All Write, Already!

When I was in high school I belonged to a church youth group called Teen OutReach for Christian Help, or TORCH.
TORCH met at St. Paul's church on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday nights, along with Sunday morning/afternoon. We had a peer-counseling group, a musical group that sang at nursing homes and hospitals, a gaming group -- it's hard to call D&D Satanic when the DM is an Episcopal minister -- and a theater group, with whom I starred as Judas in Godspell.

I joined the group because of Aline Hockenstadt. She was 16, two years older than I, tall, brunette, slender/athletic with a brushing of freckles across the bridge of her nose that were barely visible. I was still a gangly skinny kid, all knees and elbows and self-loathing with a high tenor voice, shy, never been on a date. We sat next to each other on during a 6 hour van trip to a Midwest regional Diocesan Youth conference in Chicago, Ill., and by the time the trip was over I had become her knight-protector, her champion, her seneschal and major-domo. I would have gladly thrown myself in front of a train, cheerily singing songs of praise as I was crushed by the massive engines. My heart sang when I saw her across the room, and I pledged my undying love and devotion to her.

Of course, I never told her, or anyone else for that matter.

I carried that Torch until she graduated 2 1/2 eyars later. I saw her a few years ago and finally admitted that I had a light in my heart -- for that's what carrying a torch is, right? -- and she laughed and said, "took you long enough to admit it. I probably would have dated you if you had actually asked me out, but your lack of a proposal told me you weren't mature enough yet. It's a shame, really. You were, and still are, such a nice man."

And while she's got three kids, happily married, working part-time as a social worker, and while I'm out on my own adventures, engaged to marry a truly wonderful woman, I still hold a warm spot in my heart for Aline, who taught me how to be kind to people, and that good things come to those who do good.