My First Boyfriend

I was all of 15, skittish and impulsive. Ok, not bad looking at all. And there was this cute guy who used to stare at me constantly. He was in 10th and I was in 9th. Oh Gosh ! Older Guy! He was an athlete and played soccer too. He was nearly 6 feet tall and had brown hair, regular features and warm brown eyes. I was quite pleased with the attention.

Soon my best friend got feelers from him about setting us up together. I think I shilly-shallied for a while and then agreed to be his girl friend. Being a girl friend meant walking together at times. Meeting up outside school for a chat, passing notes, trying to stand together in the school bus (seniors never sat, but stood in the buses without holding straps, one hip balanced against a seat back), writing each others names on hands and showing them to close friends, holding sweaty hands, and (oh oh oh) going to see a movie together.

We used to meet outside Jayashri Theatre, which was not on the main road, hence a safe spot. He would arrive on a bicycle, and I would walk down from home. We would stand around and talk. Once we went to see a movie called 'Dharma' *ing Pran, Bindu, and god knows who else. We held hands during the movie, periodically withdrawing them to wipe the sweat off. Hmm, it was nice in a way.

What Went Wrong? Who Was The Serpent In This Eden? I, the eve, was the serpent. Well, actually, a neighbour spotted us together and even though I covered my face with a book, he recognised me, and complained to my older cousin who took me to task over this. That did not deter me though, we just gave up meeting for a while. I think I just got bored. I wrote him a 'Dear John' letter and one of the reasons I gave out for the breakup was - Your English Is Very Poor.

Now when I think back upon those times, I laugh at my innocence and utter immaturity. We had even managed to exchange a silly stupid useless kiss. I am grateful that my first boyfriend was as silly as I was and we came away from this none the wiser. Also I am glad that my first boyfriend was so devastatingly handsome.