Memories of my first kiss intertwined with Valentine's Day.
As a kid, around this time of the year, we were encouraged in elementary school to give a Valentine's treat to our classmates – kind of like Kris Kringle is for Christmas.
So the boys were paired with randomly picked girls by our teacher, and we were asked to give simple penny ante candy – nothing big time – during the week of the big heart day.
Well, lo and behold, I got picked to pair with Gigi, a neighbor, whom I secretly had a crush on.
So how did a naive boy like me begin the Valentine's gift giving? I figured that I'd start the first day with Valentine candy mints that I bought at a K & B Drug Store nearby; these were shaped like hearts and, of course, were red in color.
We were not allowed to reveal who the Valentine's giver was to our recipients till the big day, but I gave Gigi a hint: a heart symbol with a kiss on it.
You see, Gigi was the first girl I had ever kissed. When I was 5 years old, my siblings had tricked me into doing that for some McKenzie's glazed donuts – my favorites that my dad used to get every Saturday for us when shopping at the Schwegmann's Grocery Story on Labarre Road.
Valentine's day came, and we all had a lot of fun at school. I managed to give Gigi a nice big Red Rose from my grandmother's (“Tita”) garden at our house; I think that all of those used egg shells which she had us throw into the garden back than really helped them to grow so large!
When Gigi went ahead and plucked a thankful kiss on my cheek that Valentine's morning, all I could do was what any normal 10 year old boy would do at that point: I said, “Yuk!” and continued playing football with my classmates.
You have a very good memory to remember such details of your childhood. Gigi made quite an impression on you.
We always had Valentines celebrations in grade school, but I don't remember the details. I do remember that my twin brother and I had girlfriends in first grade, but I think that was more my mother's doing. I do remember whenever girls would call us "cute," I would always say, "That means you want to kiss me…" It never failed to turn them off. And then, when we were 10, our mother arranged kissing parties with games like spin the bottle, so that we could perfect our kissing technique. By sixth grade, I was in love with a blonde, Yvonne, but she was in love with Rock Hudson. Little did she know…
The Matchmaker:
Angela Calminetti, mother of five, New Age practitioner and gifted psychic and telepath, is proud of her family ties and does everything she can to make sure that all of her younger siblings are as happy in love and marriage
As a kid, around this time of the year, we were encouraged in elementary school to give a Valentine's treat to our classmates – kind of like Kris Kringle is for Christmas.
