Part 1

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I moved into my present home in August 2004, in a small township that sits between a much larger town to the east and a small city to the west. The area is open and spacious. Behind my house is a large open field of low brush, maybe 150 yards across to the homes on the other side, and it runs the length of the neighborhood for about half a mile. A wide path runs down the middle of it where railroad tracks once existed. It's not uncommon to see ATV's passing by frequently, as well as people walking or on horseback. It's a peaceful and quiet place to live. When I first moved here, I expected to live an uneventful life; but then I saw her.

It was only two weeks after moving in, as I puttered around in my back yard, making plans for this and that, when I heard the soft sound of a door closing from the neighbor's house. I didn't look up at first, not wanting to appear nosey, so I waited a few seconds and casually lifted my eyes toward their house My knees literally went weak. There, walking a medium sized dog, was a girl whom I estimated to be 11 years old, and she was heading my way! She was looking down, and instead of actually coming across my yard she kept close to the bushes that separated our properties; but she was on my side, so there was a perfect view of her.

She had long reddish-brown hair, a slim body, little breast buds, and very attractive face from what I could see, as she was facing down and her hair fell in front of her enough that I couldn't get a clear view. But I was immediately smitten, and I watched her move across my yard along the bushes, headed for the path in the field. She was wearing a white t-shirt with something on the front and shorts. I watched as she walked the dog along the path for a few yards, then across the field to a house on the other side. My life had just changed forever in ways I never could have known at that moment.

For the rest of the summer I kept a close eye on my back yard, waiting and hoping to see her again. Being self-employed and working from my home office, this was easy to do. My watchful eye was always rewarded almost every day as she crossed my yard while going back & forth from the house next door to the one across the field. Most times she was only a foot or two from my window as she passed, sometimes she'd walk through the middle of the yard; alone or with friends. All summer I watched for her, and hoped so much to someday have the opportunity to get to know her. A few times I'd actually be outside when she was around, but I never had the guts to say anything beyond a simple and quick hello. I didn't even know her name.

Summer turned into Fall, and school started. My back yard was so empty without her being there as often as she had been. Most days she was around after school, but not like it was in the Summer. Still, I watched and waited, every glimpse being a boost for me, knowing she was still around. It might sound obsessive or insane, but I had the biggest crush on her, and was determined that someday I wold get to know her; even I to find out she wouldn't like me. I just had to know either way. Who was I kidding, right? A guy my age and a girl her age? Of course she wouldn't like me! But I still had to find out. I couldn't just walk away.

Then, on December 16, 2004 things started happening. I was about to make a quick trip to the store, and just as I am walking toward the door I can see out the window that she is there again, only this time she is at my door, and just about to knock on it! "Holy shit, what's this?" I ask myself. "Am I dreaming!?" So I open the door, and there she is in all her beauty, smiling up at me. I did notice that she had a friend with her, a blonde girl, but my eyes were on... I still didn't know her name. She was selling raffle tickets for a school fundraiser or something, so I bought two. I had to write down my name and number on the tickets, so while I did that I had the two girls step in from the cold, and I, a bumbling idiot in the presence of an angel, said pretty much nothing as I wrote my information on the ticket stub. But my heart was racing, my brain was filled with "what now" and "what if" and "what do I do, what do I say?"

They stood there for maybe three minutes as I filled out the stub (yes, it took me that long). Then she thanked me, and she was gone, heading for the next house. It was over. And yet I felt like some ice had been broken; feeling that maybe we WILL get to be friends eventually. Maybe we WILL have some good times together. Maybe... maybe... but then maybe not. My head was flooded with thought. She was gorgeous, I got to see her up close, and we interacted on more than a hello basis. I was walking on air! The only downside was knowing how careful I had to be. But we were neighbors, and that's what kept me hopeful.