It may have been the last time I was to see him. He had light hazel eyes; only it was hard to tell, years of drinking had dulled them. His drinking had turned his skin and the whites of his eyes yellow. His smoking and drug use had turned his lips and fingertips blue. His long strawberry blonde hair was unkempt. It was as though he has just walked through a windstorm, curls were sticking up everywhere. His red beard hadn�t been trimmed; it looked like splotches of hair going every direction. I could barely see a trace of the man I fell in love with.
It was 15 years ago; we were new in the neighborhood. This 17-year-old boy, Tom Alberts, with long wavy strawberry blonde hair, and hazel eyes so bright you could see them from across the street, started showing an interest in me. I thought he was cute and loved the way his smile went all the way to his eyes. We started to talk and shortly became known as a couple.
A group of us teenagers decided to walk to the park. I was uncertain, because I knew everyone was planning to split up into couples and I didn�t know what Tom was expecting. When we got to the park, just as I expected everyone split up. Tom and I were alone for the first time. We sat by a large tube that kids used to crawl through.
Tom took my hand and looked into my eyes, �Is it okay if I kiss you?� he asked hesitantly.
