Thursday, February 14, 2008

Timmy B & Me under the Leaves of the Banana Tree, Revisited

For Valentines Day... A World of Love, Once More...

Timmy B.

Can't recall his last name.
His sister was a couple years older, my brother's age. They were in school.
Her name was Shelly.
She & my brother would play guard ... sometimes.
But most of the time , we didn't need them.

Most of the time, we would climb up in the oak tree or crawl down under the docks. We would steal away to the park and most often, we would lay under the leaves of the banana tree.

Timmy B was my first love, my first kiss, my first soul mate, if you believe in such things.


He lived two doors down & we were seperated only by one house, roses bushes & orange trees.
Together we would play in the mud, swim in the lake, climb trees, & chase rainbows.
We thought we could outrun the rain. We would run & run & run...down the stree, cutting through yards and jumping fences.

We believed.
We believed in leprechauns, rainbows, pots of gold....and ourselves.
We believed in lifelong loves.

We lived in Eden & we never bit that apple.
We would kiss.
We would kiss on his slat-bottom swing & under the dock. We would kiss while tucked away in the azalea bushes & under the canape of leaves laid out by the banana trees.
We would secretly lay naked together on the downward slope of the lake & he would have his left arm cradled around my head, his hand on my elbow. I would be rub my big toes together & ask him about marriage, love, bugs, God & such. I savored the feel of the Sun against my bare skin, the thump of his heart on my shoulder & the entombment of the bubble of love & comfort we laid in.

Our world was built of love.
We blew the neighborhood kids away. They'd heard rumours.
My brother & his sister seemed to thrive on our love. It gave them comradery.
They believed in us, too & they would encourage us to tuck our way into those azalea bushes.
They would say 'It's OK, we'll guard for you...no-one will know.'

We really didn't care if the whole child-world knew.
Sometimes we would dive into the shrubs ...just to entertain them...and maybe, ourselves.
Timmy B, my first love, my first kiss, my first soul-mate, if you will, was there for me & with me for so many things...
My first big wheel, riding a bike the first time, the first trip to school, the first dealings with death, my first experinece of getting puked on, my first mud-fight, first tug-o-war and so much more ... remembered & forgotten about.
Timmy B & me
We were meant to be
...for at least 3 years or so. Before public education, through kindergarten, first grade & half way through second grade... until his parents took him away.

Oregon? Washington? I don't recall...it was far, far away from my Sunshine State.
I'll never remember his full name or at this point, even his face, but I'll always remember.
Timmy B & me...
And our little Garden of Eden under the Banana Tree Leaves

Sometimes, I still believe...

19 comments:

singleton said...

Oh sweet sister love, always believe! There is little magic that can be found by those who don't....and always the moment, the accidental breeze, for those who do! ILYSVVVM. And JSYK, I believ......:)

Shrink Wrapped Scream said...

Oh Skinny,

Such a magical time, so beautifully recounted - here's to innocence and to love and to the lasting power of friendship. (Smile)

Mel said...

*happy sigh*

There's nothing like love....

(((((( SLB )))))))

Nothin'....

mindy said...

what a sweet story.. it's weird how people make such an impact on our lives and then they vanish.
happy valentine's day!xoxox

Shimmerrings said...

Oh, wow, a perfect Love story for Valentine's Day. Thanks for sharing... *sigh*... too bad you can't remember his name, or might know where to find him... just to see... you know he would have to remember, too. And soooo young, such perfectly and blessedly innocent and pure!

skinnylittleblonde said...

Singleton...lol, yes if there's anything I won't deny... it's believing!

Shrink! Have thought about you & have tried to catch a glimpse of your world...have missed you & your beautiful words!

Mel...Happy Valentine's. Yes, love can make the world go around or it can make the world stand still ;)

Mindy...lol, he probably had a larger impact than even I realize & he probably doesn't even remember me ;)you know guys don't have the memory that girls do!

Shimmerings~ lol, oh I really could have met him a hundred times since & I wouldn't know any better. So young & so pure, lol, but boy! did the neighborhood kids think we were something to talk about!

~Babs said...

He'll always remember too,,,I'd bet on it!

Happy Heart Day. May you ALWAYS have enough love.

SHE said...

great read! -tender, sweet, innocent..

watching memories like these unfold with my little ones these days.. first blushes, first crushes..

-precious happy valentines! love, ~s.

Pixie said...

Awww sweet, first loves are always the best...
<3

none said...

Great valentines post.

Glad I found your blog again. For some reason it looked like it disappeared.

Scott from Oregon said...

He didn't move to Oregon. I've looked...

I cut off my dogs balls for Valentine's Day...

skinnylittleblonde said...

WilsonsArt...Lol, if I were to pass him on the street, I wouldn't know it. TY and may you be blessed with good love, as well!

she...do you ever look at them and wonder just how their eyes truly perceive it? Being a child is a whole 'nother world. xoxox2u

Pixie...funny that you say that as I was just chatting with a girlfriend about marriage & we agree that if all a marriage needed to work was love, then we all would have been married before we could vote ;)

hammer...lol, it never disappeared, I just got busy with all kinds of life changes...while i was away doing what-have-you the song remained the same here.

kj said...

i fell for it. until the very end. love is love is love. that's what you're saying. at age 5, at age 85. and how lucky to have all the inbetweens....

:)

skinnylittleblonde said...

Oh yes Kj...I have learned the in-betweens count immeasurably! Sometimes I think we all get so wrapped up in consumerism, commercialism & the factitious nature of life that we forget that it is the laughter over something silly, the comfort of the warmth of another or of the sun, the twiddling of the toes, the wandering of the mind, the racing of the heart and the believing of the dream that make it all worth while. 40 year old me learns from 5 year old me ;) as always girl, p&l.

Me said...

I'd love to see what he makes of these memories and if they're as equally as beautiful :)

skinnylittleblonde said...

Scott!!!! Lol, I missed your comment as we were writing at the same time! Well Happy Valentines to you & your dog. You know, I do that any day of the year ...the boy dogs here look at it as an initiation into the household ;)

Orhan...I doubt it, in fact I doubt he has very many memories. We were very young....4,5 and 6 and I hate to sound sexist, but I have found that most men have very few memories from their younger years. But thinking about it....how could a boy forget the girl he first kissed? ;)

Slip said...

Hey now, I am 57 and a man and I remember my first kiss. Her name is Bobby Lee and my fling lasted a bit longer, from 5-9. Her father worked for my dad and we spent the summers exploring the great outdoors.Still see her from time to time.

piktor said...

Skinny, there was this comment at Cruel Virgin's that gave me an idea for this image.

The name of the blogger is "bookfraud" and his blog is worth visiting. Shipwrecked but debonair!

skinnylittleblonde said...

Slip...Lol, I didn't mean to offend and I did say most plus you were a bit older than he and I. I think that its truly awesome that 50 years later you still see the folks you knew as a kid. Slim, that's almost unheard of these days.

Piktor...I'm glad you find inspiration & entertainment through these roads we weave. Followed your trail & made it safely back home ;)