Neon Sign

As I was driving from Kansas City, east to Columbia, MO, I went through a town by the name of Sedalia.

Ooh, memory!

In college, my roommate would use my laptop a lot to chat with her friends. She was from Missouri and knew a lot of people around here. She started talking to a guy that she didn't know, but that knew a friend of hers.

When I'd be using my laptop, he'd pop up on messenger and start chatting. I'd tell him that Maria wasn't there, so he'd start chatting with me.

He was really into music, like I was...especially 80s! We talked more and more and it got to where he would ask for me when Maria was online.

Maria and I went to a party at a hotel in Sedalia, thrown by some locals she knew. And there he was, Brian. Back then, I didn't drink. At least not at parties. I was too scared....I always wanted to know where I was and have control of the situation.

But everyone else was drinking. I'm not sure anyone was of age except for Brian who was 21.

We talked the whole night while everyone else got boozed up. I know at one time Maria was hugging the vodka bottle in the dark, locked bathroom. It was routine!

Brian and I talked about the music videos that were on MTV. I drove him to the store (I wasn't getting in a car with him, I didn't know him!) to get more soda for the rest of the gang. The band LIVE was playing in my car and he was hooked!

After that, we went on a few dates. He'd take me to dinner; we'd go to a movie, stuff like that. He drove this small purple pick up truck and always had the best music playing.

Hmmmm....I forgot to mention what Brian looked like. He was about 6 feet tall, with the best eyes and the cutest smile. Oh...and piercings! Ear piercings, an eye brow piercing, oh, and the tongue piercing (oh how I miss the tongue piercing...uh, oh...moving right along) Needless to say, not the typical guy I dated.

This whole relationship was based of our love for music. Really, it was. It was all we talked about. I soon found out he could sing and I was hooked! "Our song" that he would always sing to me was "Keeper of the Stars" by Tracy Byrd. He'd make me mix tapes of songs he knew I loved and be sure they were playing in his truck when we went somewhere.

Just a fun, sweet guy!

I soon found out he had dropped out of high school and didn't have his GED. So I tried to help him get ready for that (which didn't end up working). We went to a 311 concert with my roommate, which happened to be the first time I smelled weed. I remember saying "something smells like ass" and Brian and Maria laughed at my innocents.

He was the cause of me skipping several classes that fall! But then, he lied to me.

He told me he used to smoke weed. Ok, no biggy...he USED to do it. Come to find out, from my roommate, he still did. That was it for me! I didn't want any part of it. He lied and he did something that I didn't like to be around. That was enough for me.

Unfortunately, I couldn't take back the days I had skipped class to be with him. Or the friendships I had screwed up to be with him. Or the mistakes I made while with him. But hell, it was fun while it lasted!!

Believe it or not, this is one of the more fun, lighter memories of being back here. I'll add a picture of him to this post when I get back home...just for shits and giggles.

Brian is now referred to as the "Neon Sign" by my friends. They think the piercings and the lack of education were a neon sign of who he was.

What can I say? I was like a month drawn to the light! :-)