My first kiss

In honour of Valentine's Day I will reminisce about an important event in every person's life: my first kiss.

It was the summer of '98 between grades 9 and 10, which means I was 15 years old. I was at summer camp having the best time of all the years I had spent there, both before and after that year. I had a crush on a boy back at home named Tom but upon revealing my secret to him he had decided that we should remain just 'friends'. Ouch.

So at camp I met this boy named Allan who was a year older than me. During the last week of camp we hung out quite a bit, I think because we were on the same colour war team. I think we might have sunk a canoe together in the waterfront regatta. One evening our two age levels took a trip to see the Ottawa Linx' baseball team play, and on the bus ride back to camp Allan and I sat together and held hands. (Since then I often precede relationships and things with hand holding before even vocalizing attraction. I wonder if that's common with most people.) I was nervous that he'd kiss me at the end of the bus ride but thankfully it didn't happen.

The next night colour war ended. We watched the closing ceremonies and then instead of returning to our respective cabins we walked over to the dance stage and sat down. Just as he was about to kiss me I blurted out that I hadn't done this before. I was a loser. Note the 'was'. Then it happened. I remember hearing the voices of everyone around filled with excitement of the night's event. I could hear my counsellor telling everyone to return to their bunks. I remember thinking, this is it?? I can remember the feeling of his slimy tongue. I returned to my cabin and looked in the mirror, perhaps expecting something to be different.

My friends asked me if he was a good kisser, but I had no idea how to tell. Here's the trick they taught me that I have incorporated into my judgement key: If you feel a circle of film around your face, he slobbered too much.

We made out for the next few days of camp and then never talked to each other again. Ahh, the simplicity of early romance.