Powell 1 Tony Powell English 1301 Prof Matlock May 2 2012 The McDonalds Touch Discovering new, fun

things in life is a prospect well sought after. For children in middle school, one of the most aspiring prospects to aim for is your first kiss. No matter how tough, daunting, or careless you have to be to achieve this first kiss, it is worth it. It was the summer of 1994 and I was an active member in my churchs Junior High choir. This year, we had a particular urge for wanderlust and decided to take a bus to St. Louis, Missouri to see the famed Gateway Arch. The bus arrived early Saturday morning at the church; we were all bright eyed, bushy tailed, and eager to depart. Despite my best efforts to create as many opportunities to engage in conversation with girls on the bus, I was always reduced to note passing. My notes were funny, folded in a creative manner, had multiple colors, and sometimes even pictures! Looking back, I was pretty desperate. Our months of practice finally came to fruition in St. Louis. Our performance was impeccable; we were elated and jovial as we traveled back to the hotel we were staying in. When I arrived at my room, late that night, our choir director wanted to assure that we stayed in our rooms, and did not wreak havoc. So, he put a piece of tape on the front door. If it was broken in the morning, he would know that we escaped. I felt like a caged animal; I was still ripe with energy from the concertintoxicated by a new experience. With no intent purpose, I picked up the phone and proceeded to dial room extensions in the hotel. Subconsciously, my endeavor for the kiss remained alive. I finally reached a room of girls from my choir. There were four of them, three of whom I knew were clearly out of my social league. The fourth girl- tactfully speaking -was lacking symmetry.

Powell 2 Naturally, I struck up a conversation with her. We talked for hours it seemed; I found her voice thoroughly intoxicating. We both decided that I needed to discover a way out of my room and into hers. Suddenly, the window in my room distinctly stood out, begging to be discovered. I told her to stand at her room window, make sure I could see her, and I would be there shortly. I carefully crawled out on the second floor ledge of the window, surveyed the area, and decided a tree branch four feet away was the best spot of egress. I made the leap, grabbed the branch, and monkey climbed down to the ground. Full of adrenaline, I darted around the building and quickly located her. I realized that to reach the second floor where she was, I was going to have to scale the building- no problem I thought. I took off my shoes, threw them to her, and after a few embarrassing attempts, I was in! Everyone else in the room was fast asleep, so we spoke in whispered voices. We carried on small talk for a while, and reveled in our rebellion. Eventually, we transitioned to her bed and climbed under the sheets together. Have you ever kissed someone before? she asked. Nope, I replied. I rolled over on my hands and knees, hovered over her, and kissed her. Her lips were significantly softer than I had expected. Were my lips too tough? Are they as soft as hers? Is that McDonalds I taste? Just as that thought crossed my brain, she broke away and said, Im sorry if I taste like McDonalds, I just ate. I found it a welcomed surprise, I loved McDonalds! Who knows what a regular, clean mouth tastes like, this works out fine, I thought. Her tongue was rougher than I thought a tongue would be; it had subtle bumps all over that took me longer than usual to remember were taste buds- I was vehemently focusing on my own tongues performance. Our interactions began to escalate in intensity; consequentially, my Baptist brainwashing kicked it into high gear. My adrenaline slowed; I became apprehensive; thoughts of an angry Jesus, hellfire, and damnation plagued my brain. I sighed, I cant do this, Im sorry. Shortly thereafter, I climbed out of her window, the feeling of adventure narrowly overshadowing my recent guilt. I sat in the tree by my window for a while, recalling the events over and

Powell 3 over in my head while enjoying the night sky. In retrospect, I was concentrating intently on myself while sitting in the tree, focusing on my self-awareness, searching for some sort of substantial change in my being. Am I more mature now? I thought at one point. Exhaustion swept over me, and I finally scaled the Hotel wall back into my room. I lied there in bed, a myriad of emotions coursing threw me- what an exciting day. Thoughts of a second kiss crept into my brain; maybe my next kiss will taste like toothpaste instead of McDonalds? Either way, I eagerly await my next adventure in search for a kiss.