Feeling Nostalgic

Class Assignment: Write a memoir in questionnaire form

Let me know what you think -- H.Eilene

v  Did you know it would last this long?

v  That feeling in your stomach; the burning sensation to have his hand in yours; the wobbly knees and melt your heart feeling—did you know that would last?

v  How long ago did you two meet?

v  Wasn’t it there at the zoo school where he first caught your eye?

v  Wasn’t it there in chemistry where he first stood up for you when another guy called you a name?

v  Wasn’t it chemistry that brought you two together? Weren’t you lab partners at some point? Didn’t Ms. McBrien seat you two next to each other?

v  Was that where it all began?

v  Or, was it in Pod Seven where you two first met? Wasn’t it in Pod Seven during house where you learned he too played the trumpet and he too was a debater?

§  Was it that easy for you to fall for him?

v  Or, was it when you needed a ride home, and he drove you home wearing those sunglasses that would probably still make your cheeks flush rose and your fingers twitch?

v  What song was it that he turned up really loud in the car and strummed on his leg?

§  Do you remember?

§  Wasn’t it a song by GreenDay? Didn’t he say it was one of the first songs he learned on the guitar?

§  Didn’t your heart skip and you get that fluttery feeling in your stomach again when he said he played guitar?

v    How many times did you two hang out to do homework? How much homework did you actually get done?

§  Do you remember going to Taylor’s to work on Pond Profile readings? Do you remember doing the reading, answering all the questions, and then giving in when they all needed the answers because they spent the whole time goofing off and eating sunflower seeds? Do you remember being jealous that he had his arms around Maddie and Taylor?

v  Do you remember talking to him that night in the car?

§  Do you even remember how the conversation came up? When you told him your secret, what did he do? How fast was he going? Did it scare you and excite you all at the same time? Or, were you more impressed that he cared?

v  When you got home that night and he called, how late did you stay up talking? Did you cringe when you heard your dad on the stairs for is three a.m. smoke? Is that when you finally hung up the phone?

§  What did you two even talk about for so long? Did you talk about everything? Did you learn his favorite color? Band? Food? Music? Did you learn what he was most afraid of? Did he tell you his secrets?

v  How did you feel when he was out sick the next day? Were you disappointed that after talking for so long, you didn’t get to see his face? Did your stomach flip when he texted you “Hey Beautiful” halfway through the day?

v  How long was it before he held your hand? Did it make you blush every time he smiled your way? Do you still blush when he smiles your way?

v  On the day of Pond Profile presentations, do you remember him putting his arm around you and telling you how nice you looked? Was that the day he stole the little pumpkin off your desk? Didn’t that start a whole escapade to save Pumpkin Pete?

§  When you finally got Pete back… what had happened?

§  Did you ever count the pin holes or did you give up because there were too many to count?

§  Did you learn your lesson to never tell the boy that you like someone named Pete and then present him with your pumpkin named Pete?

§  It sounds so stupid now, doesn’t it?

§  Is Pumpkin Pete and the boy’s arm around you what you think of when you see the silly picture from that day of the girl with her long hair down, in the arms of the boy in his dress clothes wearing the 3D glasses upside down? Does it still give you that warm feeling?

v  How long did it take you to get up the courage to ask him to the Sadie Hawkins dance?

§  How long did it take to make the poster that said Crime Scene Investigation?

§  How many stores did you have to go to in order to buy a poster, sidewalk chalk, and a rose?

§  Why was it that it had to be a Tuesday afternoon? Where was he supposed to be? Was it jazz band? Didn’t you have a backup plan just in case? How many times did you make Matt swear he would convince him to go to Taco Tuesday in case band was cancelled?

§  What did you have to do to bribe Kayla to help you with your elaborate plan? Was it worth it to walk three blocks drawing chalk arrows for her boyfriend, whom you hated?

§  Do you still have the picture of the chalk body outline and the cheesy thought bubble saying “I’ve been dying to go to Sadie’s with you?”

§  When you waited for him to come pick you up… were you shaking? Were you terrified he would say no? Do you remember thinking, “Well that’ll make homework awkward tonight?”

§  Were you mad when he couldn’t get the night off work? Or were you kind of excited that the day you asked him to the dance was the day you officially started dating? Did that excitement make the dance not matter? Are you still excited that he said yes?

v  When you two were dancing at the Halloween dance, and he presented you with the white rose, did you think back to the time in the car when he was talking about cheesy proposals?

§  What was the one with the rose? Didn’t it go.. somewhere along the lines of: boy gives girl a dozen red roses and one fake white rose and then boy says “I’ll love you until the day the last rose dies” and pulls out a ring and it’s all sweet and romantic because the last rose will never die..?

§  Is that what you thought of when he gave you that rose?

§  Is that what you think of when you look at the picture of the blonde girl in braids dressed as Dorothy and the handsome boy dressed as a mob boss? Do you think of undying love when you look at that picture? Do you smile at the girl who didn’t have a clue of how deeply she had fallen? Do you smile because the rose is still sitting next to your bed?

v  How long did you make him wait for your first real kiss? It was awhile wasn’t it? He tried a few times didn’t he?

v  What about your one month anniversary?

§  Did you suspect anything when Kayla told you she was going to go pick up her sheet music from Krysta’s house? How did you not notice her music sitting right on her dresser?

§  Were you confused when she kicked you out of the car at the park? Were you shaking because it was dark and there was no one around?

§  Was it eerie staring at the path towards your house, with the low fog and flickering street lights?

§  How grateful were you when it wasn’t a mass murderer who came out from behind the trees?

§  What if it were a mass murderer in the trees holding roses? Would you have accepted them? Would you have held his hand while walking towards his hidden parked car? Would you have teased him for being so cheesy? Would you have allowed him a tiny kiss on the cheek for his efforts? Or, if it were a mass murderer would you have not cared enough to save your kiss?

§  How many roses did Jordan give you that night?

                                                              i.      Was his reasoning something like this: “One for each night I’m gone, and one for the month we’ve had together?”

                                                            ii.      Did you laugh and think to yourself, liar, roses come in half dozens and dozens?

                                                          iii.      Did you care?

§  Why didn’t you give him a real kiss that night? Mist isn’t enough rain for you? Isn’t that kind of mean?