Teenage Love

I was fifteen years old when I first met him. My older sister had a friend whose younger brother had just arrived in town and was going out and applying for jobs and needed a haircut. Now this was in the '70's long before the internet and and you apply online for jobs, back then you went in to a business and asked for an application and filled it out there on site and you may or may not get an interview there and then, but I digress, my sister asked my dad if he could cut his hair for him, my dad was pretty good with the scissors, and he agreed to do it. I was home in my room when I heard the doorbell ring and I didn't hear anybody else going to get it, so I got up to answer the door. Opening it, I saw the cutest guy standing on our doorstep, shaggy, curly blonde hair, blue eyes that crinkled at the edges when he smiled and dimples, my heart came to an abrupt halt. He introduced himself, "Hi, I'm Larry. Your dad's cutting my hair for me."

I could only stand there and stare until I got my wits about me, finally I was able to get out, "Hi, I'm Sherri, come on in."

My dad came out and greeted him and led him into the kitchen where he was going to cut his hair for him. I went back into my room watching TV, but several times I would come out on some pretext or other just to look at him. He'd smile and wink at me, and I would just melt, I'd never experienced love at first sight before, and never have again, but I did with him. He was also my first love, I've heard it said that is something a girl never forgets and I believe it's true.

We dated for several months until he joined the Navy. We wrote each other and he even sent me a lock of his hair from when they shaved his head when he went into basic. I kept that lock of hair and those letters for years until I met my ex-husband. I still think about him from time to time. I'd heard he'd been killed in a motorcycle accident some years back, but I've never forgotten him and that love at first sight.