THREE

11 yrs. Old

I was a curious child. I asked my parents a lot of questions, stumping them many times. I would ask them questions that were easy for them to answer and some that were not. Questions like, "Why is abbreviated such a long word?" or "What does love taste like?" My dad answered that one by saying, "Your mother's lip gloss." I thought that was a very odd thing to say. I wondered why and when in the world he had tasted my mom's lip-gloss.

One day, I jumped up on a stool and slid up to the granite counter top in my kitchen. My mom was making something that smelled yummy and I had another question on my mind. I thought this question was very important and it turned out that it was- a bit later in my life.

"How did you know you were in love with Daddy?" I asked my mother seriously.

My mom smiled. "For me it was when…" she leaned her elbow on the counter and tapped her chin, thinking. I waited patiently. She began again. "For me it was one day when I went over to a young man's house named Nathan. I knew he had a crush on me at the time," she winked and I smiled, urging her to go on. "I was already your father's girlfriend at the time and I know it wasn't a very good idea to go over to this boy's house, even though I was just picking something up. When I was leaving his house he tried to kiss me. I barely dodged it and I told him politely, once again, that I was not interested. I got into my car and drove to your father's house. When he answered the door and let me in, I told him, 'Remind me to never go to Nathan's house again.'" She paused.

My eyebrows furrowed in confusion. "I don't get it," I said trying to understand.

"Well I'm not finished yet. You see, all he said to me was, 'Okay.' Nothing else. Any other boy would have started to freak out and ask me what happened. Your father was confident and he completely trusted me to not do anything with this boy. He did just what I would want him to do. That was when I realized that I was in love with him," she said a matter-of-factly.

"Hmm," I said thoughtfully, pursing my lips. I put it at the back of my mind to contemplate later. I nodded vaguely to my mom and hopped off the stool.

I decided to hunt out my dad next. I looked everywhere and finally I found him in the garage, examining some nameless, black object in his hands.

"Daddy… when did you know you were first in love with Mom?"

"Hmm?" he said, seeming to adjust his focus on me for the first time. I repeated the question. He put his hands under my arms and lifted me onto the hood of his car and jumped up next to me. "I would say that I fell in love with your mother the very fist time I saw her," he said this with a far off gaze in his eye. He looked like he was remembering something, a different time and different place.

I waited until he was looking at me again and then asked, "So like love at first sight?"

"Exactly," he said with a smile.

"That really exists?" I confirmed, my eyes growing wide. I was surprised that my dad said this- I would have thought my mom was more of the type to say that love at first sight could happen.

"Of course!" he said looking shocked. "There are many different types of love and many different types of ways to fall in love."

"What are the different types?" I asked quickly. My curiosity was getting very hard to control.

"Well… for some people love grows very slowly over time, just like our peach trees. It takes them a very long time to realize that they are in love. For others they might like a person for a while and then one day, BAM!" I jumped. "…They recognize that they are in love. Then, of course, love at first sight, which is what happened to me. I imagine there are thousands of different ways to fall in love, though."

I decided that I would think about that later. "Tell me more about mom," I urged.

"Oh yes. We were both at a party of a girl who was a friend both of us had but I didn't know your mom yet. As I walked into the crowded living room, I saw a gorgeous girl. She was the most beautiful creature I had ever seen. Still the most beautiful creature I have ever seen. Anyway, her eyes were sparkling and she had the most perfect smile on her face. As I started walking towards her, I heard her laugh. It was her laugh, which was like the tinkling of bells that sent me right over the edge. I knew right then, that I was in love with a girl that I had never even met. I walked over to her and started a conversation that ended with her agreeing to go on a date with me. As I walked away I became conscience of the fact that I had just met the girl I wanted to marry."

I sighed appreciatively. "That's so sweet," I said leaning into my hands.

"Yes it was but… now it is time for me to get back to work," my dad said. He easily lifted me off the car and set me on the ground. He gently shoved me towards the way out.

I walked to my room, wanting to think about all of the things that were crowding my mind.

I sat on the middle of my bed with my legs crossed and my chin resting in my hands. I was thinking about what I had just heard. My mother fell in love with my dad because the way that he thought and did things fit exactly with her personality and with what she both wanted and needed. My dad, on the other hand, fell in love with a complete stranger. He knew with one glance at her eyes and just a few other things that she was the one for him.

I jolted upright realizing that there was one other person whose opinion I hadn't gotten yet. Danny, in my eyes, was most likely the most important person that I could ask. I liked asking him questions the best because he would both explain it to me thoroughly and make sure I understood it completely or, if he didn't know, he would find out and then tell me. He always took my serious questions very seriously and would say everything he felt on the subject. I needed one of those kinds of answers today.

I raced over to his house and walked in the door. It wasn't that far of a run because he only lived two houses to the right of mine. "Danny!" I called. He came out of the kitchen a few second later with one Popsicle in his mouth and another in his hand.

"Yup?" he asked, handing me the Popsicle in his hand.

"I have an important question to ask you," I replied, taking the yellow Popsicle from him.

He nodded and gestured for me to follow him. We walked into the kitchen and out the back door. He started running and I followed. We were both very fast runners so I kept up with him easily as he went through our neighbor's yard into my orchard. We were both breathing hard when we came to our tree house. I climbed up and was through the door with him following close behind. I tugged on the string that made the roof open up to reveal a clear blue sky and a bright sun. I sat right under it while Danny flopped into his beanbag.

"How do you think people know when they have fallen in love with somebody?" I asked him.

He took a long time to think, sitting in silence. I waited patiently, sucking on my Popsicle that was starting to drip onto my hand.

"Well," he started, choosing his words carefully. "I think you would know if you were in love with someone if… you wanted to spend all of your time with that person."

I nodded- that seemed reasonable.

He continued. "Not just now but you would want to be with them for the rest of your life."

"Like forever?" I asked.

"No," he said smiling. " Forever and a half."

"Forever and a half?" I asked. "What does that mean?"

"It means that you would want to be with them for more than forever."

"Is that even possible?"

"No idea," he answered. "But you would want to if it was possible."

"Hmm," I said, thinking it over. I like the way that sounded- forever and a half. "Go on," I urged him.

"I think you would love them even if they did things that annoyed you," he said, continuing.

"Like how you always fidget when you are impatient?" I teased.

He nodded. "And how you always bite the inside of your cheek when you are thinking something that you know you shouldn't say." He was right on about that.

I smacked his arm. "What else?"

Danny looked a little embarrassed but went on anyway. "Well… when you kiss…"

"Yeah?" I asked. I was excited to hear what he would say. I also thought that it was funny that he looked like he was embarrassed about it.

"Well I think that when you kiss you will know that it is right."

"I don't get it," I said.

He tried again. "When you kiss, everything will just feel right. Like everything is in its right place in the world. Like… when you are kissing them, everything is perfect and you will know that that is the person that you are supposed to be with."

"Ooooohhhh," I said. I got it. I knew what he was trying to say and it certainly made sense to me.

Hearing about all of these things today, I really couldn't wait until I found the person that was perfect for me.

Hey guys! I hope you like it so far. Will you tell me if you like it and what not? Also, if you have any favorite parts, tell me! Thanks for taking a chance to read this- even though it isn't exactly a fanfiction. (I kinda feel bad about that) ~mpookiew