First Heartbreak

One of my earliest teenage crushes, infatuations, loves ..... whatever you want to label it, was a girl who moved from out-of-town, to my neighborhood a year or two before.

Very pretty, engaging and funny ..... and she enjoyed playing football in the street and bowling with us and would talk late into the night.

She was complicit in planning a surprise birthday party for me.

I'd give her rides to school and slowly (or quickly?) saw her differently than others.

Of course, I was always too shy to let her know of my feelings towards her.  

It was my secret. She never knew. No one knew. 

Fast forward and high school ended and friends went different directions .... to jobs or different colleges.

I was heartbroken to hear the news one day that she had become close with another guy.

Looking back, I'm not sure of the length of time that passed .... it may have been a four or five months or it may have been two or three years.

I was at mass one Sunday evening with a childhood friend.

We reached the point in the mass where names were read of people who had passed away and who the mass was being offered for.

We heard her name and looked at each other in shock.

No way we thought that it was our friend. Had to be someone with the same name.

I raced back to my dorm room after mass ..... I may not have waited for it to end.

I called home and asked my mom if it was true.

I don't recall now if she knew or had to make a call or two.

Soon though, it was confirmed that it was my friend. 

She had died in a house fire. 

She had fallen asleep, the house caught fire and she couldn't get out. 

I heard that people outside could hear her screams but the fire was so large at that point that they couldn't get to her.

I've always hoped that wasn't true. 

I've never forgotten her and still think of her from time-to-time.