already was holding her left hand.

At that moment, my mind gave out completely, and I froze in that position. Her smile turned into a questioning expression, though still a smile.

Knowing I must do something right away, I heard a voice say, "Would you like to dance?"

To my surprise, it was my voice that had said it. I was lost, felt like an idiot, and wished I were anywhere but there. I was wondering with a burning face, how to get out of this when Boots kissed me.

Never had I experienced such a feeling. Excitement replaced panic, wonder replaced confusion, and every bad feeling took a break. The whole universe was on her lips, and I was lost in space. The kiss seemed to last forever. It was so intense that the rest of me seemed to stand back and watch. The touch of our lips caused me to feel connected to her.

And then it was over, as her lips pulled away, I felt the most alone I had ever felt in my life. She smiled and left me standing on her porch.

I stood on that porch for a very long time. Something deep within me told me that this was a very special moment and my life would be very different from now on.