First Date Drama

My first real date at 16 didn’t end so well. My parents allowed me to attend a Bryan Adams concert in a town 2 hours away with a young Air Force recruit. My 21 year old boyfriend was so romantic. He wrote me love poems, charmed my parents and had a ride.

All went well until the concert ended and my charming bf took me to a drinking party with his older friends. As a got drunk, I remember him arguing with a friend about me being at the party and them all getting into trouble… something about I was too young.

My coward boyfriend, drove me home sloppy drunk, took me to the door, rang the bell and ran like hell. Before he could leave my hometown city limits, my Dad had the local police pick him up. After his CO bailed him out, they drove to the local base. Wait at the gate was the MPs. Poor guy was arrested AGAIN.

The next day, my Dad asked me if I knew that my 21 year old boyfriend was 26. I did not know. He lied to me, too. I was angry, because I would not have dated a guy 10 years older than me. That was the last I heard about him for several years.

Three years later, while attending the University of Alabama, I took a poetry class. Imagine my surprise when the prof read aloud the love poems written to me…. The bastard had copied the poems from a book.

Fast forward 5 or so years: I ran into my old boyfriend in the mall. He recognized me. It took me a few minutes to figure out who he was. He moaned and groaned for awhile about my Dad (something about my Dad ruining his life). Turns out he was sent to Panama (remember what went on there in the late 80s).

My only regret is that I didn’t chew his butt while I had the chance. Instead, I apologized about his career, my Dad, etc. I wish I could do that over!

I wish I could remember his name. I still have the poems in my attic.