I first met Linda when I was 18 and she was 14. She was the little sister of my best friend's girlfriend. An early bloomer, she was quite attractive, but 14 was still 14 and I preferred girls my own age. I would often catch her staring at me, and whatever girls I brought to their house before or after a double date with Bud and Becky, Linda would be quite cool towards. I just chalked it up to a crush and went on with my life.

It was 1969, the draft and Vietnam War were in full swing, and my number was coming up. Not desiring to spend a year on my belly in a rice patty with bullets flying by, I did my draft dodging by joining the Air Force. I was a bit surprised when I told everyone I was leaving; Linda's eyes watered up and her lips trembled, then she went to her room for the rest of the night. I'd honestly thought she'd gotten over that crush in the past year I'd been hanging around. Oh, well. She'll get over it now I figured. So off I went for four years. By the time I got out and returned home, I'd pretty much forgotten about her.

Not long after getting home, I looked up my old friends. Bud and Becky had gotten married, which was not really a surprise. Bud had done his year in the Army and was going to school on the VA's money. They had a home on the south side of town in a relatively new subdivision and threw a homecoming party for me, calling it an "It's been too damned long" bash. Linda was there. Good Lord, what 4 years can do to someone!

She was standing there in the middle of the living room talking with Doug, another friend from our teenage years. He saw me first, came over and gave me a bear hug (he was as big as a bear). When he finally let go, I turned and there she was. That picture is burned permanently into my memory. Long, shiny, straight hair as black as the night; sparkling eyes as crystal blue as liquid sky; the most exquisitely shaped long legs that eventually disappeared under a denim miniskirt that was well above mid-thigh; and a halter top that did more to accent and reveal than hide her perfectly shaped and sized breasts, including the perky nipples that were so obviously protruding, almost begging to be sucked. We just stared at each other for a few seconds, and then she wrapped her arms around me and pressed herself into me. I could feel those nipples against my chest. Involuntarily, I began to harden; she must have felt it, no way could she have missed it. She looked up with a mist in her eyes and said, "I've missed you so much." Then her hand went behind my head and she pulled my mouth down to hers. I thought it would be a friendly kiss until I felt her tongue teasing my lips.

Then she abruptly pulled away and headed to the back yard waving me to follow. It took a couple of seconds to recover my equilibrium and return to reality; then I followed. The afternoon passed as you would imagine it would â?? burgers and dogs, beer, laughter, mock wrestling, back slapping, and good times between old friends in general. I did notice that Linda was keeping an eye on me, though. I also noticed I was keeping my eye on her, too. She was well away from 14 now and about the hottest thing I'd ever seen. As the party was breaking up, she let me know she was free that evening and if I had nothing better to do she would like to show me how the old town had changed in my absence.

- to be continued -