I have been asked about any regrets I may have. They are far and few between, but perhaps the strongest one I have is about a possible missed love. First, I want to remind you that I do not use actual names except for someone like Roger Buss whose name is on the Vietnam Memorial, so it is not private. The women’s names I’m using here are not their actual names. Back to the possible missed love – it begins when I was living in Toronto. I had been dating Bridget who was from Scotland and a neighbor of mine. I had been working and saving my money to return to the US to complete high school. I remember my farewell with Bridget was painful for both of us. We did exchange a few letters but then drifted apart.
I moved to Sandstone Minnesota where my grandparents on my father side of the family were living to complete high school. I knew I would be leaving Sandstone as soon as I finished high school, so I vowed I would not date or get involved with anyone. Our senior class was rather small by today’s standards. I believe it was 48. There was one of my classmates who I became very enamored of. Sue was not only beautiful, but she was very smart. I sought out every interaction I could have with her but always remembering my promise after Bridget to not get involved with anyone. I tried very hard never to express anything beyond the simple friendship for a fellow classmate. Yet, I remember and cherish those simple interactions and can still relive them in my mind today. Here is one of those interactions – our senior class trip was to Chicago. We were returning home and I got to sit beside her and we talked and talked. I almost broke my vow and blurted out how wonderful I thought she was several times, but I didn’t.
Fast-forward to the present day: a high school reunion gave me the opportunity to get Sue’s email address and we started to communicate. We got to learn something about each other’s lives after high school. I didn’t hesitate to tell her about my vow after Bridget and how I had felt about her back in high school. She feels it probably would’ve never worked out because her dreams were firmly fixed on her future. She had little time for other than a casual relationship. We haven’t had a chance to meet face-to-face yet, but I’m hoping one of these days we can.
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sweet