Bill says his affair with Andrea was like that Tom Hanks-Meg Ryan movie "You've Got Mail."
They met in second grade. "She was a cute, bright little girl, so much smarter than me," he says. "She was always one of the last two girls standing during spelling bees."
They shared the same homeroom but rarely made eye contact or exchanged a word. "We were both painfully shy," he says.
By seventh grade, he had a crush on her: "I was a patrol boy and I recall coveting the corner that Andrea crossed on her way home. I would trade corners with my fellow guards so I could have my desired spot. I would experience butterflies as she sashayed toward me."
They went to different high schools and got on with "the business" of their lives. Then, 40 years later, Andrea sent out email invitations to their reunion.
Bill responded, "Hi Andrea, What a blast from the past!" and told her he was "very much interested" in the reunion.
There was some back and forth about logistics. He lived in New Orleans; she lived in Denver. Then Bill wrote, "When I was visiting my mom last summer, I got in touch with an old girlfriend whom I hadn't seen in over 20 years. What a strange trip that was! I imagine a reunion would be strange to the square root." And he sent her some class photos.
She responded: "These pictures are gold! And yes, the weekend will be strange, and maybe to the square root, but imagine the relief you'll experience when you get to leave that freak show behind and go back to your sane life."
Bill's next email began "My Dear Andrea," and he told her he had definitely decided to attend the reunion. And by the way, they were both single.
"Oh, to resolve all those childhood crushes," he told her. "I recall being the crossing guard, seeing you walk by, ignoring my pleas to stop for traffic. Just a foolish boy I was. My fear in attending such reunions is that I wonder too much about what could have been. I'm generally a pessimistic person so I deal better with people one on one. Like Marlon Brando in 'On the Waterfront' — 'You don't understand. I coulda had class. I coulda been a contender. I coulda been somebody, instead of a bum, which is what I am, let's face it.'"
The emails continued for the next 14 months. All in all, they wrote "approximately 240,000 words, more than 500 pages." He says: "We shared our secrets and random thoughts, and wrote of our ordinary lives. We shared our love for family. And the frustration caused by family. We came to know each other very well. And we fell in love."
Next, the relationship continues ...
Did you contact a high school crush? Send your tale, along with your questions, problems and rants to cheryllavinrapp@gmail.com. And check out my e-books, "Dear Cheryl: Advice from Tales from the Front" and "I'll Call You. Not."
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