First times can be fun. In the dark fumbling with someone before you know much about who is fumbling with you. Potential is limitless in that moment. In those first moments only knowing them through experience of physical intimacy, but not real intimacy.
Before my freshman year in college we brought home a new set of strays from a summer spent in San Marcos. My Mom collected people or strays as I called them. I can't pull this stray's name out of the recesses of my mind. She was a little different than the normal stray, young, hurt behind all that bravado. The hurt part was normal for the strays but the young was different. She was a little older than me. Michele, Laurie, something like that. She wasn't with us long, the whys and wheres are fuzzy to me now.
In her sphere, she brought along a young man, maybe a cousin. Dark eyes, dark hair, and skinny as young men tend to be. For some reason he was staying with us also and he had decided he wanted me. Another boy with his needs and wants. He was nice, I didn't need or deserve nice. He tried to know me and I wanted nothing to do with him. Each of his efforts to interact, I met with anger, ugliness.
Sherice, yes that was the stray's name. Accosted me one day as I entered our shared bedroom. "Shawn really wants you to go out with him?"
"Sherice, not my type, he is just too, too nice, too eager just too." I exclaimed, arms crossed.
"M, please I am tired of running interference. It is one date, you can see Cyborg. And you might even have fun." Jean-Claude, boredom, kindness to Sherice, a little guilt at being so angry, made me agree to a movie.
"Come here tall girl let's get you ready!", Sherice excited exclaimed. I just rolled my eyes.
Shawn was also excited, I resented his excitement. I resented our normal friendly movie date. He held the door for me, he bought our tickets and popcorn, and he was kind. He grabbed my hand after the movie on the way back to his truck. The epitome of a great movie date...except the movie sucked
He opens the pickup door for me, "Want to go parking?", he asks.
Young, bored and in control, I said, "Sure." I figured I could get some attention, enjoy a kiss or two. Go home and tell Sherice it was as boring as I thought.
Control, so important to me then and to the me of now. I have had it stolen; reason I hold it so close. I had never had it stolen from me the way this boy, this young man stole it from me that night. I was schooled in control in a very insidious way.