Oh Ahhnold

Skinny, awkward, Chinese guy had a crush on me in high school - shy, stuttered when I tried to small talk him, a bit nerdy, was in the Science Club, carried the same grey faux-leather Prince tennis racket bag I did, that annoyed me. One time he followed me down the long street that led to my house, so mad - turns out he lived in the house at the end of the street, mad for nothing, sorry for those looks I shot you, like my backhand. Hee hee. Graduated, went to college, left high school behind.

1st day of school of my 2nd year of grad school at San Diego State University in the Public Health program focusing on Health Services Administration in a general course, chatting with my classmates, in comes a good-looking, tanned, cut, Asian guy with lavendar contacts - somehow he could pull it off, looking hot! Went around introducing ourselves - Maile 2nd-year HSA major, Arnold 1st-year epidemiology major. NO! Not Arnold, yes, ohmygod! What happened to him? because he looked fiiiine. I was dumbfounded, mouth dropped and hit the desk as I whispered to a friend who he was and how I knew him.

We played cat and mouse for a few days, and then we finally spoke incredulous at what a small world it was. He went to UC Berkeley and really let his hair down, relaxed, worked out, built confidence - it was like one of those afterschool specials where the quiet guy in the back becomes a frontman, luminous and charismatic - incredible, thank you UCB for whatever you did to that boy! We played tennis, hiked and he took me to a lovely dinner in La Jolla, romanced me and boom, we were immediately drawn to each other. He admitted to me that I was his big-time high school crush, cute, and after a moment, smiling, I told him I knew, completely floored him, c'mon girls know these things. I told him how I thought he was following me home that one day. Hee hee - he turned a crimson red, same color as his shirt.

Eventually, it didn't quite work out, but ohhh the memories. He's actually somewhere in San Francisco too last time I heard, and his parents still live down the street from mine. Ok, I reunited with Michael from junior high and Arnold from high school - now if only I could hook up with Richard whose a doctor now who used to chase me around elementary school. Ha! - that would just make my life complete.