Story Three

My friend, Lynda, and I arrived in Kelowna, B.C. in early August. It was a summer of love and there were many people in the city park. The park bordered the lake. There was a sandy beach, and waves on the water which I loved. Someone once told me that there are 'sea people' and 'forest people'. I am definitely a sea person.

I sat under a maple tree one afternoon - there was a group of us, all at peace with the world. We sang songs to the music of a guitar that one of the boys played. Lynda had gone off with some guys, something she did frequently. I did not approve.

A tall, dark haired guy approached me, and asked if he could share the shade with me.
I said, "Sure." I liked his friendly brown eyes, and his accent.
"I'm Nick," he told me. He went on to say that he'd just crossed the border into Canada the day before. He was originally from Kansas, but he had spent the past few months hitchhiking stateside. Now he looked forward to seeing my country. He was proud that he wasn't a draft dodger. [In those times, many young Americans in Canada were.]

Then he told me a strange thing.
"When I first saw you sitting under this tree," he said, "I told the guy I've been hitchhiking with 'there's the girl I'm going to marry'."
Well, I couldn't take him seriously! That would mean there was such a thing as love at first sight....

Over the next couple of weeks, as Lynda continued to run off with new guys every day, Nick and I became a couple. I loved his zest for life and for new experiences, his sense of humor, and I liked being taken care of - it felt so safe to be with him, my 6'3" guardian.

Nick was a good conversationalist and he was intelligent. We could talk about anything. He was outgoing, where I was shy. He made friends easily. He gave me confidence, something I'd never had before.

I shared the poetry I'd written with him. He liked one of the poems very much. He said it must have been written for him, because it mentioned, "I did not climb a mountain" - and there were no mountains in Kansas, only flat land. We were meant to be together, he said.

If you think I should further explore my feelings for Nick, choose this link.

If you think I should go on to another town with Lynda, click next for the Fourth Story.