And No One Stopped Them | Part 18
The Simple Question That Derailed My Life for Good
Be careful what you wish for…
I had gone to Manitoba to visit relatives one summer. My cousin, Jane, and I were at a dance in the community center the first time I saw him.
He was standing with a group of his friends, looking at me from across the room. He was tall and lean, with dark hair and flashing eyes. And he wouldn’t stop looking at me.
“Who’s that?” I asked Jane, trying to indicate with my eyes and a subtle nod of my head in his direction.
“Oh, that’s Richard Hardy. He works at the Co-op. Looks as though he likes you!” she teased.
My face grew hot with embarrassment.
“No, he doesn’t! I’m only 15! He’s a lot older than I am,” I stated, wishing I could hide my glaring self-consciousness.
“Yeah, he’s probably about 19 or 20.”
I tried not to look at him that evening but I could feel him staring at me over the next hour or two. Being so much younger than he was, I was certain he wasn’t really going to bother with me anyway. I thought I was safe.
But with one simple request for a dance, he changed both our lives forever.
