I had my first brush with ‘puppy love” just before leaving elementary school at around age eleven when I developed a crush on the younger sister Gina, of my friend Steven Ingham as I would walk with them on my way home from school. She was just one of the many girls I had grown up with from the neighborhood with whom I was a friend. I did not dare tell anyone about it, especially her. Before then I had not even begun to express an interest in liking a girl.

Unfortunately, we did not get to know one another further as we both transferred to different high schools. I was off to attend a brand new vocational school and she to a private religious denominational school. I knew where she lived, about a half mile north along Cobb’s Hill Road where I lived. While this proved to hinder our future romance, it did not stop us from occasionally seeing one another. Her older brother and I had become good friends in elementary school and we’d visit at his home when my siblings and I would trek to our favorite beach to go swimming. The beach was located on the south shore about 500 yards from my friend's house.  It was during those brief visits with Steven that I would see his sister Gina, who was the most beautiful girl I knew. She was nine, about 4 feet tall with a silky golden honey completion and long curly brown hair. She looked like an angel.

Over the years, I always wondered what had happened to my little angel. Then out of the blue some 40 years later, our paths crossed again as she and her two young teenage boys walked by me at the entrance to the popular Horseshoe Bay beach as I conversed with an old elementary school friend. Of course, all these years later she remained unaware that she was my first crush. She would have been about 48 years old but appeared ageless as it was like I was watching that little 9-year-old girl walk by.

However, although I wanted to call out to get her attention, allowing us to converse all these years later. I resisted letting the moment pass. My friend with whom I was talking also saw her and confirmed her identity. It was approximately 1 year following my divorce from my wife and I was again single.

There I was watching the woman who was my first crush go by, with her sons heading for a day of fun and sun at the beach and I stood in a state of wonderment thinking there goes the woman of my dreams. However, it appeared she was happily married with two children and unavailable.

My heart did not flutter as it did in my youth nor did I experience the youthful feeling of liking her that afternoon. I was left thinking only of what might have been, remembering that initial spark of innocent puppy love.