first impression of a good thing

I don't always remember my first impressions of people, however, the most important people in my life -Alana, Steve, Adam, for example- have all left me with first impressions that are as clear to me now as they were the day they were formed.

I met Steve when we were scheduled to work Walkhome together one night last May. I walked up to the kiosk from the Clergy Street Doors with my mp3 player on full-blast, coming from a long day at the core and oblivious to the fact that a very important person was about to be stepping into my life. After I signed in, Steve introduced himself to me. When I looked at him, REALLY looked at him for the first time, something happened inside of me. Tall, tanned, handsome, smiling confidently, eyes that had miles of depth - I fell. I remember worrying that someone might notice that I was blushing. I suggested that we put some music on, he told me to go ahead and pick out a cd, I picked Pearl Jam's "Ten" ... and our fate was sealed. That was it.

I don't remember how the rest of the night went. But we walked together a few times over the summer, the hours passing quickly over talks of musical theatre and good music; I quickly realized that I had found in Steve something that was missing in any other boy that I had ever met: a kindred spirit. What strikes me though is that first moment of recognition, that instant where he walked into my life - I remember it, can summon up the way that it made me feel, the way he looked in his red tee-shirt, how I became shy when I knew that he was going to be around.

I have a few memories of Steve from last summer, but none as special as this one. First impressions, as they say, do count.