From Chime to Chime

The little town’s church bell chimed, much like it used to every evening at 6:00. A day that started miserable had turned beautiful. The early morning rain and clouds had moved on leaving a sunny evening with a crisp breeze. We walked slowly down the street, not sure whether to hold hands. The wind pushed her fragrance toward me, the sweet smell still etched in my brain all these years later. Leaves spiraled down from the trees and across the asphalt road we were walking on. What does one talk about on a first date? I don’t remember what we spoke of on the walk, but her smile, the smell of perfume, and the spectrum of fall colors blend into a beautiful picture in my mind.

We stopped at the end of a driveway. It was the weekend of rummage sales, and trinkets and junk were strewn about the driveway. At the very edge of the house was a beautiful grandfather clock. Turning around, we both looked at the large park across the street. At fifteen, going down a slide might not seem the cool thing to do, but we crossed the street and ran up the stairs of the park. The three-story playground had a built-in metal bench at the top, as if to give sliders a chance to sit down and think if they were ready to descend the fast slide. We sat down on the metal bench and looked at each other. Blushing, we both looked away.

Looking back at each other, conversation started to come naturally. What is your favorite color? What is your favorite sport? How many siblings do you have? What do you want to do after high school? What is your ideal job? Living in a small town, we already know a lot about each other’s families and friends.

Time seemed to slow and that uncomfortable metal bench seemed to be the best place in the world to be sitting. There was a lull in the conversation, and she leaned over and kissed me. She then jumped up and went down the high, fast slide. I quickly followed, crashing into her at the bottom. She leaned back and kissed me one more time, just as the grandfather clock began its seven chimes. All these years later, and our relationship was sealed in the hour between a church bell and grandfather clock chime.

Fifteen is a young age to find a person to spend the rest of your life with. It wasn’t easy. We had our ups and downs. Sometimes it was hard to live up to our first date, but other times it was our first date that gave our relationship such a good start and saved us from a lot of problems.

We still live in that small town. Last week, they tore down that old slide. We hadn’t been to the top in twenty years, but it still felt like we were losing a part of us. Our children will miss that slide too. The church bell still chimes at 6:00, but it too is a new bell with a new sound. However, I still have one trick up my sleeve. I talked to the city worker and bought the metal bench from the top of the old playground. Walking home tonight, she will see it installed in our backyard. That metal bench is still uncomfortable, but with a fresh coat of paint, it looks like it did back then. As our memories lose a little of their clarity, it is great to have objects like the bench to help remind us of how it all began.