When I was a young boy,maybe 8 or 10 years old
my father would take me and my siblings to Smithpoint beach
to go swimming in the ocean. Sometimes he would get us up
early during the week and take us brfore school . It was a very
large beach and people from all over New York and the neighboring
states would come to brave the large waves that would crash into the shore.

While we drove the 45 minutes in my fathers station wagon
the radio would be playing the popular songs of that time.. I always
sang along to those songs even if I was too young to understand what
some of them were about , such as love and war etc. I Remember those
times as if they were yesterday. Those were the happiest days of my
life, other than when my own children came into the world. Whenever I hear
one of those songs , yes every once in a while you might hear one , but
when I do , it evokes such strong feelings of wanting to go back in time ,
back...to the time .....back to one particular day.

One particular summers day my dad took me and my
brother and two sisters , all older than me,to the beach. It was a
bright sunny July afternoon. The slight breeze with the warm rays
of the Sun gave me a feeling...well ...of "good vibrations" as the saying
goes. I swam for a short time close to shore. With such huge waves and
a strong current which they call an "untertow" I could not go out as
far as my siblings.

As I stood there on the shore with the breaking waves
rolling in and just reaching up and cooling off my feet I heard the voice
of a little girl from behind me call out....."Hey you wanna help me build
this sand castle?". I turned around and saw the little girl with the curly
black hair and big brown eyes sitting behind me scooping up sand with
her hands and trying to make it into a castle. "My name is Annie". Whats
yours she asked ? "Im Timmy. My brother and sisters are in the surf and
my blanket is right over there", I said.

From that point on we were inseperable. We played in
the sand , we ran in the surf , we collected shells and everytime she said
my name I felt so proud.. I was at the age where normally girls are
considered yucky and taboo. I had my first crush on a girl that was to
make a lasting impact on me for the rest of my life....silly isnt it ? Or is it ?
Two innocents , Two pure hearts , Two undefiled , unjaded by a world of
greed and jealousy. Nothing about this is mine and this is yours , No
self centerdness,no selfishness , No ," what do I get out of all this ?"

Just two....Just two....
like one .