Life Lessons

The year was 1986
 
I did not know gazing out my tenth-floor apartment building window I would see my future. I was only thirteen at the time and restless.
 
There he was. I knew his name because all the girls talked about him as if he was a famous person and they all wanted a piece of him.
 
I was different. My mother and sister were sitting in the living room watching television when I told my mother, “I’m going to marry Gio one day.”
 
My mother immediately told me to get away from the window and stop talking nonsense about marriage.
 
I just knew it was true from the moment I said it.
 
You see the parents around the neighborhood knew of Gio and tried their best to keep their daughters away from him. He was the “Bad Influence”.  With long curly black hair, ears pierced, and a body no sixteen-year-old boy should have.
 
He was just wrong, but he was the one for me. I would wait until I was old enough for him to desire me.
 
At thirteen I already had the body that kept my mother worried. My sister and I had no freedom. School and home that was our daily rotation.
 
The school was the beginning of my education in all things. Gio would have to wait. After all we will be married.
 
Lesson One (French Kiss)
 
Up until this point, the most kissing I did was closed mouth, peck. Very innocent, until I met Kenny.
 
He was my friend's uncle and just a year older than me. (You can do the math on that). Around this time my sister and I would go to her house to meet and go to school, then walk home together.
 
“Hey, Lisa, my uncle seems to like you.” She said smiling
 
“Really?”
 
“Yeah he is going to come to school to see you. That is what he told me to tell you.”
 
Was I nervous? Hell yes. We were in catholic school and he could not come in. How was he going to see me?
 
 We were outside around lunch break and he was there leaning against the fence.
 
All the girls were giggling wondering who he was. The boys just ignored him until he waved for me to come over.
 
“Hey.” He said as he looked over my shoulder.
 
“Hi” I said looking to make sure no one was near us.
 
“Are one of those guys your boyfriend?”
 
“No”
 
“Good. I told Genie that, I would walk you guys to your place after school.”
 
My pulse was beating so fast I knew he could see it.
 
“Okay, but you can't stay long. My mother doesn’t allow us to have anyone inside unless she’s home.”
 
“No problem,” He said and walked off.
 
I went to Genie and told her. She smiled and shook her head. “Just be careful with him.”
 
It never occurred to me to ask why he was not in school. If you have not guessed it, he was the first bad boy to make an appearance in my life.
 
After school, we went to our apartment and let them in. My nerves were fried. All I could think about was ‘My mother is going to kill me.’
 
Genie and Kenny kept their word and they were going to leave. Genie said that Kenny wanted to say something to me in my room.  
 
I looked at her puzzled. Why couldn’t he just tell me out here? I went to my room to be pulled in and pushed against the wall.
 
Before I could think I felt his mouth open mine and his tongue delving in. I did not know a tongue could make you feel things in other parts of your body just from a kiss.
 
He delved in deeper and pulled back. He seemed to be tasting me like a twinky with extra cream. To end the kiss, he sucks a little on my bottom lip and asks me in my dazed state, “You have a boyfriend?”
 
"No" I said
 
“Yes, you do.”
 
He pulled away and left with Genie. I had my first French kiss and a boyfriend?
 
That relationship was gone with the wind in a matter of a month. Kenny was sent away to live with family in another state and I was single again.