FIRST DATE

DSCN0003_1, originally uploaded by patryfrancis.

Twenty-five years ago this Saturday, Ted and I went on our first date.
It was a bright blue day when he picked me up in his old Ford Falcon. He told me proudly that he'd paid twenty-five dollars for it.

Ted still loves to tell people I wasn't sure I liked him--at least not in that way.

He was right. But it was just a mountain hike and lunch, and he was clearly a sweet guy. What did I have to lose?

Rattling along in the twenty-five dollar car, I wondered if we'd make it to the mountain. But we did. At the top, we sat on a rocky ledge,
and looked out over the Connecticut River, the patchwork of fields, the blazing trees of autumn.

We talked about the books that had influenced us most, and our deepest beliefs, our all-time favorite bands, and the number of children we hoped to have (separately, of course.)

Ted also loves to tell people that despite our pleasant afternoon, I thought the hike was the end of our story. He claims to have known better, even then.

Though I'd lived in the area for many years, I'd never been to that mountain before. And in the intervening years, I've never returned--until Saturday, exactly twenty-five years later.

By then, we'd not only forgotten the way, we could no longer recall the name of the park or the mountain. We had driven all over the valley and were about to give up when we saw a farmer loading pumpkins onto a truck.

We bought a pumpkin for 75 cents and asked directions.

"That sounds like Mt. Holyoke in Skinner Park," the farmer said, happy to solve our personal mystery.

Once again, it was a perfect day when we ascended the mountain, and found the ledge where we'd talked, really talked, for the first time. But this time, taking in the spectacular view, everything looked different. Twenty-five years ago, gazing out over the valley, I didn't know what I was seeing; I had no idea that the marvels spread so abundantly before us were nothing less than the future.

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The other day I asked if anyone had read a blog or post that demanded to be shared:

C-love directed me to Quiero Round Egg a post that reveals the amazingly simple secret of getting what you want.

Meanwhile RDL mentioned the writerly inspiration she finds on a regular basis at Just Write, a site I frequently visit myself.

And Swirly reminded me that I was overdue for a trip to La Vie En Rose.