Is Affection Adolescent Behavior?

A couple of weeks ago, my husband, Roger, and I attended a networking event and met some new people. We had the pleasure of telling our story to them. While it didn’t take long for Roger and me both to know we were meant to be together, we did have our ups and downs. One of the ups was a simple kiss, an experience I will always cherish. Let me tell you about it.

For reasons I won’t go into here, I had tried to break it off with Roger. He wouldn’t hear of it, though. He called me the next day to ask me to go with him to see Wayne Brady. To this day, I give Wayne Brady much of the credit for Roger and me being together; I am a big fan and would not pass up the opportunity to see him.
Although Roger said we’d go as friends, that isn’t the way it went. I drove myself to Roger’s house, and he then drove us to the restaurant for dinner before the show. All the way there, he gave me his pitch, telling me how good we would be together. I listened carefully and heard the truth in what he said. Roger was very open with me, and we spoke candidly about our age difference, career plans, and future intentions.

During the show, Roger sat very close to me and wrapped his arm around my shoulders. As it always had, it felt good to be so close to him. Afterward we went back to his house where I’d left my car. We ended up standing in his kitchen where we had one of our most memorable moments. As we lingered there looking into each other’s eyes, Roger took me in his arms and kissed me very slowly and intentionally. I felt that kiss all the way down to my toes.

I will never forget that kiss. Do I think kissing and other acts of affection are adolescent? Not at all. It’s unlikely we ever would have experienced a kiss so meaningful if we had done what so many people do and rushed into sex too quickly.