We haven’t had a guest writer in a while. In this post, Eric shares his story with us:
We met in the oddest way.
Sitting on the ledge of a corner with my friends in January of 1987, we saw two girls with bicycles walking by.
Unfortunately my friends were a little immature and began making fun of them because the girls were a little overweight.
“You should ride the bike not walk it”, they said.
I didn’t even want to look at them and make a fool of myself.
As they passed around the corner, we noticed they were heading to the McDonald’s at the end of the street. Shortly after, they came out with their food and headed back our way.
My friends snickered: “Now you have to work double time to get fit!”
This time though I told them that it wasn’t nice. What if they were your sisters?
Three weeks later, a local high school held a dance sponsored by a teacher who wanted to raise funds for a field trip. We all went. All of our friends found a partner to dance with except my best friend Rafael and me. We didn’t know what to do.
Then I saw her with another girl standing right in front of us. I was reluctant to approach her after what happened on the street corner but Rafael went up to them and started to chat. I soon joined him and after we introduced ourselves, we apologized to them and after that we had a good time dancing and eating. The dance was over by midnight and her parents came to picked her up. We agreed to see each other every weekend when she went to visit her grandparents.
I had plans of moving to the United States to finish my college education. We went out to the movies, dances, and at the time videogames were popular. When we visited her family, all accepted me as the future son-in-law. But we were only 16 or 17 years old. I told her my plans. I am very sensitive and didn’t want to break her heart or mine. It wouldn’t be fair if I left and she stayed behind in Panama.
Our love grew. In August of 1987, 7 months after we met, my visa for the US was approved. I had until November to leave and be with my mother in the USA who lived there since 1978 after she separated from my father.
I was very respectful to the orders from her parents. At what time to bring her home, no more than a kiss, etc… I guess that’s why they liked me. One unforgettable Halloween night, I took her to a party at the Panama Canal Zone (since we don’t celebrate Halloween in Panama). We had our first slow dance. “Lady in Red,” and “Alone” by Heart, were our favorite songs.
We were sad after the party, because we knew after that night the time was near for me to depart. I took her home as I was told. No one was there. I waited until midnight and still no one came home. We talked and about what we were going to do to be together with regards to visas, school, housing, etc. At one in the morning there was still no one at her home. She asked me if I could make that night memorable for us. I wasn’t sure what she meant until she showed me. She was my first and I was her first. We made love like it was the end of days and when I left home, it was after 3 am
After that I came to see her as often as I could and you could tell by our faces that we were in love.
Then came the day for me to leave and we all went to the airport, my friends, her friends, my family, and her family. We said a sad goodbye and I boarded the plane. We wrote letters almost every day, but I am not a writer. I like to use the phone. Wary of the expenses, my mother tried to control that. I had a part time job and was going to school, trying to save money for the phone and finishing what we planned. For three years we stayed in touch, until I had the chance to go back on vacation. I joined the United States Air Force and earned enough leave to go on vacation, but it was not possible. In December of 1989, the United States invaded Panama to overthrow General Manuel Noriega. All flights were canceled due to the military exercise. I called her and told her we couldn’t be together: ”Maybe next time”.
In February of 1990 I received a letter from her that hurt me: “I need to move on”, she said. I understood. I didn’t hear anymore from her.
I served in Desert Shield/Storm and then came back to my base in Washington. After coming back from the war I decided to go visit my dad in Panama. On my third day, my stepsister and I went to get some groceries nearby a bank in Panama. It was raining that day and we took cover under a roof of the bank. Then I saw her, the love of my life, walking out through the doors of the bank. “She works here now”, I thought. We saw each other, panicked, and didn’t say a word. Mixed emotions ran through our bodies. My sister and I ran through the rain and made it home.
I called her that night. I knew she had a boyfriend and I didn’t want to interfere in her life. I asked her out for lunch and we talked about the past and what happened during our separation. I also asked for forgiveness because I took something from her that she can never get back. “No regrets, it was the most beautiful experience”, she said.
We remained good friends since then and I left saying: “Maybe next time”.
Recently I started looking up my friends to see who made it in life. Some are doctors, lawyers, state representatives, etc. I looked her up and found her contact number and address. My heart started to beat really fast like the first day at the dance. I called her at work and she answered. Her deep, husky voice (like Demi Moore) paralyzed me for a second. I said hello and she couldn’t believe it was me. It is so weird how life plays with you. There are so many similarities and coincidences that are shared between us. She is married to one of the guys I knew in the neighborhood. She had no kids because her husband can’t. I have no kids because my wife can’t have any. Both my wife and her hubby suffer from sleep apnea, and they hate coffee. She lives in Washington now like I did. When I moved to Texas, she did too to finish her college but we never came across each other.
It is very strange to explain all the similarities between us but since then I told her I would not lose her again. We promised each other to stay in touch. Before making the call to her the first time, I called her mom. I had to dig in my military bags for that special phone book. Her mom answered and almost cried when I told her my name. It was too late. She was already married her mom explained me over the phone.
“Perhaps someday you will get together and talk over a cup of coffee”, she said.
We are still in communication as friends. The first call we talked for a good four hours on the phone. We cried, we laughed; we got angry with each other, and had our first fight over the phone. It might sound silly, but for us that spark is still inside from unfinished business. Perhaps someday like she said too but for now we already made our choices and we have responsibilities. It won’t be fair for her husband or my wife. She was, is, and always will be the love of my life. Me to her too.
“May be next time” we say to each other when we talk
over the phone.
