Free Feels Like the First Time by Shawn Inmon

Dawn turned in her seat and looked at me through narrowed eyes.
    “Okay,” she said. “I guess so.”
    “Let’s go there on April 29 th !”
    Since this was still March, that was a lot of advance notice for a date.
    Dawn’s eyes narrowed further as she eyed me suspiciously.
    “Oh, so sometime is April 29 th ?” she asked. “Alright, we can go to dinner there on April 29 th .”
    What she didn’t realize was that April 29 th was the date of our Prom. It would have been easier to say, “Dawn, will you go to Prom with me?” But at that age, I didn’t know how to do things the easy way. My method of asking Dawn out was similar to the game Mouse Trap, in which the goal was to build a complex contraption that did twenty-five different things, with the end result being a cage that dropped on a mouse.
    I looked at her, still slightly shaking her head at me and said, “Remember that date. April 29th.” I turned the volume up on 950 KJR and waited for a special song. Just before Spring Break, the Prom Committee decided the theme for Mossyrock High School’s 1978 Senior Prom would be Always and Forever . It was a huge hit by Heatwave.
    My plan was to wait for it to play, reveal that it was the theme of the Prom, and that the prom was on April 29th. I switched the dial between every Top 40 station on the dial–first KJR, then KING, and then KLSY. None of them was playing Always and Forever . It normally played every ten minutes. But, of course, every station seemed to have launched a Heatwave boycott at that moment. I grew worried as I took the exit off I-5 to Auburn. I didn’t have a backup plan if that song didn’t play.
    Eventually, we were at the turnoff to Terri and Tommy’s house. I drove past it on purpose, continually changing stations and sweating a little. I drove around Auburn, relying on the fact Dawn had never been there before, so she wouldn’t realize I was essentially driving us in circles. I was just about ready to forget the charade when KJR finally bailed me out. I reached down and turned it up as the notes I’d been waiting for filled the car. We were sitting at a red light, and I turned to her so I could watch her expression.
    “Do you like this song?”
    “Mmmm-hmmmm.” She sat with eyes straight ahead.
    “I do too,” I said casually. “Oh, hey. This is the song that’s going to be the theme of the Prom.”
    She frowned slightly. She was starting to make the connection.
    “Yep, it is.” I rambled on. “Did I tell you Prom’s going to be on April 29th? Hey, since we’re already going out to dinner that night…”
    That moment is forever frozen in time for me. For once, she couldn’t contain her emotions. She widened her eyes and her mouth drew into the smallest of smiles. She inhaled sharply and turned toward me. But I didn’t need to hear what she was going to say. That expression of happiness and surprise told me everything.
    “Are you asking me to Prom?”
    “Yeah, what do you think?”
    She stared at me expectantly.
    “Well? Will you go with me?”
    Finally, she smiled wide and wrapped her arms around my neck.
    “Of course!”
    Finally, I knew the answer to the questions that had haunted me for so long. It didn’t matter whether the letter arrived or not. I knew she was with me. I swelled with happiness. It isn’t often you can pinpoint an exact moment when your life changes, but for me it was that moment. The best part was that I appreciated it, even as it was happening. It has lived in my heart forever.
    The light changed, and I backtracked the last mile to Terri’s house consumed with joy. Nothing else in the world mattered.
    I pulled into Terri’s driveway, opened the door for Dawn, and floated inside. I still hadn’t mastered the art of calling ahead, so they had no idea I was coming.
    Terri was home sick from work, but she insisted I bring Dawn upstairs to meet her. I had some trepidation, since Terri was a little unpredictable. I didn’t want to be embarrassed