My first kiss was in the summer of 1972, just before I started high school. 

Okay, I had been kissed a few times before then (John Gosnell in the 7th or 8th grade), but that’s not the one that I remember.

My mother and I were living with my grandmother again in her house on Bonifacio street. I had been skating for a while at Roller Haven in Walnut Creek and it was there that I met Kevin Wilson. Kevin was a keep it to himself kind of guy, roller-skating just because his mom wanted him to get some kind of exercise. He had bright red hair and freckles and worked as hard at ignoring me as I did trying to get him to notice me.

But notice me he did. Much to the dismay of all the other girls at the rink. He would skate with them but it was me he walked up to the Foster Freeze for snacks between practice sessions. It was me he would talk to on the phone for hours and hours. 

I lived downtown in old Concord. Kevin lived in new town, closer to Walnut Creek. We weren’t old enough to drive and our parents weren’t too crazy about us being so crazy about each other.

Kevin was a future successful businessman. He had a paper route and he was dedicated to delivering on time. That also meant he had a bike, an old-fashioned single speed bike. And that he was used to riding it long and far. One summer day he called me and then hung up again almost as soon as I said hello. Later he said he wanted to make sure I was home but I remember worrying that he didn’t like me anymore. 

About a half an hour later there was a knock on the front door. It was Kevin! I went outside and we stood together but apart under the orange trees in the driveway. I leaned back against a tree. Kevin leaned back against the car. We didn’t talk much, just stared at each other for a while and then Kevin stepped forward and quickly kissed me.

I was shocked, happy, and scared all at the same time.

As soon as it had begun, it was over. Kevin said he had to get home for his paper route. He hopped back on his bike and was gone. I drifted into the house in that hazy dreamlike state all-too-familiar to teenage girls and plopped down on my purple fur bedspread with a giant smile covering my face. I turned on the radio in time to hear the new song by Cornelius Brothers & Sister Rose, Too Late to Turn Back Now. Before the song had finished playing I had mapped out the rest of our lives together.

Your turn. What do you remember about your first kiss – or any memorable kiss?