The Story of Us: Part 3

Kerry and I wrote a few more notes back and forth, neither of us budging on discussing any real feelings.  However, we were about to get our opportunity.

A great perk in working for Upward Bound was the awesome trips we got to take.  This particular year we were going to Houston.  We went to NASA, an Astros game, Galveston Beach, Six Flags, Moody Gardens, saw the play "Arsenic and Old Lace", and did some shopping.  It was so much fun.

Kerry and I on the Houston trip.  We were on a boat cruising Galveston Harbor.  No idea what we might be discussing.  I also had no idea anyone was taking our picture...obviously.

Upward Bound chartered a bus for the trip, but we also brought CASC's Chevy Malibu.    Our bosses took turns driving the car on the way down to Houston.  On our trip back we were about five hours from home when the main staff were tired of driving the car.  They decided to designate two PC's for the job.  Guess who it was?  Yep

I was excited to have alone time with Kerry, but so nervous.  I thought "OK, if anything is going to get said surely it will be in this five hours we will have alone in a car."  Surely we would address the elephant in the Malibu.

KERRY:  First of all, what program that doesn't allow its employees to date during the summer puts two of them together in a car for five hours?  Second of all, neither of us were old enough to drive a rental car, so what qualified us to drive a state vehicle?  Third of all, where did I get those hideous shorts in that picture?

We talked the entire way home, but not about liking each other.  Every time we had a pause in the conversation I would think, "Maybe he's about to say it."  Five hours went by and we were back on the CASC campus.  I remember dreading seeing Yolanda.  She will kill us.  


KERRY:  I was just waiting for the right moment.  Unfortunately, there was never a good segue from the prior conversation into, "So, I'm in love with you."  Every conversation we had was about something awkward.  Like how much our dads scared us when they were mad.  Or impressions of other staff members.  Or how unlawful it was that we were in this state-owned car.  In reality though, I was so terrified of saying the wrong thing that I could never put together a sentence in my head that sounded like the right thing.  I thought surely over the course of five hours I'd think of something.  But when we made the turn from the highway onto campus, the only thing running through my head was, "Oh, crap."


As soon as I got my luggage and walked into our room Yolanda immediately all smiles went into, "Well????"  "We...didn't...talk...about...it,"  I nervously answered.  "WHAT?!"  "WHY?!"  she yelled.  "Well, he never brought it up, and I didn't want to be the one to say it; I'm the girl."  She then ripped into me pretty good about all her hard work being done in vain and then more yelling, and then she stormed out of the room.

Great.  


However, that evening I received a knock on our door.  It was Kerry.  He came inside (major rule broken) and poured out his heart.  He went on for several minutes, and it was beautiful.  He was so well spoken and I was soaking up every word.  When he finished I, Miss Awesome-With-Words said, "I like you too."  That was all I could muster up.  He smiled and we both breathed a huge sigh of relief.  Within a few hours though, Kerry would learn he wasn't yet rid of the hot=dog thief.

KERRY:  While we down at the male dorms that night, one of my students somehow managed to get a concussion.  While we were trying to figure out what to do with him (which should have been simple--take him to the hospital--but remember this is the same outfit that put two college students of the opposite sex in a state-owned car for five hours to drive on curvy back roads through east Texas), I look out the window of this student's room and see a familiar car pulling into the parking lot.  It was her.  And she was not happy.  She had driven three hours to confront me about the abrupt calling-card-induced break-up.  While I'm trying to contain her anger and make a decision about the brain trauma of a student, here comes another familiar car flying down the street, going airborne as it hits the speed bumps...it was Yolanda, coming to the rescue.  She boiled the moment down to a simple decision:  "Put Josh in the car, then you get in the car, and then we're going to the hospital."  Crisis over, right?  Wrong.  Princess Hot Dog threatened me with me with my life...and then we went to the hospital.

Luckily that was the last of her.  The summer program was coming to an end.  A few days before the final program Kerry took me aside and asked if he could take me out after the final program that Friday night.  I obviously said "yes."

On July 14, 2000, Kerry took me on our first date.  We went to Fort Smith, a 30-minute drive away.  I froze the entire time in the car.  He had the air cranked and I was too embarrassed to ask him to turn it down, I didn't want to seem high-maintenance.  At one point I slowly reached around to my vent while he wasn't looking and flipped the switch to turn off my door side vent.

We went to Applebee's (I know you are jealous) and then when the meal ended neither of us wanted to go back to the college yet.  So we decided to check out the movie theater and see what was playing.  There was nothing worth seeing.  I wish I could actually remember our options.  Anyhow, we decided on X-Men, (I know, every girl's dream) but I didn't care.  I wasn't interested in the movie; I was just super excited to be  anywhere with this guy I had liked all summer.

The movie ended and we headed back to Poteau.  When we arrived on campus Kerry walked me to my room.  I expected him to just say good night and head back to his car.  I thanked him for the evening, he told me what a great time he had and then...

KERRY:  I proposed.


Just kidding.  I kissed her.  Right on the mouth.  Kissed her the next day, too, when all the counselors moved out, just to be sure she knew I was serious.

That, my friends, is how it all began!