Blast(ing) from the past(ing)

When I was 13 or so, I was invited to a party by a friend. The hostess was Rosemary, a girl of about my age whom I had a huge crush on. So off I went in my bell-botteomed jeans (I do not recollect if I had a denim waist-coat on). When we stepped into the party and Rosemary saw me, she beamed a wide, beautiful smile of welcome, and told me, "Why don't you sit down there? Someone your size will come in soon". It took me a while to get over that. I lacked height at that age sha, and didn't start elongating till I was about 15. Still, what kind of put down was that, made all the worse because it wasn't said with malice?

My father once caught me pawing at a female at age 14 or so. I was fully clothed but it was on our kitchen floor, a very undignified position to be viewed by the pater familias. He looked at me and went back shutting the door behind him and never breathed a word of it. Needless to say, passion died that day.

My first real (not that we ever got physical) girlfriend, Aminat. called me up while I was playing cards with my brother and cousins. "laspapi, are we going out (having a relationship)?". "Of course, we are", I replied, put the phone down and returned to the cards and my first relationship was born.

When I was 17, I received a letter from a girl who liked me. Florence, her name was, she must have been 15 or so and ugly as sin (ok, I was shallow. I still have my shallow moments). The note read- "As deep of(sic) an ocean, so is my love for you. If I need you, will you come to me? You're the flower in my ganden(sic),the honey in....etc" I remember that letter because my older brother, jinta, will never let me forget it.