My High school Sweetheart

Oh where do I want my mind to wander today? I'm thinking all the way back to my High School Sweetheart. His name was Vito, being the blonde haired blue eyed Irish girl I am, I was attracted to Italians when I was younger, especially during this time because Saturday Night Fever was just released. Vito was my first love.

I had met him while out with my current boyfriend name Kevin. who was a nice guy but to use a cliche' Vito had me at hello. I broke up with Kevin the next day. I met Vito 2 days before my birthday which is right around the Valentine's Day, so for my birthday slash Valentines present (Hey... I was in High School otherwise he would have never gotten away with combining presents! lol) He picked me up for dinner with a dozen long stemmed roses (red if my memory serves me right) and after dinner he handed me my present, it was a gold watch with a diamond chip in it. I still have it BTW, I'm sentimental about that kinda stuff, I just recently threw out all the cards he had given me. My Husband was very happy about that! lol

It was my Sophomore year (1979) and Vito was older with his own car, and it was a beauty too! It was a mint condition 1967 Buick Riviera, gold body white roof, white interior. Everybody knew that car and new I was Vito's girlfriend. He picked me up in front of my High School everyday.

Some weekends we would go up to Lake Geneva Wisconsin, that was the "In" thing to do back then. I think the drinking age was only 18 up there at that time. Vito's large Italian family loved me and I was always at their house. On some weekends his Mother would invite me to stay over, which I did a lot and she would wake me up in the middle of the night to cook.  She taught me how to make homemade everything! Sauce, ravioli, potato sausage (to die for) and sometimes she would wake me up in the middle of the night and throw Holy Water on me, I kid you not! I don't know what she was going through but I know it couldn't have been good.

We broke up a lot during our 2 year relationship, I would date other guys, he would go nuts and we would end up back together again. I was really in my princess mode at that time and not very nice I'm afraid. I remember the one time I pushed him to far and he never came back, oh..... how I cried and my Mother sat me down and said something's that really changed me, not all at once mind you! I was still a teenager and in my all about mestage!  She told me that I had to learn to not be so demanding, ironic isn't it that I chose to have that be my screen name (Demandnlilchit) and that someday someone was going to come along and break MY heart, then I would really know how much I hurt others. Strong words for a mother to say huh? but words I needed to hear. I tucked that conversation away in my mind and when it finally happened I remembered it word for word.

After High School and at 18, I took off for New York. I wanted to see everything, do everything and I did. (but that's another story)
when I finally realized I needed to be here in Chicago with my family and my past, I moved back and actually dated Vito a few more times, but we were no longer the same people who had fallen in love years earlier. I have not seen him since and I hope life has treated him kind for he was a kind person.

Vito loved me when it I was difficult to love, but managed to love me anyway. I am glad he was my first love, he was always gentle with my soul.