I was talking to some women my age (all in their early seventies) and we got to talking about "Going Steady" in High School. It turned out, that all three of them got a heart pendant with a tiny diamond in it from their First True Love. I told them I got one for my Girl back then too. I wish I had kept it when she gave it back. The women were aghast. "She gave it back? Did you tell her to give it back?"
"No. Her new beau told her to give everything back. And they stayed married for almost fifty years...so no big deal."
The women gave me that look where only one eyebrow goes up.
"What? " I said.
"You never give back that first pendant. You might give back a Class ring, maybe even a friendship or engagement ring. But not your first heart on a chain. That you keep."
All three women nodded. All of them still have theirs. I couldn't believe it. One lady was wearing hers and pulled it out from her blouse to show us all. She said:
"I am lucky, I am married to the guy who gave me this when I was fifteen years old. I never take it off. Only to shower, or when I get an X-ray."
Then she told us this little anecdote:
"We were alone in the kitchen of my Mom' and Dad's house. He told me he loved me. First time I ever heard that from someone I wasn't related to. Then he gave me this heart. (Her fingers ran it up and down the chain with practiced ease. I was pretty sure she did that often.)
The chain was a little to long and the heart fell down into my bra and slipped into my cleavage (turning a little red) and I let him fish it out."
All the women laughed. Me too.
I remember doing the exact same thing with the heart I gave my old girl. I wonder if Jewelers plan that out on purpose? LOL
I told them that I remember those moments too. We all agreed that those powerful moments from your youth stay with you a lifetime. Even though three out of the four of us, haven't seen those people in decades. Then one of the women made us all laugh.
"Yes, for us girls, getting that first heart pendant, is like you guys scoring a touchdown in football ...you remember it forever. "
To which the other woman said:
"Or their first car...guys never forget that."
And the kicker came from the woman still wearing her heart shaped pendant with a little diamond:
"My husband has never forgotten his first car. We drove here in it. "
And that made us all laugh. So what about you folks on Rally Point? Still have your first car? First ring? And did any of you actually score the winning touchdown? I remember the first time I came home in Uniform and stood by my girl at the Airport. I was proud to be a soldier. I didn't get a small heart from the Army but I got a little medal that I remember. I never gave it back.