summer love

Why is it that the summers I remember most involve men? 

Summer of 1967.  My parents rented a cottage in Dennisport for the month of July.  A little path led from the cottage to a private ocean beach.  My parents rented the cottage with their best friends, who also had three daughters, about the same age as my sisters and I.  I met John D, who was two years older, making him 18.  The sun didn’t come out once that entire July.  At least this is what my parents remember about that summer.  I didn’t notice.

John D

Summer of 1969.  I was a newly minted high-school graduate.  Our family had a pool membership and Monte was the pool lifeguard.  He had just finished his freshman year at University of Rochester.  I found him smart and worldly.  Though Monte and I watched men walk on the moon for the first time, I was more interested in watching Monte.

This is the only photo I have of Monte; his school meal card.

Summer of 1974.  I started dating Don, and by September we had gotten an apartment together in Cambridge, along with three of my good friends (all female). Our tumultuous relationship lasted a few years.   We joke that someday we'll end up together, spending half our time in NY, and  the other half at his new home in Arizona.

Don with our dog Jesse (Boston, 1974)

 Summer of 1976.  First date with Tim, my not-yet husband.

Tim in Chicago, 1976

Summer of 1982, I fell in love with John S. We worked together at Gillette.  The summer was filled with laughs and lust, followed by several years of heartache. He lives in Minneapolis, and we still keep in touch.

John in Boston, 1982

Summer of 1984.  I spent the summer playing with David.  We were mismatched from the start, and not only because our parents were friends. We still communicate, though I haven’t seen him in three years.

David sailing in Chicago

Summer of 1986.  My date couldn’t make it so he sent his friend Bruce instead.  Our date lasted well past the summer.

Bruce in Watch Hill RI, 1986

Summer of 1989.  I was in a share house on Flying Point Road in Southampton.  A little nothing house that sat right on the beach.  That summer I fell madly in love with Eric, twelve years my junior.  He would one day be Alexander’s dad.

Eric in 1989, New York City

Summer of 1993.  My most important love, though not a romantic one.  This was my son's first summer...

With Alexander in Sagaponack, 1993

and this is his most current one.

Alexander today, August 2nd