Feb
Love Goes
It was a fine summer, and I had just turned 17. Her name was Beth and she was a skinny, awkward teenager with too many freckles. We hung out together, and had some denial that our interest was anything but platonic. That ended when we made out on a fishing pier while a romantic sunset lit the Shark River with waning rays. We both thought this was the love of our lives. A month later we had both returned to our hometowns and started the school year. Beth and I kept in touch for a while, but that was over by October. We each had someone else to see in our home towns. So much for summer love.
By November I had managed to get myself into the Army and was having the experience of basic training. Compared to living with so-called family, basic training was a great big vacation. As for Love, there were a couple girls from home with whom I kept in touch, and some Southern girls (gooberettes) I dated when I was stationed down South. That was about 35 years ago. At least half of them had seemed like the love of my life for a while.
Have you ever wondered where the love went? One day there is someone for whom your heart beats hot and heavy, and the next the feeling is gone. Indeed, we know why most of our past romances ended. We know intellectually. But sometimes the question comes. How does the love fade so fast? Is love that elusive? Does it turn on and off with the ease of a faucet?
There is no real answer here. Love of the past evokes many questions, but few solid answers. Looking objectively at our romantic past is impossible, since we tend to unconsciously coat it in a glaze of sentiment. The simple fact is that whatever happened back then, the love of today is what counts. Some of us are lucky enough to have finally settled down with the love of our lives, and others are still looking.
