“My Souvenir From a Foreign Country“ Part 3
A few weeks before our final Sunday at that little church in Houston, my best friend decided to tell me that he loved me, and wanted to be more than just friends. He “confirmed” that statement with a huge Valentine’s Day card, a box of chocolates, and a teddy bear! Bless his heart, that “class clown” was trying to be serious! 
I knew we would be leaving his church, and going back to Florida in a few weeks, so I just brushed it off. I honestly felt he was merely infatuated with our being “best friends” relationship. Besides, he was barely 15 yrs old, experienced a troubled childhood, and had only recently cut off all that long hair! 
Definitely not what I thought my first love should be!
Definitely not what I thought my first love should be!Needless to say, those next few weeks were somewhat awkward! He started looking at me differently, or at least it felt that way. I found myself not being able to look him in the eyes as much! For some reason, those brown eyes looked bigger, more loving, and could see right into the deepest part of my heart! He started calling me on the phone, we would talk & laugh for hours! Our record phone call was SEVEN hours long! In that conversation, he finally got me to admit that I liked him more than just friends too!
That final Sunday came, and there was an ache in my heart I sure wasn’t expecting! As Daddy was up preaching his last sermon at that little Texas church, I was sitting with our youth group, next to my best friend. I saw him take a tithe envelope and pencil from the back of the pew, and he started writing! He handed me the envelope with tears in his eyes! He had written the words to what had become “our song” those last few weeks.
“Young love, strong love, true love It's a new love.
They're gonna make it through the hard times, and walk those lines. Yeah, these ties will bind, Young love!”
After church, I told all my friends goodbye, knowing I would probably never see them again. However, when I told HIM goodbye that day, as hard as I tried to hold them back, the tears came. Those brown eyes looked at me and said, “I love you” I smiled, but didn’t say it back.
