fallen

I was over reading at Terri's, which then prompted me to go over to MTAE's. They've both got this walk down the awkward teen years memory lane going on, and it got my own memories bubbling. So I kick back, put my feet up on the head shrink couch, and jump in to join the fray...

I've mentioned here before, I think, that I grew up in a neighborhood full of boys for the most part. Sure, I was friends with girls at school, but as far as just being able to walk out the door and go find a neighbor kid to play with, it was Boy's Town. So I grew up liking sports and dirt and such and heard more than my share of crude humor. I still don't know if I was already tomboy inclined, or if it was just the environment that shaped me. I have no regrets. While I may not have been the daughter my mother envisioned after having two boys, I enjoyed those rough and tumble pre-adolescent years.

I do, however, remember vividly the point at which I took notice of the human male.

I was probably about 12 or 13 years old. It was a holiday - either Thanksgiving or Christmas. I remember that because my oldest brother was home visiting. He, my dad, my other brother, and I all went out for a walk (again, there I was hanging out with the guys). So we're walking up this street and up ahead there's a guy on a ladder, fixing a window, or maybe he was putting up Christmas decorations, I don't know. I'd guess that he was about 15 feet above the ground.

All of a sudden, his ladder slips, and the guy comes crashing down to the ground! My dad and oldest brother run to his aid with my other brother and me trailing. Surprisingly, he wasn't hurt, but was visibly shaken from the experience. He was kind of freaked out about what happened, almost shocked that he wasn't hurt, but after a few moments, he assured us and himself that he was, in fact, okay.

And all I could do was stand there and look at him.

He had light brown curly hair, was probably late teens or early 20's. We lived in a small town, and he didn't live far from our house, I'm sure I'd seen him before, but this was the first time I really SAW him. He was wearing a pair of bib overalls over a white t-shirt over an athletic build.

It was sooooo HOT!

Looking back, I almost feel guilty that I began to feel the early blossoming of my womanhood from this poor guy that had just come crashing to the ground. I don't know, I think it was the combination of his manliness - the muscles, the tight t-shirt, the fact that he was post-pubescent, unlike the boys I hung out with - and the contrasting qualities of fear and vulnerability from having just fallen off of a ladder.

It was right about that time in my life that I began to not like hanging out with the neighbor boys so much anymore, and I began hanging out more with girls. Then things really got rolling.

But that's for later.
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