Happy Memories of Years Gone By....26 years

I've had quite a bit of death in my life.  It's become sort of numbing to me. There are, however, a few deaths that hit me right to my core.  Gary's death is one of those.

Today is the anniversary Gary's death.  Gary was my very first real love.....

I am NOT going to be all melancholy today.  I have been melancholy in the past.

Today, I've decided to reminisce about the silly stuff...The stuff that makes me smile when I think back.

When Gary and I dated, we were in high school.  He was a year older than me and he drove.  My parents hated that.  They hated everything about me being in a car with a boy on so many levels, but Gary was a nice guy.  He had an art of schmoozing parents and winning them over.  Whether they should have been won over or not.  When push came to shove - I was allowed to date him, but I was not allowed to ride in the car with him.

Truth be told - he was trouble and I loved every second of it...

He was fast and wild.  He had a really hot Oldsmobile Cutlass.  A total muscle car, souped up for racing and FAST.  Many a night he would call for me to come out.  I was not allowed to be in Gary's car... yeah OK.... (I was a bit rebellious as well).  No one really ever asked me where I was going when I left the house, so I'd say I was going out and walk a few blocks down where he'd pick me up.  Often times, we'd go to where he'd drag with the other guys in the area.  I'd sit up on the hill and watch.
I loved it!

Inevitably... one night, I got caught.  My uncle was at the Quick Check on Main Avenue and saw me getting into Gary's car.  He went straight to my house and told my parents.  I was grounded.  Actually, I was always grounded - but that's another story.

Gary STILL found a way to schmooze so that he could see me.  I loved that. He'd go above and beyond what needed to be done.  It was both a blessing and a curse in our relationship.

This particular time, he came to the door with Van Halen tickets and begged my parents to please let me out.  He'd spend a ton of money on these concert tickets and he really wanted me to be there.  That story would NEVER have flown if I'd told it... but sure enough, not only was I allowed out, but I was allowed to drive in his car AND go to the concert - arriving home well after my normal curfew.  All with parental approval.

I never understood how he was able to pull these things off, but I loved that he did these things for me - just to make me feel special.

Gary is gone 26 years today.  I'll never forget him or the ways he went out of his way to make me smile.  Even when I didn't want to.

Thank you, Gary.  Thank you for setting the bar high enough for me to know how I want people to treat me. Thank you for being a part of my life and a part of my heart.

Rest in sweet peace, friend...

~Jenn

Gary died tragically and suddenly.  We were not dating at the time.  We'd broken up a few years earlier, but remained close.  He is someone I will always think of with a smile.

Thank you for reading this tribute to him.

I wish you all someone who will cause you to set the bar high & make you smile when you think of them...


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