He Was an Artist

We met on the fourth of July in the summer of 1970.  The fireworks were incredible and then we went out into the park to watch the fireworks in the sky.  He came from a broken abusive home, so he had a cool reckless hardness about him.   Even for the barriers, I still saw something behind those eyes of his.  And I was drawn to him.  I think there might have been something in him that was drawn to the simple innocence in me.  I liked to think I was experienced, but I really wasn't and it shone through.  We ended up going together on and off for almost 2 years.  A long time for high school. 

My family took him in and I think he loved it. He said he did anyway.  And when he saw the artists in my family, he slowly but surely began to open up and show me the artwork he had done.  Some of it was scary, most of it, though, was incredibly amazing.  It was his outlet and he was sharing it with me.  He loved Hendix.  Sometimes we'd put Jimmy and the music would inspire him.  To this day, I can't hear anything by Hendirx without thinking about him.  He was so heartbroken when Jimmy died.  He rushed over and just cried in my arms.

We split up my senior year.  Not because we wanted to, but because I was sent away.  My parents, decided (and rightly so) that it was time to step in and get me away from the influences that were affecting my life.  I was headed down a road, that some don't ever come back from and getting me off that road all together was, in my parents best judgement, the only way to "save" me.  They didn't really blame him so much as blame the life I had gotten involved in.

I've been in contact with my artist through the years.  He went through some very rough times, came out the other side with a better understanding of life and love.  He married, raised a family and then moved to Hawaii, where he makes a living selling his artwork.  I'm so happy for him.

He is an artist and my first love.