Wednesday, March 01, 2006

"Guy, who's name we can't remember..." (How We Met)

It was first day of classes, Fall Semester 1998. Heather L. and I were walking from Pep Band Rehearsal to our first Sophomore level music class. We walked into our first class, Music Theory. We recognized pretty much everyone in our class, it was a sophomore class, which meant they were in our classes the year before. There were a few guys that we didn't know however. We immediately knew they were return missionaries that had gotten a year of school in before their missions.

There were two sitting next to each other on the back row. The chairs were arranged into a half circle, in two rows. Heather and I sat on the front row of chairs and turned to introduce ourselves. They told us their names and we told them our names. Music Theory met on Monday, Wednesday, Friday. So for the first few weeks the same thing would happen when Heather and I would walk into class from Pep Band. These two guys would be on the back row, we'd would sit in front of them. We'd turn around and say "Hi Jared, uh, hi guy who's name we can't remember..." He'd tell us his name, and by the next class we'd forget again. We eventually started to remember his name. I think it was so hard for us to remember his name because he was so quiet in the class.

He was also in my Aural Skills class that met Tuesday and Thursday. He was very smart, and very talented. Our mid-term assignment for our theory class was to write a small piece that would be from the baroque period. I was also working in the piano lab as a tutor, and he would often come in to use the computer and piano to write out his piece. He wrote an awesome fugue. I remember hearing it when he'd unplug the headphones from the piano.

That guy who's name we couldn't remember was "S". That fall semester I was too busy playing. I was much more interested in the outgoing, loudspoken, into themselves type guys that semester, along with an illness I had been fighting that semester, I only remember "S" after that semester once I connected him into my memory. Does that make sense?

I had failed my Music Literature class that fall semester, and had to retake it Winter Semester. I had figured out what was causing my illness, and had decided to swear off those egotistical guys all together.

Winter semester, "S" was in my Music Literature class, and Keyboard Harmony class. I had just taken Music Lit the semester before and was determined to do well this time around. I could have sat near the front of the class with my close friends like I had done the semester before, but this time around I sat near the back of the class with a different group of friends. "S" was sitting one row behind and three chairs to my left. I noticed him sitting there, and remembered him from my different classes the previous semester. This time something clicked in my head. I was attracted to him this time, but more than that I knew he was really smart, he got this music stuff no problem, and he had perfect pitch, I knew that would come in handy for music recognition part of the class. I was recovering from Larengitis, I passed a note asking him if he wanted to be study partners. It was purely for a selfish reason, I wanted a better chance of getting a good grade this time around and I knew he would be the one that would help me do it. Oh, and I took really good notes the semester before, and would be taking even better notes this semester as well. He agreed to be my study partner.

A few weeks later there was a dance coming up. Emily E. and I were talking about how the dance would be stupid and we should go out on dates that night but NOT go to the dance. And that we would ask a couple of guys (also music majors) to go with us. I asked "S", and Emily asked someone else. They agreed that it would be fun to go out and do something fun other than the dance. Plus, the guys knew that if they went with us they'd have an excuse if someone else asked them to go to the dance. A couple of days before the dance Emily informed me that she and her date had decided to go to the dance afterall, and that "S" and I should go with them. I asked "S" about it and he was adamant that he didn't want to go. So I told Emily that we wouldn't be going to the dance with them.

The night of the date arrived. We had been studying together a couple times a week for a couple of weeks now. We were pretty comfortable with each other by that point. He arrived at my apartment. And then he asked where Emily and her date was. He had misunderstood, I told him they were going to the dance and we could still go if he wanted, but he didn't want to. So we went out ourselves. On a date that wasn't supposed to be a "date".

We went to Gringo's for dinner. We had pleasant conversation, and I followed polite date etiquette. I waited for him to order first so I would know how much he was spending on his meal so I could aim below it. He then asked about boyfriends. Uh-oh. He wanted to know how many guys I had kissed. uh-oh again. I told him, his response was "oh, you're experienced!" Then he told me he had only kissed one girl. uh-oh. But at the same time, I knew that meant he was much different then all the other guys I had ever dated or been interested in. He was quiet and mysterious, he was serious, but could be silly when he wanted to, and he wasn't an egotistical jerk that was keeping a running tally of all the girls he had made out with either.

After we left Gringo's he went back to "S"'s apartment. He was getting nauseous from the smell that restaurant left on his clothes. All his roommates were home, and I was put through the meatgrinder while he was changing his shirt. Two of his roommates had also been his companions on his mission. They asked me tons of questions, and then showed me a ton of pictures from the mission. I wondered how "S" was feeling at that moment. We hung out on the couch in his apartment and watched Billy Madison or Happy Gilmore, one of the two, it was on t.v. He asked what we should do then. I had told him that a bunch of my roommates were meeting up at the $1 theatre to see The Waterboy. He thought that sounded like a great plan. We waited outside in the cold for quite awhile to get our tickets to the movie. While we were standing in line he took my hand in his. "Wow", I thought. "He voluntarily took my hand and is holding it!" We got our tickets and found our seats with my other roommates.

After the movie, he walked me out to his truck and took me home to my apartment. As he walked me to the door, he told me wasn't ready for a relationship. I remember blurting out "We can take it slow!", I felt like such an idiot. He left me standing there at the door as he returned to his truck and drove away. I walked into my apartment absolutely crushed, and totally confused. I spent the whole weekend in tears. I knew I would have to see him again on Monday in class, and was worried that night would ruin our friendship. My biggest fear was that he wouldn't want to be my study partner anymore, that things between us would be uncomfortable and that we'd never talk again. Monday came, and he acted like nothing had happened. I was so relieved!

As I got to know him better, I discovered he had a deep love for his family. He would go home on weekends (his parents house was only lived 30 minutes away). And I remember one weekend hurrying home because his little sister was sick. He cared about his mom, and his dad. And that impressed me a lot. I learned a lot about him as we continued to be study partners and friends. I tried as hard as I could to make sure that my feelings for him wouldn't be known, but I guess everyone and their dog (including him) knew that I liked him. So much for trying to hide it. But I did try. I didn't want to do anything that would possibly hinder our study partner relationship. I did the "heart-attack" surprise for him on Valentines Day. And he would volunteer to help me set up for Band parties.

Every so often I would think, "oh he likes me too", but then he'd do something that would totally throw me off and make me think he very much disliked me. One of his roommates would run into me on campus and tell me not to get discouraged with how he acted, and give me tips. Looking back, its pretty funny.

He would go out to lunch with me and my roommate to Fong's. That was so much fun. Michelle would tell me afterwards that he was the coolest guy.

As the semester dwindled down I found myself worrying more and more about what would happen when the semester ended. I had found that I had grown very attached to him. I was planning on coming back the next fall for one more semester, but he was planning on going to University of Idaho the following fall.

I took him out to breakfast on his birthday. That was a surprise for him. He thought I was going to do some big surprise party with the whole music major group. I knew he wasn't into that so it was just him and I. I got him a music composition encyclopedia set, and also made personalized composition paper for his birthday. (Like on the Wedding Singer. Funny, not until now did I realize how much Adam Sandler was involved in our relationship...)

The last week of the semester was a frantic one for me. I only had one week till I thought I would never see him again. I needed him to know how I felt, but without freaking him out, but at the same time, still get a lot of studying in for our final exam for Music Literature. Things were very weird that week. One day would be great, the next day he'd blow me off and "forget" our study appointments. I think I was constantly in tears that week, and throughout the semester for that matter. (Ask Proud Mum, she witnessed every tear-streaked moment of confusion throughout the semester. It was common for me to burst into her practice room and interrupt her practice time.) During that last week of the semester is when he took all the hearts out of his locker and pasted them to the front of all the other lockers in the locker room.

The very last night of the semester was the toughest. My dad had come up to move me home, but I wanted to see "S" too. But I just couldn't say "'S' come meet my dad. Dad meet this guy I have secretly crushed on all semester long." I don't think I did see him that night. But I made my dad go to the graduation with me the next day. If I couldn't talk to him, I could at least see him play with the orchestra one last time for the graduation march. He did give me his phone number, along with the phone number that went to the office phone in his bedroom. And that's how the semester ended. My long term plan was to go to WSU the following year. WSU and UofI were only like 8 miles apart, so I figured that eventually there would be a good chance of running into him again. Until then, I would keep in touch with him through letters, phone calls and emails. Holding out for the chance that he would begin to feel for me what I felt for him.
Posted by ABQ Mom :: 3/01/2006 01:58:00 PM :: 7 Comments:

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