The First Kiss
On the first night of their annual family camping trip, everyone was sitting around the campfire. Mary Kate was sitting on the ground, leaning against a log. Across the fire was her brother, Josh. The two youngest were each sitting in their Mom and Dad's laps. Since Mary Kate had turned 16 this year and was now allowed to date, she was curious about love so she figured the best people to ask about the topic were the two people who seemed the most in love, her parents.
"Dad? Tell me about the first time you kissed Mom."
Mike and Jill made eye contact across the fire and Jill spoke up. "Well, before you hear that story, you should hear how we first met."
Lucas, at 3, perked up when he heard his Mom speak. He squirmed in her arms and said excitedly, "yeah, tell us that story, Mommy."
Jill smiled at her little bundle of energy. He loved a good story and this was a great one. "It all started…" and then she was promptly interrupted by Lucas. "Momma! You didn't start the story right."
"You're right, Sweetie. Once upon a time, your Daddy and I worked at a summer camp. I had just graduated from nursing school and gotten my license. A friend of mine, Carol, invited me to work at a camp in Utah for the summer where she would be the cook."
"What did Daddy do at the camp?" asked Ella, their almost 5 year old daughter, who was sitting in Mike's lap. "I worked in the barn with the horses and had a cabin of boys on the weeks the boys were at the camp," explained Mike.
Josh piped up then. "You two need to stop interrupting or Mom and Dad will never get to tell their stories." At 12, he was often trying to keep his two younger siblings under control.
"Right. So your Daddy was a cowboy and I was a nurse for the summer." This caused Lucas and Ella to giggle. "My friend was giving me a tour of the camp on my first day there and we ended up down at the barn."
"And that's where you met Daddy?" Lucas asked. Jacob gave him a hard stare but Jill just hugged Lucas to her. "Well, I can't really say that we met. My friend and I were petting the horses that had wandered over and your Daddy came riding up on the most beautiful bay horse. He hopped off right in front of us, tipped his cowboy hat and said 'Ladies'. Then he took his horse into the barn." Mike smiled at the memory and shook his head. "I thought your Mommy was the most beautiful woman I'd ever seen. I was so nervous I was afraid I was going to fall of my horse." This caused all the children to laugh.
Jill continued the story. "I turned to my friend Carol and said 'you see that guy? I'm going to marry him some day.' And Carol said 'you don't even know him' and that was true. I didn't even know your Daddy's name but I told her 'you just watch me'."
Lucas bounced in Jill's lap, "and you did marry Daddy and that's where we came from!" Jill laughed and said "yep, pretty much".
Mary Kate had not forgotten her original question though. "Okay, so that's how you met. But what about your first kiss?"
"Ah, I get to tell that story" began Mike. Ella snuggled into her Daddy's chest. She loved sitting in his lap when he told a story because she could feel his chest rumble when he talked.
"After that, I made sure I took every opportunity to spend time with your Mom. We ate all our meals together and would sit by the campfire at night with the other counselors, getting to know one another better. We had a week before any of the campers would arrive and I was making the most of it. Exactly a week after our first meeting, I asked your Mom to join me for a hike."
"A hike? That doesn't sound very romantic" complained Mary Kate.
Jill spoke up then, "You haven't heard the rest of the story."
"Exactly. We started our hike when it was still dark outside. We were going to hike the mountain that the camp was named after and see the sun rise. That was the first time your Mom got to taste my famous scrambled egg and bacon sandwiches." That caught Josh's attention. He was always thinking about food. This talk of kissing was too mushy for his taste.
Lucas asked "were you scared, Mommy? Hiking in the dark?"
"No, Sweetie. I had your Daddy with me and I'm never scared when he's around." Lucas was very satisfied with that answer and pulled his Mom's arms tighter around him, "me neither".
"I brought the sandwiches, hot chocolate, and a blanket so we could enjoy the sunrise from the top. Your Mom and I were sitting together with our backs resting on a boulder as the sun showed up." Mike and Jill both smiled at the memory.
Jill spoke then, "I remember thinking it was the most beautiful thing I'd ever seen."
Mike smiled and said "Yeah, I did, too."
"Why do I think you're not talking about the sunrise, Dad?" asked Mary Kate.
Mike looked over at his oldest and said "You're right. Your Mom had the sweetest look on her face, like this was the most amazing thing she'd ever seen and I was pretty pleased to be the one to show her. Kissing her at that moment seemed like the most natural thing to do. And I've been kissing her ever since."
With that, the two oldest groaned and rolled on the ground, making gagging noises, and the two youngest giggled at their older siblings' antics.