Rollercoaster Ride

I remember the last time I went on a rollercoaster. I went with Pedro, an actor at the theatre for which I worked. He was just barely 18, I was just barely 21. I don’t know if he ever had a crush on me (some people thought he was gay, but he never told me he was), and I tried unsuccessfully to have a crush on him. We became good friends instead. He taught me to waltz and I told him he should use Nice ‘N Easy to dye his hair – it would be less harsh on his hair than whatever he was using.

Anyhoo, about a month before I moved away from Salt Lake, he and I spent a fun Saturday at Lagoon. I remember the rollercoaster was my second favorite ride (#1 was the Ferris wheel because of the view and because I didn’t get sick). The rollercoaster wasn’t too motion-sickness-inducing, so we rode it several times. My favorite part was when the car slowly crept to the top of the first peak – the anticipation of soon plummeting down the other side, beginning the ride, was thoroughly enjoyable. Sometimes the ups and downs made me a little nauseous, but I enjoyed the ride immensely. There were curves when it felt like the car was going to go flying off the tracks, and I would grab Pedro’s arm, screaming and laughing with delight. Even when I was a little sick, I was always sad when the ride ended and would want to go again, after my stomach settled a little, of course.

Lately, I’ve started another type of rollercoaster ride. I’m in serious “like” with someone (I think you know who). Yes, it’s true! Right now I’m at that anticipation stage; I know that the ride has started and it’s going to get even better. I realize that there will be ups and downs, and that at times I’ll feel a little nauseous. There will be times when I’ll be scared that things are going off the track and I’ll want someone to hold on to. There will be laughter (there already is lots of that!) and probably some tears. The track may twist and turn a lot, and I may not know where my little car is headed, so it will definitely be an adventure. Right now, I hope the ride never ends. If it does, it will break my heart.

No matter what happens, though, I’m glad that this ride, like the rollercoaster ride with Pedro, comes with someone with whom I can share all the joys, laughter, tears, heartache, and everything else. It promises to be a great ride.