The centuries-old drama of young love is playing out right before my eyes. I have a front row seat that I certainly did not ask for. It’s just that I happen to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. So I sit back and patiently observe and commiserate, and try not to roll my eyes. (I won’t use names, to avoid future mortification.)
Young girls always seem to go for the bad boys, don’t they? This is no exception. He looks like a wild one, a rebel-without-a-cause type. He makes me nervous. Unless he gets his act together, I suspect he won’t be contributing much to the gross national product when he’s older.
But I have to admit he’s devastatingly handsome. He’s got these intense, swoon-worthy eyes. I probably would have a wicked crush on him, too, if circumstances were different.
I watch her pine away for him, like he’s the only guy on earth. If given the opportunity, she would spend hours gazing off into the distance, hoping to catch a glimpse of him in the neighborhood, and, I’m sure, imagining romantic scenarios in her head. Kind of an exercise in futility. Kids today rarely venture out.
She acts as if this will be her only chance at love, and if it doesn’t work out, it will be the end of the world. I want to tell her to relax. She’s young, and this is just practice. Odds are extremely high that she’ll outgrow him and move on. Most people live to regret it if they wind up with their first loves. It limits them. It keeps their horizons small. They don’t realize how much growing and changing they will do (or at least should do) as they get older.
But did you want to hear advice from an old fuddy duddy when you were a teenager? No? Me neither. So I do my best to bite my tongue.
Curfews have been imposed, but she has been known to sneak out at night. We don’t see eye to eye on this, but even though it sometimes feels like she’s my daughter, she isn’t. And to be honest, I’d rather see her learn from small mistakes rather than have to pay for bigger ones for the rest of her life.
She’s actually pretty good, generally speaking. Smart. A lot of potential. And when she does sneak out, she’s back soon enough to where we don’t think she ever goes far, at least. She doesn’t have access to a car, and neither does he, as far as I can tell. And there’s really nowhere to go. This isn’t a nightclub kind of town. Things close early around here.
And it’s not like we can tie her down or something. If we tried, it would probably encourage further rebellion. Right now, I think this whole situation is fairly innocent. I’m pretty sure he lives in the neighborhood, too.
A few times I’ve seen them talking across her backyard fence. If he sees me, he tends to disappear. Not that I’m chasing him off. I think the more they hang out with witnesses, the more we get to know his intentions, the better things will turn out. But he’s not a fan of authority figures, it seems.
I can tell those backyard visits make her really happy. She seems so energized when he’s around. It’s like he’s hung the moon.
But I’ve also heard her sitting out there, crying, wailing, practically begging him to stay with her. I’ve only heard her end of the conversation, but it sounds to me like her heart is breaking. Oh, the angst! The emotional devastation! Woe! Woe! And then a day or two later, she’s back at it again.
I really shouldn’t make fun. We’ve all been through it. But I’m getting old and cynical, and the whole thing exhausts me. There’s a reason I never became a parent. Even being a parent by proxy takes its toll.
I don’t feel nostalgic for that whole puppy love thing. I’m tempted to tell her that there will come a time when she won’t even remember what he looks like. But right now, he’s all that she can see.
But there is one line I wish they’d stop crossing. It’s the howling at 3 a.m. line. It’s messing with my sleep. I wish she’d realize that these Husky Mix/Coyote relationships never last. And besides, she’s fixed, for crying out loud, so what is the point of all this?
Dammit, Coda! Get back in the house or I’m closing the dog door! And no more jerky treats for you!
Like this quirky little blog? Then you’ll enjoy my book! http://amzn.to/2mlPVh5
Leave a Reply