As I watched the sea of people in the overseas terminal at JFK airport in New York, reality was setting in. Fidgety in a suit and tie, I wondered what would happen if Jill and I hated each other? This is fun, I told myself. Relax. Why worry?
Travelers happily and tearfully greeted each other all around us with kisses and hugs. So many different kinds of people flooding the terminal, different languages being spoken. The enormity of it all hit me and I grew even more nervous. Luggage seemed to be everywhere. People held up homemade signs to attract their traveling friends.
I admired Jill's courage , visiting a strange country and a strange guy. But she had been to Italy only a few years earlier, so maybe she was used to it?
Summer came upon us so fast. After planning so long, with all of her visas set, here it was, the summer we dreamed of. We planned on taking in New York, Philadelphia, Valley Forge, the Jersey shore. Jill would share in our summer activities like a Phillies baseball game, family cook-outs and picnics. Mom looked forward to meeting her almost as much as I did. Since I spoke of no one else as summer drew near the excitement grew within the family.
I called Jill the night before her arrival to make sure everything was still on. It was, and she couldn't wait to cross the Atlantic to meet me. I wished her a safe trip and reassured her that, thanks to Uncle Henry, we would greet her at the airport.
I spent an anxious, sleepless night that June 15th, a warm, summer breeze gently blowing in my bedroom window, the scent of honeysuckle in the air. Suddenly all those letters we wrote, how we were matched by the Manilow fan club, everything crossed my mind during the night.
Butterflies were doing their own little landings in my stomach as Jill's plane landed. My heart skipped a beat each time a blond emerged from customs. I began to think maybe she had missed her flight when countless people came out but no Jill. I forgot she was flying on a student-fare ticket and may be near the back of the plane.
"Is that her?" Mom asked as a really pretty blond with a bright smile approached us. She was carrying one large suitcase and a shoulder bag. She looked the same as in her photo- beautiful, tan, short and blue eyed, dressed in a crisp summer white sleeveless top and slacks.
"Hi," she said sweetly, politely shaking hands, very business-like. I could just about mumble hi, awe-struck. After introductions to Mom, Aunt Sue and Henry, we gazed at each for a moment which seemed longer than it really was, like time was frozen. Nearly two years of letter-writing as pen pals, here we were, face to face.
As Henry helped Jill load her suitcase in the car trunk Sue leaned over the front seat and said "She's cute!" I agreed, blushing.
The ride home was full of quiet shyness. How was your flight? Did you eat anything yet? Henry kept things lively with his stories. I glanced into the backseat a few times just to make sure she was really there. We got home around midnight. Jill invited me into the guestroom as she unpacked. First time alone. She sat on the edge of the bed, with clothes, film and other travel items scattered about. Again, the smell of spring flowers filled the night. She hugged me without a word.
It's so good to see you," she whispered.
"It's good to have you here," I softly replied. And then I asked her a question that had been on my mind for a long time. 'Are you disappointed?"
"No way," she answered, hugging me tighter. I believed her. She was soft and also smelled great. "Anything else you want to know/"
Yeah," I said, picking up the hot pink swimsuit from the bed. "When are you going to wear this?"
We laughed and hugged again. touching after so long. It sure beat writing letters.
August, and saying farewell, was light years away. We would think about tomorrow later. We would make every moment count now. I was in love.
Getting over her jet lag only took a day or so. We did some early sightseeing but hanging around the house was fun too. Cuddling on my bed, watching television together was a nice, relaxing time. Her favorite show was "Wheel of Fortune" and, of course, the law shows, and she couldn't get enough of our wacky American commercials I showed her pretty Phoenixville, and one afternoon we sat in the cool shade of Reeves Park, watching children in the playground, thinking of the future and talking.
Our first evening alone I gave Jill a little gift I had been saving for so long. It was an emerald necklace, her birthstone.
"You're crazy," she teased, kissing me.
It was a perfect romantic evening. We listened to our hearts. It felt so right as did the rest of the summer.
I would come home from my summer job at the nursing home, always bringing Jill a surprise, be it a red rose or a bag of M&Ms. She greeted me at the end of each day, and she would walk along side me as we slowly went home, only a block away, planning the night ahead. Would it be a movie, a game of Trivial Pursuit ( the hot thing back then) or something else?
We often talked about my traveling to Norway to visit someday. I wasn't sure how realistic that was, but it felt like I was in a dream anyway. We would ride into the sunset together, Jill on my lap, and live happily ever after.
Special memories to cherish. Like the beautiful evening, coming home from the downtown movie theater, in the moonlight noticing a stray kitten following us home for almost a block, before Jill gently carried the fluff of soft fir back to it's home We laughed and thought of almost becoming adopted parents, and how my dogs would've loved having a cat in the house.
Jill tolerated Baseball, loved a real Philly cheese steak and soft pretzel, got drenched in a muggy thunderstorm as we waited to see the Liberty Bell at Independence Hall in Philadelphia, and the fun day we spent at the Philly Zoo, Jill taking tons of pictures ( she was a real Photography buff) of me and the other animals.
Our nights were often spent watching old black and white movies, sharing Hershey kisses, sitting on the front porch and watching the twinkling stars in the dark sky as the sunset in flaming reds and oranges to the west. Funny that we had both gazed at those same stars alone. It really seemed like a small world after all.
Of course, we had to spend time listening to Manilow music, the reason we were together. It would play softly on the stereo as a distant train whistle or a rumble of thunde outside in the summer darlness played a duet with the music.
Life was perfect back then. After a life full of pain and rejection, I guess I deserved someone who really didn't look at my legs but into my heart instead. It was so much different than Silver Fox. This was so real and felt so real, despite the fact we lived so far apart.
These were special times, and as the summer slowly faded away into shorter days and the intense heat of July and August, we both didn't want this to end. I didn't want to think about the future, let alone what happens after the summer. Finishing school and finding jobs were both harsh realities. More separation and sacrifice. Time and distance is a true test. If it's meant to be it will be.
Funny, Jill had to be reading my mind, as one night as we hugged before she ventured across the hall to the guest room, she whispered to me, "We will work something out, love" I knew in my heart that we would.
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