Life Begins Read Online Free Page B

childhood ended by the time that I got into
kindergarten. Our perfect love couldn't endure the temptation of
other men. I mean, Christine couldn't handle the temptation of
other men. I didn't turn gay in kindergarten. I haven't turned gay
after kindergarten for that matter.
    Anyway, once we got to kindergarten, Christine
started to change. We went from playing what we saw on T.V. as the
perfect love to what was happening on the soap operas. I was still
in love with her, but she was cold and distant. She told me that
now that we were at school, she didn't want to play the same as we
used to after school. So I gave her some space.
    I was fine with that. I had become friends
with Arthur and Leopold by that time. It was nice to have some guy
friends. They taught me a great many things. If it hadn't been for
them, I wouldn't have known that girls have cooties. You know, I
would give anything to know that cooties is the worst I could get
from a girl now.
    It was a moral dilemma for me. I didn't know
what cooties were, but I knew that I didn't want them. On the other
hand, I was still attracted to Christine. She was the picture of
perfection. There's nothing like a flat-chested, knobby knee-ed
girl to make a boy of six fall in love. I didn't even know why I
wanted her, but I wanted her. But I was going to be a man about it
and deny myself the pleasure of her company.
    And then one day, she forgot her milk money. I
was there laughing and having a good time with Arthur and Leopold.
And there sat Christine by herself crying.
    I don't know how it happened, but somehow I
ended up next to her. I also accidentally bought her a milk. We
ended up talking and laughing over our milks. I made her laugh so
hard that milk came out of her nose. I gave her my napkin, and she
cleaned herself up.
    As she handed me back the napkin, we caught
each other's eyes. I then told her that I loved her. She looked
back at me and told me that was nice. By this time, her girl
friends had gathered around us. She got up to join them. They then
got into a circle and started to laugh at me as they walked
away.
    Arthur and Leopold came over to me. No words
were spoken for about five minutes. Arthur then started to say how
stupid girls were. We made a pact that no girl would ever come
between us again. Who needs women anyway?
    It's amazing how early we learn our roles.
Maybe we are spending our entire lives playing roles and hoping
that we can get the part just right long enough to get through
life.
    ~~~
    I didn't mean to break his heart
that day. I was six. All of the girls were laughing at me. It
wasn't that I didn't like him. He was kind of like a puppy dog. He
was loyal, warm, and strangely pathetic. He just made you want to
love him.
    I do regret that I didn't respond
better to him that day. All of the girls were laughing at him. He
just sat there and took it. He just watched me go. I wish now that
I would have gone to him. I think we would have a better
relationship. But then again, I was only six.
    I know that Jack loves me. I
couldn't ask for a better man. That's not saying that our
relationship is perfect. There are things I wish that I could get
out of Jack. But I think he kind of closed up over the years. I
can't really blame him.
    Jack holds on to memories with an
iron grip. It doesn't matter if it was a pleasant memory or not, he
will hold on to it forever and never forgets. He could chronicle
our entire relationship with stupid things we did when we were
younger and are not important now.
    He doesn't know it, but I know
that he has a shoe box in his closet with mementos. In it you will
find the napkin that soaked up the chocolate milk that came out of
my nose that day. He will cherish that until the day he
dies.
    He's the only guy that would hold
on to a souvenir of when he was rejected by the woman he loves. I
have never known why he holds on to it. He has never used it as
emotional blackmail. He has never said to me, "Do you remember that
time in