Some Things Are Never Forgotten

My Aunt Anne and Uncle Roy, after they retired, would travel around to the different state parks in Texas.  They had bought a travel trailer, so they could have some of the comforts of home without worrying about setting up tents, sleeping on the ground and so on, in their late middle-aged lives.  They had always been active people.  Uncle Roy was the Post Master in his town for many years and Aunt Anne had sold real estate.  Uncle Roy was my Mother's older brother.  They had always been good to me and I always enjoyed seeing them when we had family get togethers on the holidays.  Aunt Anne was the type of Aunt that was a little on the plump side and always expected a kiss every time she saw you.  Uncle Roy was lean and could explain anything mechanical.  Uncle Roy smoked unfiltered cigarettes and to this day, the smell of a Zippo cigarette lighter still reminds me of him.
During the summer of 1978, they planned a trip to Glen Rose and the Dinosaur Valley.  The park is known for dinosaur tracks that were discovered in 1908.  The state bought the property in the 1960's and made it a state park.  I was 14 at the time and Aunt Anne asked my Mother if I would like to go with them.  I was delighted to go.
My Father took me to their house the day before the trip and I stayed in their spare bedroom that night.  The only part I was a little leery about was their German Shepard, named "Harvey Wallbanger".
Harvey or "Harv", as my Uncle called him, was about 8 years old and his behavior was unpredictable.  Their house was on a corner lot near a school.  Everyday, the kids would walk home from school on the street next to my Aunt and Uncle's house.  Their backyard was confined with a chained-link fence, where Harvey would be.  Everyday, the kids would tease him and throw stones at him.  This slighted his trust in children of any kind.  My Uncle told me to just don't make any sudden movements around him and I would be fine.  Normally, he was very friendly and enjoyed having his ears scratched.  Most of the time, I left Harv alone.


The next morning, we woke up early and got everything ready to go.  I had helped my Uncle connect the trailer to the truck the night before, so in the morning, all we needed to do was put the groceries in the trailer and drive away.
The trip to Glen Rose took about two and a half hours.  Harvey sat in the front seat between Anne and Roy.  His nose left little "nose prints" on the inside of the windshield when he touched it.  I sat in the back seat and looked out the window.
We arrived at the park a little before noon.  I stood and watched my Aunt and Uncle park the trailer.  Aunt Anne would guide Uncle Roy to back the trailer into position.  Then I helped them to level and secure it.  Uncle Roy connected the electricity and water.  With the trailer disconnected from the truck, we all got back in the truck and drove around the park.
Aunt Anne asked me if I remembered coming here before.  I said that I remembered something vaguely but nothing really looked familiar.  I seemed to remember sitting in a large depression in the stone on the edge of the river.  I found out later that I had sat in one of the Brontosaurus tracks, that are plentiful throughout the park, when my parents had come there when I was about 3 years of age.
Due to a lack of rain that year, the river was not flowing.  Instead, there were pools of water along the riverbed.  They took me to a bend in the river known as "The Blue Hole".
The Blue Hole was a part of the river that was very deep and when the water was much higher, looked a deep blue color.  The bank of the river next to the Blue Hole rose sharply and the trees that were hanging over it had ropes tied to them.  My Aunt told me that when the river was full, the kids would swing on these ropes from the bank, out over the water and let go, thus landing in the middle of the water.  One had to be careful when swimming this river as there are many limestone rock formations just under the surface.  But now, all I could see were the rocks themselves.
We drove back to the trailer.  Our campsite was one of many that lined the park road.  They were spaced about 50 ft apart, allowing for a little privacy.  Most of the sites were full and there was an empty spot next to ours.  Each site had a covered table with concrete benches and a fire pit.  Large established cedar elm trees covered most of the campsite we had with shade.  My Aunt Anne had known this site from before and reserved it in advance.
Once we got back to the trailer, I wanted to explore the site a bit and found part of the river was just beyond the site.  Harvey came with me and ran on ahead.  As I came to edge of the still river, Harvey was drinking water out of one of the little pools of water.  I could see the further down to the left, there was a bigger pool and wondered if I could fish there.  I walked down and I could see the water ripple occasionally, meaning there were fish to catch.  I ran back to the trailer and grabbed my rod and reel.  I told my Aunt and Uncle that I was going fishing and they simply waved from their lawn chairs in the shade.
I caught a fish, and while I was reeling it to the shore, Harvey, who had stood on the bank watching my progress with perked ears, leaped into the water and tried to grab the fish.  I shouted at him and as I brought the fish out of the water, he snapped at it a couple of times.  I did get a chuckle when I took the fish off the line and threw it back out into the water, he would dive in the water as if to retrieve it.  Stupid Dog, I thought.

We ate a nice dinner of hamburgers and hotdogs that my Uncle had cooked over the fire pit.  I learned that if I broke off a piece of hotdog and tossed it to Harvey, he would catch it in his mouth.  We watched the fireflies in the meadow next to the site and tried to follow them with the intermittent light.  Sometimes they would land on you and you could watch their lower abdomens glow with phosphorescent light.

The trailer had two beds in the back end and a bathroom, kitchen and small living area in the front.  When it was time to go to bed, my Aunt adjusted the built-in sofa and the back of the sofa laid flat to make a bed.  I thought it was a cool idea and I slept there for the night.
The next couple of days were for fishing and exploring.  We went to see the lifesize replicas of the dinosaurs that had left the tracks in the park.  There was a replica of the Brontosaurus and the Tyrannosaurus Rex.  They looked pretty cool and my Aunt took my photo with each.
When we got back on the third day for lunch, the site that had been vacant was now occupied.  I didn't think much about it and besides you couldn't see anyone.  They didn't have a trailer, just a large tent.
Aunt Anne made sandwiches and we sat at the covered table.  While we were eating, the new "neighbors" walked over to our site.  They were a family of four.  Dad, Mom and two girls.  One girl was about 7 years and the older girl was 14.  Her name was Natalie.


Up until this point in my life, I had a very slight interest in girls, it was normal as puberty floods the male brain with testosterone and the girls began to become more curvy with each passing month.  Being raised with a Mother who was quite strict in terms of who my friends were, girlfriends were out of the question.  Besides, I had more interest in fishing and model trains, than stupid girls.


Natalie was a little taller than me and had long brown hair with big brown eyes.  She was wearing shorts and I immediately noticed her long legs.  She was very friendly too.  Above all, she was a beauty and she was in the campsite next to ours.
After they left, my Uncle looked over at my Aunt and said, "I think ol' Mike's been struck by lightening."
"What do you mean?" I asked, finishing my sandwich.
"I saw the way you were drooling all over that young girl." he said, chuckling.
"Oh Roy, leave the boy alone and finish your lunch." Aunt Anne said.
"I was not!" I exclaimed.
"I thought your tongue was gonna fall out of your mouth." he continued, laughing.
"No, it wasn't." I said, beginning to blush.
"Roy, now you've embarrassed him." she said.
"It's Ok, Darlin', he's becoming a man.  He knows I'm jokin' with him." Uncle Roy said.


I couldn't stop thinking about her.  Maybe I had been struck by lightening or something.  That afternoon, I went back fishing on a different pond near the Blue Hole.  Nobody was swimming so I thought I'd have better luck.
While I was casting my bait into the water, Natalie and her family came by to see the Blue Hole.
"Catch anything?" he dad asked me.
"I've caught a couple, Sir." I answered.
"I remember when this place was a nice lazy river, but now, most of it is dried up." he said.  Natalie came closer and sat near to where I was fishing.
"How long have you been here in the park?" she asked.
"About three days. We leave on Sunday." I told her.
"Where are you from?" she asked.
"My Aunt and Uncle are from Waxahachie, but I'm from Lake Dallas. What about you?" I asked.
"I'm from North Dallas." she answered.
"Cool" I said smiling.
She had a couple of freckles around her nose that looked cute.  When she laughed, her nose crinkled up.  She had a pretty smile that made it difficult not to stare.
"Hey Nat, we're going to go back now." her dad called out.
"Can I stay a while, Daddy?" she asked with a sweet daughter voice.
"Sure, just don't stay too long or the mosquitoes will eat you alive." he said.
"We'll be back before it gets dark, sir." I told him.
"Very well." he said, smiling.  Then they walked over the top of the hill back to their site.


We sat a while and chit chatted about school and what each other liked and disliked.  I caught a couple more fish, too small to keep, but each time, Natalie would clap and tell me I was a great fisherman. I felt happy that a pretty girl was giving me her attention.  I always thought I was just average.  Why would a pretty girl want to talk to me? had been my question.
I walked her back and when we got there, her family was sitting with my Aunt and Uncle talking.
Aunt Anne told me that her family was going to see the park exhibit that explained about the dinosaurs and there would be a short film.  It was at the outdoor amphitheater and they wanted to know if I would like to go with them. I asked Aunt Anne if it was ok, for me to go and she said it was fine.  They were going to go after dark so I needed to hurry up and eat dinner.
The amphitheater was basically, a large screen, made from plywood and painted white.  The benches were logs that were cut in half and the flat side was used for benches.  There were six rows of benches in two columns.
Natalie and I sat together behind her parents and little sister. Several other benches had other park visitors. The park ranger began telling the story of how the tracks had been discovered and how the park came to be.  After he was done, he turned on the projector and the film about dinosaurs was shown.  I watched the film and out of the corner of my eye, I saw Natalie's face.  The light from the film flickering off her eyes.  Then she turned and looked at me and smiled.  She took her hand and put it on mine on the bench between us.  I turned my hand and held hers.  We smiled at each other and then watched the film.
Her hand was soft and it made my hand a bit sweaty.  I had held a girl's hand before when I was younger, crossing the street, but never like this.
Something was happening to other parts of my body that I knew was normal, so I crossed my legs to help hide my excitement.
When the film was complete, she immediately released my hand as if her dad might see.  I looked at her and she gave me a sweet smile.  We all stood up and I crossed my hands in front and as we all walked back to the campsite.  I was thankful for the darkness of the night.
On the way back, I asked her if I could see her the next day.  She told me she didn't know what her family was doing, but she had hoped to see me.  I smiled as did she.  I left them at their site and joined my Aunt and Uncle at ours.  They were just relaxing in their chairs and Harvey jumped up from his position next to Uncle Roy and barked a couple of times at me.  I remembered to "not make any sudden movements" as I approached and allowed him to sniff my hand.  He then gave a little whine and returned to my Uncle's side.


It rained the next day, so Natalie's family stayed in their tent or under the covered table area.  We did the same and then my Uncle suggested we go into town for some barbecue.  It was dark when we got back, so I didn't see Natalie.  I had hoped to see her on Saturday, because we were leaving on Sunday.


Saturday was still rainy but not as bad.  The rain let up about mid morning and I asked Natalie if she would like to go for a walk.  Her dad said it was fine.  He knew she was tired of staying cooped up in the tent all day. We walked up the road and after we were out of sight, she took my hand and held it again.  I had a warm feeling when I spent time with her.  We explored the pavilion and some of the other parts of the park.  While we were sitting near the brontosaurus tracks, the sky opened up and large drops of rain began to fall.  We ran towards the pavilion where it would be dry, but when we arrived, our clothes were soaked.  Her hair was wet and stringy, little drops of water fell from the ends.  I could see her bra under her shirt.  She raised her arms to cover herself.  We leaned against the painted cedar siding under the eave of the pavilion's roof.  It was raining really hard and you couldn't see far beyond the pavilion.  We would have to wait until the rain subsided.  There was a flash and then a very loud clap of thunder.  Natalie put her arms around my waist and hid her head in my chest.  I put my arms around her to protect her.
"I'm scared of thunder." she said in a muffled voice.
"It was really loud" I replied.
"Hopefully, it's just a quick thunderstorm and the rain will let up soon." I added.
I felt her hold me tighter as another clap of thunder cracked through the air.  I held her and noticed how good she felt in my arms.  I had never held anyone but my Mom or Grandmother this tight before.  She felt small and helpless, but she felt natural.  I was looking out at the rain when I felt her raise her head towards me.  I looked down at her and I kissed her.  It wasn't a passionate kiss you see in the movies, it was a sweet kiss.  It was my first kiss.  Her lips were warm and soft.  I didn't even know if I did it right.  It wasn't gross like all my friends told me it was.  It wasn't like kissing my Mom or Aunt Anne, no.  This was a real girl kiss.  When we broke the kiss I looked at her and she blushed.  She hid her head again and then just held me tight.  My heart was beating so fast.  I held her and smiled my biggest smile.  I kissed a girl!  I kissed a girl!  That was super-duper cool!, I thought to myself.  I found I wanted another and another.   

After the rain subsided a bit, we went back holding hands.  It was late in the afternoon and Aunt Anne would have dinner ready soon. 
That night, Aunt Anne had invited her family to dinner over at our site.  It was fun, but it seemed a bit awkward.  My Uncle Roy had picked up on it and after they left, he said something.
"You both got caught in that storm earlier, didn't you?" he asked me, while Aunt Anne was putting things away inside the trailer.
"Yes, we did.  We got soaked." I replied.
"Where did you go?" he asked.
"We ran to the pavilion until it stopped." I answered.
"She was scared from the thunder." I added.
"Did you kiss her?" he asked smiling.
I blushed and then he nudged me with his elbow, "She is a pretty little thing." he said.
"You're a good looking boy, I'll bet you'll have them fighting over ya, in a couple of years." he said and slapped my shoulder.
"I don't think so, Uncle Roy." I said, still blushing and trying to imagine girls wanting to fight over me.
"You'll see." he said.
"What are you telling that boy, Roy?" Aunt Anne said, standing in the doorway of the trailer.
"Nothing, Darlin'" he said, getting up and giving his wife a sweet peck on the lips and then squeezing passed her to enter the trailer.


I sat outside and watched off into the darkness.  My mind replaying the events of the day over and over.  It was wonderful. I guess my Uncle had seen the dazed look, like I had been witness to something Divine.  My Aunt and Uncle were inside the trailer when I heard a noise.
"pssst" Natalie said from around the front of the trailer.  She was crouched down and when I looked she motioned for me to come.
I got up looking around for anyone else and walked over to her.  She took my hand and led me into the road where the light was shadowed by the truck.
"What is it?" I asked her.
"Here, take this." she said, handing me a small piece of paper. "It's my address." she added.
"Why are you giving me your address?" I cluelessly asked.
"We can write to each other, silly. I know you're leaving tomorrow and I wanted to give it to you in case I didn't see you before you left." she said.
A light went off in my head as she spoke.  Yeah, stupid, why else would she give you her address?, I thought.
"Cool, I'll write you when I get home and then you'll have my address as well." I said.
"I need to go back" she said, then gave me a quick kiss and was gone into the darkness.
I felt drunk.  I walked back into the site and my Aunt Anne opened the trailer door.
"You gonna stay out here all night?  What's that you have there?" she asked.
"Natalie's address.  We're going to write to each other." I told her.
"That's sweet.  Michael's got a girlfriend." she said.
"She's not my girlfriend, Anne. I like her." I told her.
"I see that look on your face.  Cupid struck you hard." she said with a wink.
I blushed again and went inside.


We left early the next morning and returned home.  Sunday night I was back in my own bed, thoughts of Natalie were all I could think about.  I wrote her and she wrote back.  We continued writing about once a week.  She would spray her letters with perfume that I found I really liked. Over time, the letters were less and less.  Eventually, they stopped altogether.



I never saw her again.

But I will never forget that trip or my first kiss.