Pecks on the Cheek

Cutter's Log - Stardate 3102.41.50
Current Song - Just The Way You Are (Billy Joel)

I don't have a lot of 5th grade stories. Probably because that was a dark time in my life.

Having to get used to this new environment at Lincoln from Merrill was difficult, but I eventually got out of the pits of hell and plowed along.

I have Amber to thank for that.

There were many things I liked about her, and early on she would know about this. She actually liked someone else at that time, and could have totally dismissed me. She didn't do that, and I saw that as something special.

From the time we held our arms around each other's shoulders while reading in the library, to that day she kept smiling at me - all day long - these were the little things that would make my otherwise difficult time a great one.

Just out of luck, and I can't remember why, I had started to write some of these events down in a notebook in journal form (a precursor to this Blog). Taking a page out of the book of Nickelodeon's "Doug" I wrote in a journal. I still have it after all these years.

The entry for May 14, 1998, in my poor 5th grade handwriting:

"I will never forget this day! I will never forget this day! My dream came true! (twice) Everybody knows I'm weird, but this is the weirdest (not really) day of my life, my greatest! It all started when I read the phone book at the carpet. I was sitting on the pillow when I put the pillow over my head, somebody, (I found out it was Natasha) wrote "HOT!" on my knee. I went to the table. Me, Natasha, & Sierra smiled back and fourth. I went to the B-room, and sat there. Sierra & Natasha knew I went to the B-room. They gave me a note.

'Cody, Your're so hot, I love you to death. Your strong muscales make my eyeballs pop out. Will you go out with me? Do youn love me? Answer now. I love you four (4) life. Love your lover, Natasha & Sierra.'

Stacie also gave me a note, but I threw it away, I was sitting at the floor when ... Sierra went in the B-room, held my face and kissed me!! I told other boys all about it. I went out, and then ... Amber held on to my shoulder and kissed me!! Sarah H. said hello to me. At lunch, I sat near the girls. After school, Amber wanted to know my address. I gave it to Brian to tell to her. At B-ball pract. A.J., our star player was injured due to a twisted ankle.

Other notes that were passed [arrow leads to next page] 'Write down who you like' & 'I love you, Amber does too.' Amber wanted to know it she wanted to see me at night. We didn't."

I wrote a lot in code back then. "B-room" meant the restroom. It was a sanctuary where only boys could enter, and girls could not. The whole "carpet" and "table" thing was part of a language arts routine, where we all read books in silent at the carpet, and we had a small group lesson at the table. I did goofy things like that to create fun.

I remember a little more about these two kisses than what I wrote down that day. As I mentioned, the boys restroom was a place where only boys could enter. There were short walls on two sides of the entrance door, where I sat down at. Then Sierra comes in and I'm in shock that a girl would actually enter the boys restroom. I don't remember much about that other than the kiss. Then when I do leave, Amber said a few words to me (I can't remember what) before she kissed me.

Since this all happened before lunch, I'm think this was one big, out-of-control restroom break where one person went to the restroom and then another and then another.

The whole Cody-Amber thing continued on with the field trip to Galena, where I sung a song for her. It was "Light my Fire" by the Doors (actually the first verse). She actually thought I wrote the song. After that, middle school kicked in and things sort of dissolved from there. We met more people and the rest is history.

All of which was documented in my Coca-Cola designed journal. It seemed to have every little interaction with her in it. One of which involved whether we were boyfriend-girlfriend. It may have been a little joke, but one entry contained the phrase "my girlfriend Amber," which I think was just me dreaming than being truthful.

She was the light that shined upon me in 5th grade, and without it I don't know where I'd be today. For that I'll always love her, even though we rarely see each other.