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In moments of extreme nostalgia, Red often thought about his teenage years and the people who shaped them. More specifically, he thought about Allison. Allison was who he considered to be his first love. It wasn't an epic love. It wasn't even a deep love, truth be told, but it was love.
He called her Alley Cat. It grated on her nerves, but Red liked to think that it was also one of the things that had eventually won her over. She was unlike any girl he'd ever met. She wore the hell out of some red lipstick, and her blonde hair actually bounced when she walked. Her clothes were always a bit too tight and her skirts were a bit too short. She was masquerading as a grown up while he still felt like a child. There was an ever-present thought in the back of his head that if he could have her, he could feel like a grown up too.
It was innocent, at first. Red picked her up at her house, flowers in hand for Allison and for her mother and a firm handshake for her father. He always promised to have her home by ten but always dropped her off at her house at nine-thirty. He was a perfect gentleman.
He was a fraud.
But then again, so was she.
Red was never quite sure who seduced who. It started with their fingers brushing as they walked down the hall side by side. It was innocent enough, until her hand slid into his and squeezed slightly. He knew it was more than them holding hands. Allison was giving him a signal… a sign…maybe she wanted something a little more physical? Red attempted to kiss her cheek at her locker and she backed away. Maybe he was wrong about the signals.
The weekend after the humiliating incident at her locker, Allison insisted that they go somewhere quiet instead of going to the movies. He suggested the park; she suggested the local make-out spot. Red prayed that he wasn't misreading THAT signal. He wasn't.
Allison decided to move the activities to the backseat of Red's car and knew that every one of his adolescent dreams were about to come true. He had bought the car with this in mind. While other boys were buying trucks and motorcycles, Red wanted a car with a roomy backseat. His uncle tried to talk him into a bike, even brought up the feel of a woman pressed against his back, but Red hoped for bigger and better things.
Clothes stayed on for their first experience. The fear of getting caught was greater than the need to see naked body parts. There would be plenty of time for that later. Like after prom. Red was sure that the couple in the car knew what they were doing. Allison was sure that they were doing the same thing, and told him to relax. He did.
When the clothing was straightened and the windows weren't foggy anymore Red drove Allison back to her house. He walked her to her door and kissed her cheek, hoping he didn't smell the same strong aroma of sex on Allison that he could have sworn was emanating from every pore on his body. All he could smell was her perfume, and he sighed in relief. Hopefully it came off as a sigh of contentment.
All in all, the first time seemed to lack something, though Red was nowhere near experienced enough to know what. Of course he screwed her again. Every weekend found them parked in a hidden location, far from prying eyes, exploring every avenue of lovemaking possible. Allison seemed to have much more knowledge of those avenues than Red, though Red tried not to dwell on that. Each time was a learning experience, and for the first time, Red really wanted to learn.
Even though they swore it would never happen to them, the novelty of teenage love eventually wore off, and Red and Allison found themselves separated from one another. At the time it really hurt. Though the older Red got, the more he understood that letting Allison go was one of the best things that could have happened to him. Loneliness led him to Cindy, who introduced him to Ella, who gave him the love of his life…his daughter Kate.
Over two decades later, Red lay in his bed and let his mind wander to Allison… not to pine over her… but to give her the accolades he felt sure she deserved. His life would have turned out so differently had they stayed together, and though he would always remember her fondly, it would have been a mistake to live a lie with his first love. Not when so many years later he would find his true love, who was sleeping peacefully beside him.
"Red… what are you thinking of? You look so far away."
Red wondered just when she had woken up. He used to have a much better sense of these things. Oh well. It was a part of getting older. Or maybe his guard wasn't up as much anymore.
"I was just reminiscing. You were snoring so sleep was impossible…," Red winced as a pillow hit his stomach.
"Very funny."
Her arms wound around his waist and her head fell onto his shoulder, an indication that she was through playing.
"Are you sure you're alright?"
"I'm fine," Red sighed as he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close. "Go back to sleep, Lizzie. I'm not too far behind you."
Yes… Allison might have been his first, but the woman lying in his arms would most certainly be his last.