Off on my own
As I stepped of the plane my heart leapt out of my chest with excitement. I was finally back home, my home away from home that is. Far away from my family who were still in Florida, I bounced along in the anticipation of good times to come! Ahh D.C., I had been comming here every summer for NSLC, a camp where i felt that i could truly express myself and was comfortable with these complete strangers who soon became my family.
As I walked down the terminal all the signs brought back memories of walking through the memorials in awe and through the breaks in the buildings are the green and brown lights bouncing off the waters of the Platomic. Its amazing watching the rays from the sun change the highly polluted water into a master piece. When I arrived at the baggage claim I saw her, the girl who would take my heart and change everything about me. She was tall with long red hair and curves like an hourglass. She was beautiful and when I was around her I felt beautiful. The person she turned me into was a person I could respect and was able to look in the mirror at a person I had not seen in a number of years. She introduced herself and I rambled and mumbled trying to think of something funny to say, but nothing came. She had rendered me speechless.
Camp was two weeks long and a couple days into it I knew that she was the one that I wanted to be with. She made me laugh and smile and ponder things that I had never thought about before, like whether I was leading the right life. One day as we walked through the hall she asked, "what days doy you have a free period.". I could tell what she was thinking but it seemed too good to be true, and didn't want to jump the gun. I shly answered her question and she said in an excited voice, like a four year old girl who just got her first doll, "Me too, so do you want to hang out while all the other groups are in T.A.?" My answer was obvious by the stupid grin that stretched from ear to ear I had on my face but trying to act cool and a little disinterested. "Sure, sounds like fun."
The day came and I met her in the lobby and she took my hand and said, "I found the most gorgeous garden in the middle of campus. Come on let's go." I followed with the same stupid in grin on my face. We walked in to what looked like the Garden of Eden with tulips, roses, tall tree, and topiary bushes. We found a bench and talked for what seemed like days letting out some of our most trusted secrets and stories and then mid sentence I stop and said, "I'm sorry i just have to," and leaned in for a kiss. The second that our lips touched my world started to spin and it felt like the bench was soaring through the clouds. It felt like forever but also no time at all. When the moment ended she smile and said, "What took you so long?" I laughed and stared into her eyes with the sudden epiphany that I had fallen in love.
As the camp went on our love grew and grew, we watched the sunset over the water from the Jefferson memorial and walked through the mall hand in hand talking about nothing and everything as we watched the squirrels play tag. She was truly amazing, but sadly everyday seemed to go faster than its predecessor until that inevitable day came, the day we had to leave. We sat on the same bench all morning as i tried not to think about the fact that in a few hours I would be thousands of miles away from the girl would now held my heart. My bus was scheduled to leave first and so I went upstairs, packed my things and checked out. When the bus pulled up i had to struggle to let go of her hand and end what appeared to be our finally kiss for possibly many years to come. I eventually was able to let go and get on the bus, after which everything was a blur until I found myself on the plane with my ear buds on in an attempt to drown out the sorrow with music. Plane by Jason Mraz came on and all I could think of was that if were to die that very moment I would die happy because I now knew love.
Sadly, the distance proved too much for us and we ended our relationship after two and half years. She could not agree with many of my ambitions and hated many of my habits. One day I broke down, went for a long walk by the water and told her that she will always hold my heart and offered hers back so that she could be free to go and give it to a man who is better grounded and more deserving. She took it back and to this day I have no idea who holds her heart now, but i still know who holds mine, the beautiful redhead from summer camp which my love for will live on through every song I sing.