Chapter 11: Colorado Rocky Mountain HIGH

It seemed like a perfectly good idea. A surprise in the form of "mwah" for one Basic Cadet Mike Meeker The Geeker Seeker whom I had been pouring my 17 year old heart out unto in many letters since he left for the Air Force Academy three months prior. But as I walked down the jet way, it dawned on me that maybe Mike wouldn't want to see me. Maybe all of the flirting and talk had been done all within the safe world of letters...handwritten letters from a boy who was never going to have to show up and put his money where his mouth was so to speak. Maybe there was a girl here, a smart, athletic military type girl who he was really fond of and who might be with him and his parents this VERY SECOND. As I made my way down the jet way I thought maybe I was walking into a trap. A trap that looks an awful lot like Mike smoochin' on some other chick. I felt sick. The man who had thrust his Casio watch at me so I would stop asking him how much longer our flight would last, paused and asked me if I was okay. Okay? OKAY? I was so clearly deranged. Obviously, the pot I passed up smoking in high school had somehow seeped into my brain anyway causing me to get on an airplane and thrust myself at some unsuspecting Mormon boy and his parents. No. I'm not okay. Not even close Mister.

But... I gathered myself. I thought of Guinevere, going be burned at the stake carrying with her a quiet dignity along with rad hair all smooth and silky. I summoned the spirit and image of every strong woman I could think of. Jane Fonda in her exercise videos, Molly Ringwald in 16 Candles, Clare Huxtable, Laverne and Shirley, Sigourney Weaver (in Alien of course) and Miss Piggy. I put my shoulders back. I pulled up my knee high nylons underneath my cream stirrup pants. I felt around my hair to make sure it was big and full. I wiped under my eyes to make sure no Great Lash was smudged and I smacked my Loreal colored lips together. It was GO TIME. On wobbly high heels I walked forward and into the throng of people. This was pre 9/11 so there were arriving passengers, passengers getting ready to board our airplane as well as actual people, non-ticketed passengers who came all the way to the terminal to greet people as they got off their plane. I scanned the waiting area. I knew Mike would be in his service dress Air Force uniform along with his mom and dad. Little did I know, this was Colorado Springs and Parents Weekend is only like the biggest weekend of the year and half the airport seemed to consist of Academy cadets in their service dress blue uniforms. But just then, and I swear it happened exactly like this, the crowd divided in two. I know you think I am not telling the truth but I SWEAR the crowd parted in half. And there he was. Hat in hand, literally. I froze. His eyes flickered over and past me, then all of a sudden came flashing back to my face. Green locked onto brown. I smiled. He broke out into one of my favorite Mike Meeker smiles. A big one. Then he was running. To me. I only had to take a step and then fell into his arms. And because this isn't the movies, I immediately started blabbering because I was nervous and I can't shut up when I am nervous.

"Surprise! I'm here. I wanted to surprise you. Your mom and dad know all about it. Are you mad? Are you sure you aren't mad? Is it okay? Are you sure? Surprise! I am so stupid for doing this huh? Are you surprised? Yay for me! Surprise!" He just laughed and let me ramble on and on and on oh...and on. His parents caught up to us. I gave his Mom her prescription which was our cover story for why they were at the airport in the first place. They had told Mike that his Mom forgot her medication at home and that someone was bringing it to her. He just figured it was another family member of a cadet at the Academy who was coming for parents weekend. He never thought it was me. And the trouble with this whole thing was, I had not thought beyond this point. I had only thought through me arriving, surprising Mike and then...nothing. I had enough foresight to book a hotel room and his parents assured me they would drive us around because I wasn't even old enough to rent a car. But apparently, I was old enough to haul my butt four states away to muscle in on their time with their only son who had ever left home. Pretty thoughtful of me don't you think?

We got my bags and as I was repeatedly asking Mike if it was okay that I was there, he just grabbed my hand and handed me his hat. It was the uniform hat that you see the cadets wear. I think it's called a service cap but it looks like a bus driver's hat or like the ones the Marines wear. Inside is a little plastic sleeve where you put your name and rank in case you lose it. But over the identification tag was a picture tucked inside of his hat. The picture was of me. All he said was "Aim, yeah...I think it's okay that you are here. I think it's amazing actually. Stop asking." And I did. And then he held my hand. For the first time. He had white uniform gloves on. Which made this hand holding perfect for me. Because my hands had RIVERS of sweat dripping down them. I always hated holding hands with boys before because when I get nervous my hands sweat. But here was my perfect match. My knight in shining armor with white gloves on that were impervious to my sweat. With a hat. With my picture tucked inside of it. And he didn't even know I was coming. But he thought it was amazing. We walked to his parents rental car and I don't think our feet touched the ground the whole way.

His parents said they'd have Mike drop them off at their hotel and he could take me back to mine and help me get checked in and settled in for the weekend. Mike was staying with them at their hotel but it was full when I went to make a reservation. So I had to book a room about a quarter of a mile away. As Mike's parents got out of the car and we took their place in the front seats his Dad said really loudly "don't hurry back Mike, take all the time you want." But he said it like heh heh wink wink. We all laughed nervously and I remember thinking, I will NOT have these sweet people thinking I am a harlot who has lured their son to her harlot-ey hotel room and is keeping him there doing harlot-ey things. So I piped in " Oh, I'm sure he'll be right back. It's late and I am tired from my trip so if he'll just help me with my suitcases he can be back in a jiffy". Then I laughed nervously, rolled my eyes at how stupid I was and got in my seat and shut the door. Idiot. Just stop talking already. You never shut up. You just yammer on and on. It's like a disease. These were all the things I was feeling and telling myself as we drove to my hotel room. I checked in. Mike carried my suitcases upstairs and into the room. The door shut. I sat down on a chair because I definitely was NOT going to sit on the bed. It was very VERY quiet. VERY VERY QUIET. As in crickets. As in pin dropping, everyone hearing it. ugh. The quiet went on and on and on and on.

Then very sweetly he kissed me. I wish I could say this kiss made my skirt fly up and that angels sang and I knew we would be together forever. But it was just a nice kiss, from a nice boy in a seedy hotel room. And to make sure I sent a clear message to his parents, I promptly sent him on his way. I closed the door of my hotel room and I did a little bootie shake of happiness. Then my eyes fell on a single white glove that had been left behind. I opened the door so I could catch Mike before he drove away and guess what? I caught him doing a little bootie shake of his own. It was cute. I didn't want to embarrass him so I shut the door and kept the glove. I never told him that he had left it behind. I slept with it under my pillow. I still have that glove today. It resides in my top drawer along with my unmentionables.

Happily, to be continued...