Ever since I could remember, I have always been attracted to men. I remember the many crushes I had as a child. They were usually on someone older than me, a teen or adult, and thankfully paying this little girl no mind. I can even remember my mother telling me, in the 1st grade, about how I would be allowed to have a boyfriend when I turned 16 because that’s when she was allowed to start dating. I remember counting on my little fingers the number of years I had left to wait; just 10 long years.
In the second grade, I heard my mother talking on the phone to one of her friends about young people/kids dating and not even being able to spell boyfriend. I then spelled the word in my head and said , to myself, “I can spell it.” Of course I wasn’t stupid enough to tell her this. I had plans of actually living long enough to have a boyfriend one day.
The next year, 3rd grade, I lived my usual life at school of noticing the cute boys and hating math. I wasn’t what one would call “fast”, I just thought boys were cute and I noticed them. I had no plans to do anything more than write notes and play together at recess. In my class there was a cute redhead named Todd. He was a very nice boy and my friend. He was a cutey and I approved of him being my boyfriend because my mom was okay with our friendship. I was very confident at this age, so I made the usual note of “Do you like me? Circle Yes or No”, and had my friend pass it to him during recess. He returned the note with Yes being circled and instantly he became my boyfriend. It was probably a relationship lasting only 2 days, but during that time we did go to the Christmas Dance “together” meaning we walked into the gym at the same time. We slow danced together, so we were Official okayyyy.
This was the beginning to the end of us.
While at this dance, I was at the concession stand to buy a pickle or popcorn, but I noticed a tall nice piece of dark chocolate walk past me. He had what I know now as red undertones, that made his dark skin even more beautiful. He had dark black curly hair with the staple 1991 two side parts in his box haircut or was it a Gumby? Oh yeah, he had a small tail too, with an earring. My GOD! I was in love. He had to be mine! He was the most beautiful boy I had ever seen! But Todd was my boyfriend. Oh what to do?
I had to tell my friend LaTasha to tell Todd that I wasn’t allowed to have a boyfriend. See my plan was that if I broke up with Todd, then maybe I could get with this young chocolate zaddy. Ginger’s are nice, but chocolate…EVERYBODY loves Chocolate. The healthiest chocolate is the darkest, right? This was the End to me and Todd. Since I wasn’t allowed to have a boyfriend anyway I was doing the right thing.
This twist on the truth did hurt Todd, but I had to get my young 3rd grade pimpin game on. Todd would be alright. With my guiding hand of important questioning my messenger LaTasha was able to tell me that this Chocolate’s name was Natrell. He was new to the school, and a 4th grader. I told ya’ll I liked them older. Anyway I left that school dance with a new boyfriend. He didn’t need to know that I wasn’t allowed to have a boyfriend…he just needed to know that I, little Miss Young, was his new girlfriend.
I had a 4th grade boyfriend that I quickly pushed away from me as we left out the school together. Hey, my momma was coming. I couldn’t let her see us together. Too many questions to answer. Gotta be smart about all this…
Thank you for reading Part I of What Boyfriend? Tune in later this week to read What Boyfriend? Part II and find out what brought about the inevitable demise of this hot new relationship.
Valentine’s Week Series Day 1
Please Share, Comment, Like, & Subscribe for more posts from me.
Photo: Personal Archive
Kat's Eye View 
3 thoughts on “Valentine’s Week Series Day 1: What Boyfriend? Part I”