From Pool Party to New Beginnings

After the crush on my English teacher ended gently and responsibly, my first boyfriend

was a high school football coach which somehow sounds less appropriate when you say it out loud.

I met him at a pool party. I was 21, sunburned, and still very much

in my “I have no idea what I’m doing” era. Somehow, I surprised him

by being a young woman who genuinely loved Elvis. Not ironically. Not “I know one

song.” I mean full-on, heartfelt Elvis appreciation. That alone probably should have been

my first red flag. . . well maybe pink flag.

His name was Chris. He was kind, gentle, goofy, and handsome in