Friday the 13th

My favorite moment that involved a February 13th took place in middle school. I was going out with a girl named Nichole Behn. Nicole had strawberry-blond hair and she was as cute as could be. We would walk to class with each other, give each other notes, and that is pretty much it. I mean, it is middle school so what do you expect? I think the only thing we ever did outside of notes and classes was going to see Beauty and the Beast, but that is a story for a different day. (It is a good one.)

One of my favorite things about middle school (there weren't many) was gym class. In gym class we got to do pretty awesome things like go bowling, play pin soccer, and floor hockey. Another of my favorite things in gym class was happening on this particular February 13th: roller skating.

For a week or two, during the winter, we would come into the gym and find two large boxes with skates in them. The skates where tucked into the shelves inside these giant boxes on wheels and organized by size. We would scramble to put our skates on and then quickly get on the gym floor to start our circles around the wooden floor.

Just prior to that day, the 13th of February, I had gone to the drug store where my mom worked and picked out a small, white bear to give to Nichole for Valentine's Day. I had this bear in my room, waiting till two days had passed and could finally give a girl something for Valentine's Day on my own. In years passed we had been forced to make everyone in our class a Valentine out of construction paper and glitter and glue. Not this year though. This was 6th grade. We were adults and we could choose who we wanted to be our Valentine.

As I skated around the gym I thought of how I would present this fine bear to Nichole. Would I sneak up behind her and then put the bear in front of face like a game of "guess who"? Would I walk up to her with the fuzzy animal behind my back and then smile, say a Happy Valentine's Day something or other, and then show her the gift? Lots of planning needed to be done in the next 24 hours.

At just about that moment Kim Quame, who was Nichole's best friend at the time, skated up from behind me.

"Todd. Nichole doesn't want to go out with you anymore."

Then she skated away.

The gym teacher then blew his whistle, signalling it was time to go and get out shoes on before the bell rang. The floor slowly cleared off and the sounds of wheels on wooden planks got quieter and quieter. As the bell rang and everyone left, the sounds left in the gym were of one set of skates rolling lonely circles in the gym. Mine. I just skated and skated and cried and cried by myself. (keep in mind that I am laughing while I type this, so I hope you are laughing while reading. don't feel bad...this was middle school.) As soon as everyone was gone my teacher came over and asked what the matter was.

Through the sobs, he somehow figured out what was going on and said, "Todd. You're in 6th grade. You've got a LOOOOT of time left in find a girl."

I'm not sure what happened to that white bear that I had bought for Nichole on the 12th of February, I do know that I probably saved it for a long time in hopes of giving it to her someday so that she would know just what she missed out on all those years ago. I also know that when we went out again in 7th grade, I didn't give it to her then.

It's a good thing too. She moved away in the middle of the year while we going out. To a different state. Without telling me. But that is another story for another day.

Hey...at least it wasn't a Friday, the 13th of February. I probably would have slipped on my tears while skating and broken my leg.

todd