Key Largo

I heard a song on the radio the other day, and it brought me right back to the summer of 1982. Also known as the summer of what might have been.

These were the final three months before I started high school. With the benefit of hindsight, I can look back now and view this as a time where I might experience one last breath of childhood, before the adult-like responsibilities of high school set in. I was old enough to do things on my own, including having a job, and yet young enough to not have many worries.

Not concerned with what might lay ahead of me at the time, I was just looking forward to a typical, carefree summer, assuming life would always be that way. But then something unexpected happened.

It was a girl.

And so, my summer – and life – was quickly turned upside down.

The Girl
Her name was Debbie, and she and her family had moved in across the street a year or two earlier. She had somehow escaped my attention, probably since she was a grade ahead of me. But living in such close proximity, it was inevitable that we’d have some sort of interaction, starting with an occasional “Hi” and a wave as we each came and went.

The biggest obstacle for me was that I was quite shy as a kid. I was sorely lacking in social skills, especially when it came to girls. I was just as terrified of girls as I was fascinated. So when confronted with an opportunity to make a move, I usually just froze in place, not knowing what to say or do. If my mouth did somehow miraculously open, it only made things worse. The prettier I determined the girl to be, the worse my fear would take hold and the more devastating the result. Man, those were some tough years.

With Debbie, however, it was different. We got to know each other slowly, and somehow I hadn’t realized how pretty she was until we had already become friends. Plus, she had a way of making me feel comfortable and maybe even competent. She thought I was smart, and she laughed at things I said. I had no idea what was happening until it was too late. And by then I was completely love-struck.

Tragedy Unfolds
Unfortunately, this would be the shortest of all romances. It couldn’t have been more than a few weeks after I realized what was happening, when disaster struck. Debbie’s family was moving. To another state, no less. I went right from the highest high, down to the lowest low. I was devastated.

The family packed up and left almost instantly. Her father was a minister, and there was a church in need – I think it was in Kansas. They wanted to move right away so Debbie and her sister could get settled before school started. So after a rather abrupt and heart-wrenching goodbye, I spent the last few weeks of summer going about my business, trying to enjoy myself, pretending that nothing happened. But it was hopeless.

Boy was I miserable. And for whatever reason, no one else knew about my situation. I hadn’t shared my experience with anyone. Not my closest friends or anyone in my family. I suppose my parents probably knew something was up, but they also knew I was a bit nervous about starting high school the following month.

My Recovery
My saving grace came in the form of music. A miraculous new invention – a portable music maker, the Sony Walkman® – had just become hugely popular. Because the Walkman cost well over $100, I got myself a cheap imitation ($39.99 at Radio Shack). It was probably the only thing that kept me sane, mostly by way of constant distraction. I would sit in my room or shoot hoops in the driveway with my headphones on, all alone in my own little world. I can just picture those cheap red, spongy headphones that quickly became orange, bleached from the acne medicine I used at bedtime.

So this is where Bertie Higgins and his “what could have been” song of romance came along into my life. Key Largo, his one and only hit from a long and distinguished career, was an ode to the old classic romantic Hollywood films of the 40’s. It peaked at #8 on the charts earlier in the year. I listened almost exclusively to the local pop station – 99.5 WLOL – at the time, where this song played hourly. It was just what I needed.

We had it all
Just like Bogie and Bacall
Starring in our own late, late show
Sailing away to Key Largo

Here’s lookin’ at you kid
Missing all the things we did
We can find it once again, I know
Just like we did in Key Largo

I know, I know. This all sounds a bit overly-dramatic. But isn’t that the case for everyone’s first experience with love? Especially at the tender age of 15. I thought I was suffering worse than anyone else ever had, in the entire history of humanity.

I never saw or heard from Debbie again. But if the high school rumors were true, she became a model and even made it to the cover of one of those teen magazines a year or so later. I’d like to think that’s true – she definitely had the looks. But you know how high school rumors go.

Reflecting
In looking back, that summer of ‘82 was filled with all sorts of activities. I was a pitcher on my baseball team (I still have official game balls signed by my team and coach, where I threw several complete game shutouts). I went to Yellowstone National Park with my parents, where my biggest memory was driving all the way across North Dakota on my driver’s permit. And I also worked as a busboy/dishwasher at a local Chinese restaurant. My typical teenage life was full.

But for me, the single biggest memory of that summer will always be my time spent with Debbie. It was my first brush with love. And, of course, its wicked companion, heartbreak.

I’d like to thank Bertie Higgins, both for helping me get past my heartache that year, and for once again reminding me of that wonderful (although painful) experience.

Here’s the song’s official video from 1982. Enjoy!