the ride

it was a long time ago. 

we were at the fair as FRIENDS.  when i wanted to go on the spinning, twisting, FAST ride again and melly and russ did NOT, he and i split off while the other two went for the ferris wheel.  the ride was great - all fast and spinning, full of centrifugal force, pulling us together despite any attempts otherwise.  then, as usually happens at the fair, the ride slows down, people get off and others get on, and IF you're lucky (or unlucky, as the case may be) you get to be the last ones off, to hang upside down and gaze at the sky and find love.

we were stopped, upside down, close together, underneath a summer, prairie sky.  the air was thick with expectation and the warm smells of popcorn, french fries, hamburgers, and diesel fuel mingling together...the noise on the ground was almost deafening but up in the air, where we hung, suspended between sky and street, it was just a hum.  we talked about...everything...and our hands touched, and then clasped together.  we sat still in a bubble where time stood still - hearts beating wildly, hands held tightly together. 
when the ride started again and it was our turn to get off, something had changed.  something had begun.
we didn't share our first kiss that night, we didn't even drive home together, but i still measure the beginning of our relationship from that wonderful night. 
we've gained 14 years since that night, all but two of them being us - curt and celia - there have been brutally tough times, times i would rather forget, times that i keep gathered in my heart like precious jewels, and times that still make me smile after all these years. 
happy valentine's day, baby!  i love you!