Paphos People

FIRST LOVE

Love is defined by the dictionary as a deep intense feeling for another person. That is one explanation but it is only the initial feeling that you get when you first meet an attractive mate. You then have to try and make them have the same feeling towards you, not easy if you haven’t got the confidence required.
The teenage years are the most likely time for your first ‘real’ partner as you are eager to prove your adulthood.

When you do strike up a relationship there are so many things that are working against you. Firstly their previous best friend who resents your presence, then there is your best friend who resents your attentions being focussed elsewhere.
Ideally you can pair the two of them up, leaving you to concentrate on each other.
This is usually defined as your first love, an exciting voyage of discovery, hopefully for both of you, and as the song goes, first love never ever dies.

How long it lasts is an entirely different matter.

HIS STORY
Initially you only want to be with her, all the time, meet her from college, walk her home, carry her books, protect her, cosset her – love her.
Then the football season starts and you have to make decisions, whether to go shopping with her on a Saturday afternoon or go to the match. It’s agonising stuff. So you try and combine the two, shopping at twelve o clock, the match at three. Not easy, you keep looking at your watch as she trawls up and down endless rows of clothing.
Eventually you get away. The match has already kicked off your team is one nil down. It only gets worse the final result is four one against them.
Meeting her in the trendy wine bar afterwards, as you arranged, she is surrounded by her mates and you feel squeezed out. Wishing you had gone to the football pub, you stick it out until you can stand it no more and you slip out of the side door. She doesn’t even notice that you’ve gone so you go and meet your true mates for a drink.

Waking up the next morning with a stinking hangover you start feeling guilty about leaving her alone the previous night. So you ring her home, her mother answers and you are informed that she stayed at her friends overnight and no she doesn’t know which one.
That drives you mad wondering where and who she spent the night with. Her friends are very evasive when you ask them where she went. Eventually she turns up at her Parents’ house you have been waiting there for hours, she is not alone. A smartly dressed youth is holding her hand. On enquiring where she has been, you are told to mind your own business and get back to your mates down the pub.
Assessing the situation in a few seconds you take a swing at the youth. He is far too quick for you and a short sharp punch from him leaves you sitting on the pavement winded. With a comment of ‘Pathetic’ she opens the gate and goes in with her new beau in tow.
Picking yourself up, you make your way to the pub. That was your first love and you’ll never forget her!

HER STORY
You meet this lad he seems quite keen so you let him walk you home. After a kiss and a cuddle you go in, promising to see him tomorrow.
The next day at college you tell your best friend about him and spend most of the day thinking about him. At the end of the day you come out of the gates and there he is, your ‘best’ friend takes one look then says goodbye and heads off in the opposite direction.
Carrying your books in one hand and slipping his other arm around your waist you both walk awkwardly towards your home. Thank God it’s not too far because you are developing a backache. You stop on the corner and he gives you a kiss arranging to meet later. You continue to your parent’s house to have a good hot bath and ease your aching back.

That evening he takes you to his local pub, you feel like you are being inspected for approval by his mates. A bunch of morons the lot of them, always on about football or motorbikes.
You offer to take him to your wine bar and off you go, your friends are there already. He orders a pint of bitter everybody else is drinking Prosecco and so are you. He visits the toilet a lot but carries on drinking pints until the evening is over. The walk home is quite eventful, he disappears down a dark alley to relieve himself. He tries to hold your hand you realise he hasn’t washed it and then he settles for his arm around your waist and starting the aching back off again. Arriving at your parent’s house he starts pawing your body so you make an excuse about being cold and escape indoors.

The next day you both go into town for some shopping, he has to go to the match at three o clock so after a quick burger and a coke he goes, arranging to see you in the wine bar afterwards.
After the football in he comes, he hasn’t even changed his clothes, pint of bitter in his hand he tries to make conversation with your friends. Eventually to everyone’s relief he slips out of the side door hoping nobody sees him.
The main door opens and some lads come in and make a bee-line for us, Prosecco all round is the order and we all settle down. This one lad says his name is Justin and I am reminded of the joke about the man with a very short willie who was called Justin. I smile and he mistakes it for encouragement-why not?
The evening goes well and next morning I wake up in Justin’s bed. That joke certainly does not refer to him! After a coffee he offers to walk me home. As we turn the corner guess who is there?
After a few heated words he tries to hit Justin but misses. Justin knocks him down with one punch. ‘Pathetic’ I say and we both step over him to the house to meet my parents. Justin is my first love and that will never die.