Summer Lovin'

"Just live in my memory, you'll always be there..." --Heart 

At least once in their lives, every woman has the "vacation fling".  You know, the one that you dated for about a week while you were out of town.  This is an old story, yet always one of my favorites.

I was 19, and went to Boston for a week before I started college.  My cousin (who I was staying with) convinced me to head out on my own during the day while she was at work and see some of the city.  She lived near the Faneuil Hall area, where there were  a ton of small businesses for me to do some serious shopping.  After walking for a while, I happened across a magic store.  It was packed with families, and seemed to be popular not only with tourists but also with the locals.  It was getting near lunchtime, so after perusing the merchandise, I asked a salesperson where I could find a McDonald's nearby.

Before he could answer, a voice behind me said, "There isn't one nearby.  But if you wait around for about 10 minutes, I can show you someplace better."  His name was Tom, and he had a scruffy beard and ponytail.  I took a chance and waited for this complete stranger to walk around a strange city with me.

Tom took me to a little pizza joint about five minutes away, and it was totally worth it.  The food was awesome, and the conversation never hit that dull patch.  Turned out we had tons in common, even down to smoking the same cigarettes.  He made fun of me mercilessly for staying bundled up the whole time (hey, Boston in October is cold to a Southern girl).  I made fun of his Yankee accent.  We wound up kissing just outside the restaurant.

The next few days went by in a blur.  We spent his lunch break together every day, and he spoke of taking me to meet his parents.  However, a smart girl doesn't go out of town with a guy she barely knows...even if he is cute and she is an impetuous nineteen year old.  The make out sessions got longer and longer, as they always do.

My last day there, I went to see him on last time.  He was off that day, but met up with me outside the magic shop anyway.  I knew it would be the last time I would see him, but some part of me still held hope that a long distance thing would work.  It was an emotional good bye, and I headed back to my cousin's to leave for the airport.

I had only gotten a few blocks away and was waiting to cross the street when I heard someone calling my name.  I turned around and Tom was running after me.  "I couldn't let you get away without one last kiss," he said, planting one on me right then and there.  The people nearby started cheering.  It felt like I was in the rom-com of my dreams...and then I had to leave.  Planes wait for no love-struck teenager.

I wrote him a couple of letters when I got home, but never got a reply.  I wasn't surprised--after all, he had known I was only there for a week so there could never really be anything between us.  I still have a pic of him that I took that week, and I can't help but smile every time I come across it.  I sometimes wonder what became of him, and if he would still be there if I walked in, ready to help some lost tourist.